Are 'er' and 'ihr' pronounced exactly the same?
When I listen to my courses German recordings it sounds like 'er' (he) and 'ihr' (you) sound exactly the same. Is this true, or is there a difference I just can't hear yet?

Question

Answer

I think er and ihr have the same pronunciation as in air and ear respectively.

Answer

Nein, ER und IHR spricht man anders aus. Sie können sogar hier "translate.google.com" einen Unterschied hören. ER hört sich fast wie "eah" an, IHR - "ieh". Es ist unmöglich zu schreiben :)

Answer

Completely different.

The German "e" is pronounced like the "e" in "different".
The German "i" is pronounced like the "-ea" in "tea".

er => "e[a]"
ihr => "i[e]"

http://www.dict.cc/?s=er
http://www.dict.cc/?s=ihr

Answer

No, they don't sound the same. The e in 'er' sounds like the e in the english word 'herald', the i in 'ihr' sounds like the ea in 'eagle'. I'm really astonished that the pronunciation is so indistinct on professional recordings.