Remembering German words such as window and colours

Today, as usual I am learning German on Duolingo. I am also learning Italian. Just two different languages.

German I find very easy. So many words sound like English. I look for the same or similarly shaped consonants and same or similar vowels.

GERMAN - ENGLISH

beide - both (both words start with b, and b and th are similar sounds with tongue in the roof of your mouth

Blau - blue (Same initial letters, in fact three letters are the same blu bl.u . Two colour words are similar, blau is blue and grau is gray. In British English we spell it grey.)

Fenster - window (Capital letter means a noun or name, an object. Similar to the French word fenêtre. In French the little hat on the e means a missing s follows the letter so the word would come from old French or Latin fenestra.)

Flasche - flask or bottle (More usually bottle but remember flask and you've got the word and image. Remember the capital letter for nouns in German.)

haben - have (Same initial letter and b and v are the same letter in languages such as Hebrew.)

gelber - yellow (g and y are letters with a hanging part below the line; second and third letters are the same, el; word ends with a vowel sound er and ow - "er - it's yellow!) Another member of my family remembers gelb like gold or golden yellow; gelt is German-Yiddish slang for money.

Leute - people (Capital letter for nouns, people or places or objects, people loitering, people)

Weiss - white. (Look at the appearance of the word. Initial letter the same; third letter I is the same. Both include the vowels e and I. Think, ST, why - ST . But the Germans pronounce W as V as worsht pronounced VER sht which is sausage. if you are still having trouble remembering, make up a sentence: Your vice is wearing white clothes which aren't clean. Weiss is white.)

Wir - we (Initial letter is the same; i and e are similar, and I recall the spelling rhyme i before e.)

Angela Lansbury, English teacher and tutor.