<p data-start="2568" data-end="2947">Many beginners struggle with the German alphabets, especially because of pronunciation differences from English. One of the most common mistakes is mispronouncing letters that sound different in German. For example, the letter <strong data-start="2799" data-end="2806">&ldquo;V&rdquo; in German is pronounced like <strong data-start="2836" data-end="2843">&ldquo;F&rdquo; in English, as in "Vater" (father), while <strong data-start="2886" data-end="2893">&ldquo;W&rdquo; is pronounced like <strong data-start="2913" data-end="2920">&ldquo;V&rdquo;, as in "Wasser" (water).

<p data-start="2949" data-end="3298">Another frequent error is neglecting the <strong data-start="2990" data-end="3011">umlauts (&auml;, &ouml;, &uuml;) and assuming they sound like their English equivalents. In reality, they require specific mouth positioning, which beginners often overlook. The letter <strong data-start="3164" data-end="3169">&szlig; (Eszett) is another area of confusion, as many learners mistake it for a "B" instead of recognizing it as a <strong data-start="3278" data-end="3289">sharp S sound.

<p data-start="3300" data-end="3743">At the A1 level German, beginners should also watch out for capitalization rules. Unlike in English, all <strong data-start="3409" data-end="3441">German nouns are capitalized, but many learners forget this when writing. Additionally, skipping proper listening practice can result in mispronunciations that become difficult to correct later. To avoid these mistakes, learners should focus on proper pronunciation from the beginning and practice writing and reading regularly.