German

Do you know the german alphabet? There are thirty letters:

a (ä) b c d e f g h i j k l m n o (ö) p q r s (ß) t u (ü) v w x y z

ß is a special german letter. It looks like a »B«
but actually it's an old combination of »s« and »s« or »s« and »z«. So it's called »ess-tset« (»ess« is the german name of »s« and »tset« the name of the letter »z«). (It's similiar to »w«, which is also an old combination of two letters: »double u« or »double v«!)

ß is pronounced like english »s« (in »mouse«) or »c« (in the word »ice«), e.g. groß (»big, great«) = »groce«, beißen (»to bite«) = »bicen«. (German s is pronounced normally like english »z«, and german z like »ts«.)

When a short vowel is followed by a consonant in German you use »double consonants« (bb, ff, ll, mm, etc.) Instead of kk you use ck, instead of zz you use tz, and instead of ßß you use ss.
So »groß« is pronounced with a long »o«, but »Boss« (»boss«) is pronounced with a short »o«.

German : Der Käse ist schwerer !
France : Le fromage es plus lourd !
English : The cheese is heavier !

50 kilogramms of cheese – Reiner Heugabel 48 kg

Stefan was telling a story, but we weren't really listening. »... and then a wolf came down from the mountains and ate a German.« »What,« we said, »ate a human?« »Not human,« he sighed. »GERMAN.«

Too bad I never learned German language. I did take three years of French in high school though. Someday maybe I'll learn German. And Spanish. And maybe even Japanese. Then I will know what they are saying in the anime cartoons. Maybe I should rent the anime videos with subtitles. But I like the accent too well.

I'VE SEE GERMANY
I'VE SEEN FRANCE
I'VE SEEN THE QUEEN
IN HER UNDERPANTS

German is my preferate Language (Ioana, 3 years old)