Table Of Content

Learning German Second Edition by Alice Müller and Stephan Müller Revisions by Lisa Graham A Pearson Education Company 201 West 103rd Street Indianapolis, IN 46290 This book is dedicated, passionately, to L.M. and Wendy. Copyright © 2000 by Amaranth All rights reserved. No part of this book shall be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission from the publisher. No patent liability is assumed with respect to the use of the information contained herein. Although every precaution has been taken in the preparation of this book, the publisher and author assume no responsibility for errors or omissions. Neither is any liability assumed for damages resulting from the use of information contained herein. For information, ad- dress Alpha Books, 201 West 103rd Street, Indianapolis, IN 46290. THE COMPLETE IDIOT’S GUIDE TO and Design are registered trademarks of Pearson Education, Inc. International Standard Book Number: 0-02-863925-1 Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: Available upon request. 02 01 00 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Interpretation of the printing code: The rightmost number of the first series of numbers is the year of the book’s printing; the rightmost number of the second series of numbers is the number of the book’s printing. For example, a printing code of 00-1 shows that the first printing occurred in 2000. Printed in the United States of America Note: This publication contains the opinions and ideas of its authors. It is intended to provide helpful and informative material on the subject matter covered. It is sold with the understanding that the author, book producer, and publisher are not engaged in rendering professional services in the book. If the reader requires personal assistance or advice, a competent professional should be consulted. The authors, book producer, and publisher specifically disclaim any responsibility for any liability, loss, or risk, personal or otherwise, which is incurred as a consequence, directly or indirectly, of the use and application of any of the contents of this book. Publisher Marie Butler-Knight Product Manager Phil Kitchel Associate Managing Editor Cari Luna Acquisitions Editor Susan Zingraf Book Producer Lee Ann Chearney/Amaranth Development Editor Tom Stevens Production Editor JoAnna Kremer Copy Editor June Waldman Cartoonist Jody P. Schaeffer Cover Designers Mike Freeland Kevin Spear Book Designers Scott Cook and Amy Adams of DesignLab Indexer Lisa Wilson Layout/Proofreading John Etchison Ayanna Lacey Heather Hiatt Miller Stacey Richwine-DeRome Contents at a Glance Part 1: The Very Basics 1 1 Why You Should Study German 3 Learn plenty of reasons to study the German language. 2 Hitting the Books 9 See how German is particularly useful for scholars. 3 Pronounce It Properly: Vowels 17 Learn to make the vowel sounds you will need to pronounce German words properly. 4 Pronounce It Properly: Consonants 29 Learn to make the right consonant sounds in German. 5 You Know More Than You Think 41 Believe it or not, you already speak more German than you think, thanks to cognates. Part 2: Ready, Set, Go! 53 6 Are Idiomatic Expressions for Idiots? 55 A basic knowledge of common idioms will help you to express yourself effectively. 7 The Joy of Gender 69 All German nouns are masculine, feminine, or neuter. 8 Fitting Form with Function 83 The German language has four cases: nominative, accusa- tive, dative, and genitive. 9 Click Your Heels Together and Say: There’s No Place Like Deutschland 95 Conjugating weak and strong verbs is relatively simple. Part 3: Up, Up, and Away 111 10 Haven’t We Met Before? Making Friends 113 Strike up conversations with the right introductory phrases. 11 I’d Like to Get to Know You 125 Make introductions, express possession, and describe yourself and your family members with adjectives. 12 Finally, You’re at the Airport 143 A few key phrases will help you give and receive simple directions and get around the airport. 13 Heading for the Hotel 159 Learn to use the transportation system and to tell time. 14 Yippee, You’ve Made It to the Hotel! 173 Do you want a room with a garden view? This chapter introduces the vocabulary you’ll need to make requests in a hotel. 15 What’s Your Number? 185 From money to phone numbers and addresses, learn to use numbers in German. Part 4: Fun and Games 195 16 A Date with the Weather 197 Talk about the weather in German and learn the days of the week, the months of the year, and the four seasons. 17 Let’s Sightsee 211 Learn to read maps and ask questions first—then go sight- seeing. 18 Shop Till You Drop 223 Learn to talk about clothes—and to ask specifically for the color, size, fabric, and design you’re looking for. 19 The Meat and Kartoffeln of a Home-Cooked Meal 239 When you go out shopping for ingredients, you’ll know where to go and how to ask for what you want. 20 Restaurant Hopping 253 You can order a delicious meal in German and express your pleasure when you’re finished eating. 21 Monkey Business 267 Learn how to ask your new German friends to participate in sports and other fun activities. Adverbs will help you brag about your many abilities. Part 5: Angst 283 22 Dealing with a Bad Hair Day, an Empty Camera, a Broken Watch, and Blisters 285 When you need something—including a boost—refer to this chapter for problem-specific expressions. 23 What Does the Doctor Recommend? 