Learn German: Zwölf Tassen Kaffee sind viel! - Twelve cups of coffee are a lot!

The z sounds like a sharp "ts" in English (like the end of "cats"). For the ö, make an "ee" sound but round your lips tightly. Put them together and it sounds a bit like "tsvuelf".

Why isn't there a word for "of" between Tassen and Kaffee?

In German, you don't need a word for "of" when talking about containers or measurements. Instead of saying "cups of coffee" like in English, you simply place the container and the liquid right next to each other: Tassen Kaffee.

Is Tassen the plural form of cup?

Yes! The singular word for cup is die Tasse. Since zwölf is more than one, we add an "-n" to the end to make it plural, becoming die Tassen.

Why does the sentence use viel instead of viele for a plural amount?

In this sentence, viel is used to mean "a lot" as a general description of the total amount. You would use viele if you placed it directly in front of a plural noun to mean "many", such as viele Tassen (many cups).