This exam tips covers Dictation Tips & Common Errors within Vowels: ei vs ie, long vs short, final -e for GCSE German. Revise Vowels: ei vs ie, long vs short, final -e in Phonics: German Sounds and Spellings for GCSE German with 10 exam-style questions and 15 flashcards. This topic shows up very often in GCSE exams, so students should be able to explain it clearly, not just recognise the term. It is section 4 of 4 in this topic. Treat this as a marking guide for what examiners are looking for, not just a fact list.
💡 Dictation Tips & Common Errors
- In dictation, decide ei vs ie by the sound: 'eye' → write ei; 'ee' → write ie.
- Always write the final -e you hear — it is never silent in German.
- When you hear 'ow', write au; when you hear 'oy', write eu (or äu if the word is related to an a-word, like Haus → Häuser).
❌ Common error: Writing 'mien' for 'mein', or 'Liebe' as 'Leibe'.
✓ Correct: mein ('eye' sound = ei) / Liebe ('ee' sound = ie).
Why it costs marks: ei and ie are reversed from English expectation. mein sounds like 'mine', so it's ei; Liebe (love) sounds like 'LEE-buh', so it's ie. Swapping them is the number-one German spelling error in dictation.
Practice questions for Vowels: ei vs ie, long vs short, final -e
How is 'ei' pronounced in the German word 'mein' (my)?
How is 'ie' pronounced in the German word 'die' (the/she)?