Customer Reviews

All-Audio German CD (LL(R) All-Audio Courses)

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I have gone through only two CD's so far, and already I can tell that the overall format is fantastic. This CD's covers everything from basics ... the alphabet, numbers, days of week & months, and also makes use of modern verbage. It also includes bits of useful information on culture ... as to what is accepted or not. What makes this CD a very good tool is that it does use English to tell you what is being said, and it also quizzes you at the end of each lesson ... asking you in English to speak & answer in German. The answer is then spoken in German, after a comfortable pause, to check yourself. As with most lauguage learning tools, repetition is the key, and it is easily done via CD.

I can't do any comparison because this is my first such purchase but I can tell you that it is effective and easy to use. I have been using these cds and it has taken me very far in only a few days. The speakers aren't annoying and the flow and pauses are good and I really like the tests given at the end of the lessons when they expect you to fill in the words for the conversation. My only complaint is that the book that comes with the cds places the words in it, in alphabetical order according to the german words and phrases instead of in english. This makes it tougher to quickly find the word you are looking for. These cds are basically set up to teach you german over a course of about 35 weeks, one lesson per week. Although I have gone completely through two lessons in less than one week and am already starting the third so time may vary.

The CD set is perfect for those that are just starting to learn the German language. It starts out with the essentials with each following lesson building on the one before. The speakers are clear so that you can learn the correct pronounciation of the words. They also go through formal German conversation with informal conversation following. Overall, I recommend this CD to anyone who is interested in learning German.

I was disappointed by this CD set. For the most part there is no apparent method to the madness. You are given a random english word or phrase and the german translation. Most of the time with no <pause> to give you time to repeat the phrase in german. Some sections have a little order. It takes you through days of the week, counting, months. And all of the information was accurate. But overall it seems like I was listening to an audio english to german dictionary. I would recommend checking out Pimsleur's language program. It is a much better program...though much more expensive. Cheers.

I listen only when I drive, but it works. I didn't try to understand everything at once, but more to first understand the dialogues which were entertaining. Each time I replayed I heard things (grammar points etc.) I hadn't noticed before. At first I understood such points only in the context of the specific lesson. After going back to the CD's after a break of a few months, I realized that I was now understanding the grammar in a general sense and cross-referencing automatically with other lessons.
I have studied French and Russian quite thoroughly in the past and recognize from those experiences that my German has progressed to a quite practical level, i.e. I could now say most things I want to say in German, although badly and with odd construction based on my limited vocabulary.
I am happy to have reached a practical stage through "all audio" and believe that the use of real conversation and pleasant speakers makes it not unpleasant or hard work to play the CD's over and over.
I have now purchased a more advanced German audio course and credit "all audio" with the progress I have made to reach that next stage.

For those new to learning German, this program may move too fast to fully understand the content (especially CD 2 onwards), however it would be recommended to sit down with the handbook and move through the exercises in accordance with the CD to gain a fuller understanding. The content is great and covers various important areas of the German language (especially situations that may arise when travelling in a German speaking country). Therefore great as a 'do-at-home' resource but too intense for the car.

This was pretty good, listened to it in my car for a few weeks before I went to Germany for my first visit. It is an easier way to learn. Just pop it in and learn. Won't make you an expert, but very helpful.

My German is very rusty. I'm not a beginner but chose to start at disc 1. The pace is good, the lessons varied and its not too tedious. Grammar is covered but in such a way that its not overbearing. I wish there were a few more drills at each section but I realize they can't do everything. I've only finished 2 discs and for me while there is much that is already familiar, there is still enough new to keep me interested.

Be careful and check your package. My original set came with 6 CDs but I had discs 1-3 twice (4-6 were missing). This was replaced no problem, but I'm glad I discovered it up front, not when I needed disk 4!

The "listen & repeat" thing does work & I learn a lot after listening to each lesson a couple of times. But I'm not always sure what I heard is what is being pronounced, & the CDs don't provide guidance for pronunciation past the introduction on alphabet. Moreover, when it comes to grammar, it'll be a lot better to have a book. The little book that comes w/ the CDs does not have everything talked about on the CDs; it only has the dialog & the vocalbulary for each lesson.

I was disappointed with this product. The woman speaker does a great job but the male speaks way too quickly for a beginner and even too quickly for someone refreshing their german. Don't bother with this product. The good thing about this is that it also comes with a book and that is very helpful.