How do you pronounce the letter "e" in German?

Question

I've been learning German since the summer but I'm a bit confused...

how do you know the correct way to pronounce the letter e?

like the word "reden" has more than one pronunciation?

the first e is pronounced as "ee" and the second one as "eh"?

Answer 1

you say "e" like "ay"

Answer 2

It's quite a bit like English - the rules change a lot.

As a general rule, in 'en' it will always be pronounced 'eh' and at the end of a word [like plurals] it will always be 'eh'. But other than that - really, your best guess is the best guess. You'll probably have to ask, and then remember.

Answer 3

more like rehden

en is short

a german e is never pronounced like english ee