das Wasser

Das Wasser (the water) is neuter and takes das. Like English "water", it is normally uncountable, so the plural die Wässer is rare and turns up mainly in technical or chemical contexts when talking about different types of water.

Ordering water in Germany involves a choice English speakers do not expect. Stilles Wasser is still water, and Wasser mit Kohlensäure or Sprudelwasser is sparkling. If you just ask for ein Wasser, you will usually be served the sparkling kind, because that is the default in most of Germany. Leitungswasser is tap water, and asking for it in a restaurant is less common than in English speaking countries.

Compounds are everywhere. Das Mineralwasser is mineral water, der Wasserhahn is the tap, die Wasserflasche is a water bottle, and das Trinkwasser is drinking water. Wasserdicht means waterproof, literally "water tight".

A useful phrase is ins Wasser fallen, which means an event was cancelled or fell through: das Konzert ist ins Wasser gefallen (the concert fell through). Another is Wasser predigen und Wein trinken, meaning to preach one thing and do another.

Pronunciation: Wasser is [ˈvasɐ], two syllables with the stress on the first. The w sounds like an English "v", the double s keeps the a short, and the final -er softens to "uh". So it comes out roughly as "VAS-uh", not like the English word at all.