Questions & Answers about Wir lernen null, eins, zwei und drei.
Why is the number one eins here? I thought it was ein.
When we are just counting out loud, doing math, or naming the number itself, we use eins. You only use ein (or eine) when you are using it to mean "a" or "one" of a specific thing, like ein Buch (one book / a book).
The words eins, zwei, and drei all have an "ei" in them. How is that pronounced?
In German, the letter combination ei is consistently pronounced like the English word "eye". So all three of these numbers rhyme with the English word "cry"!
How do I pronounce the "z" and "w" in zwei?
In German, the letter "z" always makes a sharp "ts" sound, just like the end of the English word "cats". The letter "w" sounds like an English "v". When you put it all together, zwei sounds like "tsv-eye".
The translation says "We are learning", but I don't see a word for "are" in the German sentence. Why?
German doesn't have an "-ing" tense (continuous tense) like English does. The single present-tense verb lernen covers both concepts! So Wir lernen translates to both "We learn" and "We are learning" depending on what makes sense in English.