Article: When pronouncing German words, try to hold your mouth fairly tightly shut when talking. This is how native Germans speak. Germans have visible tension in their mouth and pull their lips to the side when they pronounce words. Sometimes non-native speakers of German will hold their mouths too slack, especially their lower lips. Too loose of a lower lip, and you will not sound German. You will look like you're chewing gum, and your accent will be obvious! When saying sit in German, it's important that you understand that an "s" in German doesn't sound like an English "s." When the letter "s" appears in front of a vowel, you need to pronounce the German consonant "s" like you would pronounce the English "z." Thus, the "s" at the start of the word "sitzen" should be pronounced like an English "z." The German sound "z" is not voiced as strongly in German as it is in English, though. Be aware that the way you pronounce the letter "s" is different though when it appears at the end of a word instead of at the front. The sound at the end is a hissing sound of an "s." That is also the case when a double "s" appears in the middle of a word. When the German letter "z" is in the middle of a word (as with sitzen), it is pronounced as an English "ts" sound.

What is a summary?
Hold your mouth correctly. Pronounce consonants correctly in German.