German · Difficult words
How to pronounce schwach in German
schwach
Weak
Standard German · Choose 1.00× to hear the original pace.
schwach is pronounced /ˈʃvax/ in German. In schwach: Keep the back of the tongue near the soft palate and release a stream of air, as in Scottish “loch”. Listen to the word on its own, then compare it with the example sentence.
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Find the sounds in schwach
The reference transcription for schwach is /ˈʃvax/. Read adjacent consonants together without inserting extra vowels. The mark /ˈ/ comes immediately before the main stressed syllable. Give that syllable a little more prominence without swallowing the others.
1.The back ch sound /x/
In schwach: Keep the back of the tongue near the soft palate and release a stream of air, as in Scottish “loch”.
Watch out: Do not close the airflow completely as you would for k.
2.The sh sound /ʃ/
In schwach: Keep a narrow channel for air and use a soft “sh” sound. In clusters, connect it directly to the following consonant.
Watch out: Do not insert an extra vowel inside a consonant cluster.
3.An open vowel
In schwach: Open the jaw for the a-like vowel shown in the IPA. Keep it continuous and follow the recording’s tongue position.
Watch out: Do not substitute the English diphthong in “day”.
Hear it in context
Ich fühle mich noch schwach.
I still feel weak.
Listen once, say it aloud, then replay at 1.00×. Keep the word connected to the surrounding sentence rather than giving every syllable equal weight.
Pronunciation and variety
schwach is presented using Standard German. Regional accents and connected speech can change details. The isolated word and the example let you compare the dictionary form with a short spoken context.
The English-style respelling is approximate. Use the IPA and recording together for vowel quality and consonants that do not have an exact English equivalent.
Meaning and everyday use
Questions about schwach
How do you pronounce schwach?
schwach is pronounced /ˈʃvax/ in German. In schwach: Keep the back of the tongue near the soft palate and release a stream of air, as in Scottish “loch”. Listen to the word on its own, then compare it with the example sentence.
What should I listen for first?
In schwach: Keep the back of the tongue near the soft palate and release a stream of air, as in Scottish “loch”. Start at 0.75×, then return to 1.00× to hear the natural rhythm.