301 Describe your symptoms to the doctor, understand the di- agnosis, get the items you need at the drugstore, and tell your friends what you’ve got. 24 I Think I Forgot Something 315 Learn to express yourself in the past tense. Part 6: When in Germany, Do As the Germans Do! 323 25 Getting Your Message Across 325 Everything you ever wanted to know about German and phones, using the right phrases when you talk, and han- dling the problems that commonly arise during local and long-distance calls. 26 Where’s the Nearest Post Office? 335 This chapter contains the phrases you need to know when you want to send anything from a love letter to a tele- gram. 27 I’d Like to Rent a Castle, Please 345 How to get the castle, house, or apartment you want and how to use the future and the conditional tenses. 28 Living the Expat Life 355 Vocabulary and information you need if you’d like to spend an extended time in Germany, and tips on using the subjunctive case. Appendixes A Answer Key 363 B Glossary: Linguistic Terms and Definitions 387 Index 391 Contents Part 1: The Very Basics 1 1 Why You Should Study German 3 Should You or Shouldn’t You? ............................................3 Get Serious ............................................................................4 Immerse Yourself ..................................................................6 There’s Nothing to Fear ........................................................7 2 Hitting the Books 9 What Are All These German Words Doing Here?................9 When Only German Will Do ..............................................10 Lost in the Translation........................................................10 How Much German Is Enough? ..........................................11 You Could Look It Up ........................................................12 Learning Parts of Speech, Inside Out....................................13 Now It’s Your Turn..............................................................13 Compounding Your German Vocabulary ..........................14 The Genetic Relationship Between German and English ........................................................14 3 Pronounce It Properly: Vowels 17 Vowels Must Dress Appropriately ......................................18 Are You Stressed? ................................................................18 Your Own Personal Accent ................................................18 A Few Peculiarities of the German Language ....................19 The Famous Umlaut ..........................................................19 Capitalizing on Nouns ........................................................20 Where Did All These Vowel Sounds Come From? ............20 Say A as in Modern ............................................................21 Say E as in Bed ..................................................................22 Say I as in Winter ..............................................................23 Say O as in Lord ................................................................23 Say U as in Shook ..............................................................24 Modified Vowels: The Long and the Short of Them ........24 Say Ä as in Fair ..................................................................25 Say Ö as in Fur ..................................................................25 Say Ü as in the French Word Sûr ........................................26 The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Learning German, Second Edition Diphthongs ........................................................................26 The Diphthongs el and al....................................................27 The Diphthong au ..............................................................27 The Diphthongs eu and äu ..................................................28 4 Pronounce It Properly: Consonants 29 Conquering Consonants ....................................................30 The Very Same Letters You Know and Love..........................30 Ex-plosives: B, D, and G ....................................................30 Freakin’ Fricatives and Fricative’s Relatives..........................32 Got a Frog in Your Throat? CH, CHS, H, J ..........................32 Aw, Nuts: Z and Sometimes C ............................................34 Double or Nothing: KN, PS, QU ..........................................35 VeRRy Vibrant: The German R ............................................35 Old Smoothies: S, β, SCH, ST, TSCH ..................................36 Herbie the Love Bug: The Classic VW ................................37 Pronunciation Guide ..........................................................38 Practice Makes Perfect ........................................................40 5 You Know More Than You Think 41 Cognates: What You Already Know Can Help You ..........41 Perfect Cognates: Identical Twins ........................................42 How Much Do You Understand Already? ............................44 Close, but No Cigar ............................................................45 What Do You Think?..........................................................47 Where the Action Is: Verb Cognates ....................................48 This Is Easy..........................................................................49 False Friends........................................................................50 Part 2: Ready, Set, Go 53 6 Are Idiomatic Expressions for Idiots? 55 What Are Idiomatic Expressions, Anyway? ......................56 More Idiomatic Expressions in German ............................57 Off You Go..........................................................................58 Putting Your Expressions to Use I (or How to Get There from Here) ........................................................59 viii