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The Complete Idiot's Guide to Learning German on Your Own PDF

417 Pages·1997·5.98 MB·English
by  Alice
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Page i Learning German on Your Own by Alice Müller and Stephan Müller A Division of Macmillan General Reference A Simon & Schuster Macmillan Company 1633 Broadway, New York, NY 10019 Page aa LIEBE FREUNDE Page ab THE COMPLETE IDIOT'S REFERENCE CARD OF INDISPENSABLE PHRASES Page ii Copyright © 1997 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 authors assume no responsibility for errors or omissions. Neither is any liability assumed for damages resulting from the use of information contained herein. For information, address Alpha Books, 1633 Broadway, 7th Floor, New York, NY 10019-6785. International Standard Book Number: 0-02-861962-5 Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 97-073150 99 98 8 7 6 5 4 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 97-1 shows that the first printing occurred in 1997. Printed in the United States of America Editor: Nancy Stevenson Acquistions Editor: Gary Krebs Cartoonist: Judd Winick Cover Designer: Michael Freeland Designer: Glenn Larsen Production Team: Tricia Flodder, Rowena Rappaport, Christy Wagner Indexer: Nadia Ibrahim Page iii CONTENTS AT A GLANCE Part 1: The Very Basics 1 1 Why You Should Study German 3 Learn that there are plenty of reasons why German is the language for you. 2 Hitting the Books 9 See how German is particularly useful for those involved in academia. 3 Pronounce It Properly: Vowels 15 Learn to make the vowel sounds you will need to pronounce German words properly. 4 Pronounce It Properly: Consonants 25 Learn to make the right consonant sounds in German. 5 You Know More Than You Think 35 Believe it or not, you already speak more German than you think, thanks to cognates. 6 Are Idiomatic Expressions for Idiots? 45 A basic knowledge of common idioms will help you to express yourself effectively. 7 The Joy of Gender 57 All German nouns are either masculine, feminine, or neuter. 8 The Case of the Declining Noun 69 There are four cases in German: nominative, accusative, dative, and genitive. 9 Click Your Heels Together and Say: There's No Place Like 79 Deutschland Conjugating weak and strong verbs is relatively simple, once you know what you're doing. Part 2: Up, Up and Away 89 10 Take Me to Your Leiter: Making Friends 91 Start striking up conversations with the right introductory phrases. 11 I'd Like to Get to Know You 101 Make introductions, express possession, and describe yourself and your family members with adjectives. 12 Finally, You're at the Airport 115 In addition to giving and receiving simple directions, a few key phrases will help you get around the airport. Page iv 13 Heading for the Hotel 127 The tips you need on using the best means of transportation and telling time are in this chapter. 14 Yippee, You've Made It to the Hotel! 139 Do you want a room that looks out onto the garden? In this chapter, you'll be introduced to the vocabulary you'll need to make requests in a hotel. Part 3: Fun and Games 151 15 A Date with the Weather 153 Talk about the weather in German and learn the days of the week, the months of the year, and the four seasons. 16 Let's Sightsee 163 Learn to read maps and ask questions first—then go sightseeing. 17 Shop Till You Drop 173 Learn to talk about clothes—and to ask specifically for the color, size, fabrics, and design you're looking for. 18 The Meat and Kartoffeln of a Home-Cooked Meal 187 When you go out shopping for ingredients, you'll know where to go and how to ask for what you want. 19 Restaurant Hopping 199 You can order a delicious meal in German, and express your pleasure when you're finished eating. 20 Monkey Business 213 Learn how to ask the new German friends you've made how to participate in sports and other fun activities. Adverbs will help you brag about your many abilities. Part 4: Angst 227 21 Dealing with a Bad Hair Day, an Empty Camera, a Broken 229 Watch, and Blisters When you need something—including a boost—this chapter tells you the problem-specific expressions to use. 22 What Does the Doctor Recommend? 243 Describe your symptoms to the doctor, understand his or her diagnosis, and tell your friends what you've got. 23 I Think I Forgot Something 255 Get the drugstore items you need and learn to express yourself in the past tense. Page v 24 I Have to Make an Important Call 265 Everything you ever wanted to know about German and phones, using the right phrases when you talk, and handling the problems that commonly arise during local and long-distance calls. 25 Where's the Nearest Post Office? 273 This chapter will provide you with the phrases you need to know to send anything from a love letter to a telegram. Part 5: Let's Get Down to Business 281 26 I'd Like to Rent a Castle, Please 283 How to get the castle, house, or apartment you want, and how to use the future and the conditional tenses. 27 Money Matters 291 Vocabulary you need to handle your money wisely in Germany, and tips on using the subjunctive case. A Answer Key 297 B Glossary: Linguistic Terms and Definitions 313 Index 317 Page vi CONTENTS Part 1: The Very Basics 1 1 Why You Should Study German 3 Should You or Shouldn't You? 4 Get Serious 4 Immerse Yourself 5 There's Nothing to Fear 6 The Least You Need to Know 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 11 Learning Parts of Speech, Inside Out 12 Now It's Your Turn 13 Compounding Your German Vocabulary 13 The Least You Need to Know 14 3 Pronounce It Properly: Vowels 15 Vowels Must Dress Appropriately 16 Are You Stressed? 16 Your Own Personal Accent 16 A Few Peculiarities of the German Language 17 The Famous Umlaut 17 Capitalizing on Nouns 17 Where Did All These Vowel Sounds Come From? 18 Say A as in Modern 18 Say E as in Bed 19 Say I as in Winter 20 Say O as in Lord 20 Say U as in Shook 20 Modified Vowels: The Long and the Short of It 21 Say Ä as in Fair 21 Say Ö as in Fur 22 Say Ü as in the French Word Sûr 22

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There are much much better books out there. This book almost has no structure and no content, I don't know how they made it 400 pages. I got very annoyed with it. Just get anything else.
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Most books are stored in the elastic cloud where traffic is expensive. For this reason, we have a limit on daily download.