Since the German W is pronounced like the English V and the German V is pronounced like the English F, the German letters V and W might be confusing for native English speakers. The fact that they are not just next to each other in the alphabet but also make up the abbreviation for the car manufacturer Volkswagen, or VWpronounced “fau vay” in German, makes it simple to distinguish between them. By accentuating the F sound in “fau” and the V sound in “vay,” practice reciting VW aloud.
In This Article...
Why is the word “Volkswagen” pronounced “Folkswagen”?
The origin of the largest automobile manufacturer in the world conceals its pronunciation. The Beetle was the first car that Volkswagen built as a brand. As a result, it was given the name Volkswagen, which is pronounced “folks-va-gun” and meaning “The People’s Car.” Essentially, “v” becomes “f.”
How is the E in Porsche pronounced in Germany?
Why isn’t it pronounced as a one-syllable word like most, if not all, Americans do (“PORSH, a softer take on the term “porch”)? There are actually two explanations, but the way German words are uttered is the main one. In short, unlike in English, German does not use “silent letters.” German pronunciation is more common for words like “share,” “there,” and anything else with a “e at the end that isn’t pronounced clearly in English.
Second, Porsche is unquestionably a German terma formal name, in factunlike the word Audi. In 1931, Ferdinand Porsche founded the company under that name as a design and development consultant. Nearly 20 years later, his son began producing sports vehicles under the Porsche brand.
So there you go, everyone. One syllable: PORE-shuh. We must now discuss how to say “Jaguar.”
Is it Nike or Nikey when pronounced?
So, if you’ve been saying it that way all along, congratsyou were correct!
We’re sorry to say that you’ve been saying it incorrectly if you’ve been trying to make it rhyme with “bike” or “like.”
When two individuals submitted a letter to Nike chairman Phillip Knight asking him to clarify the pronunciation, the myth around how to pronounce the well-known sportswear brand’s name was dispelled in 2014.
They asked Knight to circle the proper pronounciation, and he chose “Ni-key” rather than “Ni-ke.”
They said to Sportsmail: “We had this friendly bet between us for a while now and decided to write to Phillip Knight to finally put one of life’s greatest unresolved issues to rest.
“So that he could easily circle the answer and mail it back to us all, we provide a stamped, addressed envelope with the letter. We didn’t genuinely believe he would carry it out. But to his credit, the letter was received again a few weeks later!”
There you have it, then! The next crucial decision in life is whether to pronounce “Adidas” correctly with a long or short “i.”
How exactly is the name Adidas pronounced?
Do you pronounce “Adidas” like “Ah-DEE-das” when you speak it? I’m sorry to break the news to you, but that’s not the case. I’m sorry, dude.
Apparently, Adidas is pronounced “Ah-dih-dahh,” according to a recent Today show video. I am aware that your entire world has been upended. In the video, various people attempt to pronounce other brand names that are frequently pronounced incorrectly, such as Zara, L’Occitane, and Ouidad. Unsurprisingly, no one actually understands how to pronounce these words.
The “r” in Zara should be rolled (it almost sounds like a “d”). Este Lauder’s initial letter is pronounced “Est-ehh.” “Vee-dahl Sas-sson” is how to pronounce Vidal Sassoon. The Adidas revelation, though, came as the biggest surprise of all.
Does that sound like JIF or GIF?
“The pronunciation is JIF, not GIF. similar to peanut butter. According to Wilhite, both pronunciations are recognized by the Oxford English Dictionary. “They are mistaken. A soft “G,” pronounced “jif,” is used.
In German, how do you pronounce Tiguan?
The German terms for “tiger (Tiger)” and “iguana” are combined to form the moniker Volkswagen Tiguan (Leguan). How do you pronounce Tiguan? The pronunciation of these two German terms is “TEE-gwan.
How should BMW be pronounced?
One thousand drivers in the UK participated in the survey, which asked them to correctly pronounce the names of 10 different car brands.
None of the ten brands’ names could be accurately pronounced by a single person.
By:
revised on:
Many people find it difficult to pronounce automobile brand names, especially when they come from Germany or France. But by any stretch of the imagination, is BMW impossible to say? One might question how three letters can be pronounced incorrectly. But a survey done at Select Car Leasing found that about 95% of individuals pronounce the name of the German automaker inaccurately.
Since “BMW” is only a three-letter word, many people pronounce it that way: “bee em double yoo.” The English pronunciation, however, is incorrect because the brand is German. So, “bee em vee” is the only pronunciation that is totally correct.
How do you say the name Audi?
Since the name Audi is so near to the word “audio,” we frequently hear it pronounced “Aw-dee,” but just to be clear, the correct pronunciation is “Ow-dee,” which sounds like “howdy” or “outie,” like the belly button!” So there you have it.
What does the German word taycan mean?
This word, which is made up of two Turkic terms, loosely translates to “soul of a vibrant young horse.” And that’s exactly how the first entirely electric Porsche will be: vivacious, impulsive, robust, light on its feet across long distances without growing weary, and free-spirited.
Is BMW Bavarian or German?
Bayerische Motoren Werke GmbH, or the Bavarian Engine Works Company, is what the abbreviation BMW stands for. The corporation was founded in the German state of Bavaria, hence the name. It also represents the original BMW product line, which included engines for diverse uses.
How should I say Nguyen?
If you’ve ever met somebody of Vietnamese heritage, there’s a decent chance their last name is Nguyen, which is so common that it makes up 39% of the population. In contrast, only 0.83% of people in the country have the last name Smith, which is the most prevalent last name in the country.
Correct Pronunciation of Nguyen
The true Vietnamese pronunciation of Nguyn is audible here and is written with diacritical marks.
However, there are various acceptable ways for foreigners to pronounce Nguyen because Vietnamese tones are specific to the language (and therefore challenging for non-native speakers to pronounce):
- One syllable, N’win/Ng’win. The closest pronunciation for Vietnamese is Ng’win.
- Two-syllable noo-yen/ngoo-yen
- Silent Ng won and when.
- Three syllables, nuh-goo-yen. Because of the inaccurate harsh G sound, avoid this one.
Notable Nguyens
Uncommon knowledge holds that Ho Chi Minh, well known as Uncle Ho by his fellow Vietnamese, was actually born Nguyen Sin Cung, making him the most notable person and the country’s founder. Despite being a small list, some further Nguyens who are well-known today include:
- Vietnam’s current president is Nguyen Xuan Phuc.
- Nguyen Huy Thiep is regarded as the most significant modern author from Vietnam.
Do you pronounce the T in “Moet”?
You’ve likely been pronouncing Mot incorrectly your entire life if you’re like 95% of Australians. Yes, Mot is a French word. So it would be reasonable to think that a breathy French sigh would be used in place of half the consonants along with those hors d’oeuvres and escargot.
Unlike much of the French language, Mot is pronounced with a harsh ‘t’ rather than a silent one. Although Mot can be pronounced mo-wet or even moh-et, it’s not moh-way.
How do you say Zara the retailer?
The ideal location for that perfect dosage of fashion is Zara, which has more than 2,000 outlets across 88 countries. Actually, the word is pronounced “Tsada” or phonetically “dzah-dah.” Here are some more fashion brand names you might be pronouncing incorrectly, along with the proper way to say them.