And if you don't want to say the whole name, VW is actually pronounced Fau Vee. But we don't recommend showing up at a VW dealership in the U.S. and using it in conversation.
Volkswagen - ah, here it comes First the VW itself: like BMW, it's pronounced "fow-vay". "Fow" is how V is actually pronounced in the German alphabet, and "vay" as you already pointed out, is W.
The car became widely known in its home country as the Käfer (German for "beetle", cognate with English chafer) and was later marketed under that name in Germany, and as the Volkswagen in other countries. For example, in France it was known as the Coccinelle (French for ladybug).
Language learners often get mixed up with V and W in German. V is pronounced as “f”, with the letter itself rhyming with "cow". This can be seen in words like vor, verkehren, and Verlust.
Volkswagen pronounced 'Folks-vaagen' In English, it's usually pronounced as 'Volks-wagon'.
Volkswagen – 'Volks-vag-gen'
It's worth noting, though, that regional dialects will often have the 'V' in Volkswagen pronounced as an F (hence, it is the origin of a word commonly used in English conversation: folks!)
British English is non-rhotic. The letter "r" is not pronounced after vowels, unless it is also followed by a vowel. The letter r can indicate a change in the quality of the vowel that precedes it. So "hard" /hɑːd/" but "had" /hæd/.
Below is the UK transcription for 'volkswagen': Modern IPA: və́wkswagən. Traditional IPA: ˈvəʊkswægən. 3 syllables: "VOHK" + "swag" + "uhn"
The word volkswagen means "People's car" in German. Its headquarters are in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony.
Feldwebel (Fw or F, lit. 'field usher') is a non-commissioned officer (NCO) rank in several countries. The rank originated in Germany, and is also used in Switzerland, Finland, Sweden, and Estonia.
J in Dutch is pronounced with an English y sound, as in year. V in Dutch sometimes makes an f sound, depending on the placement and regional dialect. W in Dutch w is a cross between an English w and v sound.
Several VW models take their names from winds, a pattern that's more of a historical accident than a planned strategy, and many think that trend continued with Golf. But “Golf” isn't a type of wind – it's the German word for the Gulf Stream ocean current.
It was known as the Passat in German, but its American counterpart was known as the Dasher. It featured a two-door hatchback body like the other variation of the Diesel Rabbit but delivered more power – 78 horsepower – thanks to its water-cooled inline four-cylinder engine.
Jetta: Jetta is the German name for the jet stream.
The gargling R is clearly pronounced. In standard German, the pronunciation is a rasping, throat-clearing sound, like a less extreme version of the sound made when gargling. Note that the gargling R is a rather short sound. Avoid the common temptation to exaggerate the gargling R sound.
How is the German Z pronounced? The German Z makes a different sound than in English. In German, Z is pronounced like the English “TS” sound in the middle of the word “pizza.” You can also think of the ending sound in the word “cats” or “hats.”