Complete German: The Basics [Audio CD]

Living Language (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 29, 2008 | ISBN-10: 1400009146 | ISBN-13: 978-1400009145

The top-selling Complete series has been fully revised, with all new supplemental material and a bonus wallet phrase card for travelers. Each program contains everything a beginner needs–a coursebook with 40 lessons, three hours of recordings on three CDs or cassettes, a quick-reference learner’s dictionary, and an all-new indispensable wallet phrase card, all in a convenient and compact package.

The courses still use the popular and effective conversation building-block method, but all content has been thoroughly updated and now includes e-mail essentials and internet resources for each of the eight languages in the series. In addition, 18 supplemental vocabulary sections, covering such topics as “Family and Relationships,” “On the Job,” “Sports and Recreation,” and “Around Town,” are now included. As an added bonus, the new handy wallet phrase card with 300 essential words and phrases is the perfect reference for on-the-go learners, travelers, and businesspeople.

With a fresh look, great new features, and the same rock-solid approach to language learning, the best-selling Complete series is better than ever!

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Audio CD
• Publisher: Living Language (July 29, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1400009146
• ISBN-13: 978-1400009145
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #11,144,205 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Intro Course, May 21, 2007

By 

d wilson "Visitor from a Perpendicular Universe" (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Complete German: The Basics (CD) (Complete Basic Courses) (Hardcover)

I used this course before visiting Germany after I graduated from High School. Prior to my trip I studied French in high school (the boring grammar, drills, verb conjugations, teacher saying, " Ecoute tout le monde, repite... "). At first I worried that I had picked up a phrase book that would not be helpful in forming sentances. I was also wary of the idea that only German was spoken on the cassette tapes. The German-only tapes turned out to be more helpful than a burden. It turns out that the proper way to study the course is to review the book prior to and then along with the audio a few times. Then you must use only the audio. When you hear and repeat the audio try thinking of the meaning of the sentance in terms of imagages and feelings instead the English translation.

The results that I experienced were that my listening comprehension in German was better than that of the French that I studied for 3 years in high school. I was able to form sentances more intuitively than by trying remember verb congugations. Latter in college I studied German and I was well ahead of my classmates. In Germany I was able communicate even though I could not have a full conversation.

This course will not get you to fluency but if you learn that way I learn (intuitvlely with little emphasis on rules)then it is a great beginning. There is very little in the way of grammar, but hey, do you really diagram your sentances in the middle of speaking English?

The only drawback is that there are numerous helpful drills in the text that are not included with the audio.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good... for some, May 17, 2007

By 

Owen G. Jones "Biopolymer Alchemist" (Amherst, MA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Complete German: The Basics (CD) (Complete Basic Courses) (Hardcover)

I had purchased this set primarily to learn conversational german for a two-week stay in Germany, although I did have some interest in learning the language for a long time. While this set does provide a good method for learning a large amount of the language, it is not easily approachable for casual learners. For instance, it will take a while to get to lessons involving important phrases for travelling.
However, if you are looking for a rather in-depth introduction to the language, this may be just your ticket.
Considering the sheer number of lessons, the coursebook will likely take a few months to get through (at least if you intend to retain the knowledge). The requirement to use both the CD's and the book make it quite difficult to set time for learning. Also, the CD's are filled with German phrases or words without any actual dividers, making for a very muddled and confused rambling of german words - you really need to follow along with the book!
I feel that I am learning little bits, but this program is not as easy to use as others have been.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good teach-yourself German course, December 16, 2009

By 

KR Schopp - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Complete German: The Basics (Coursebook) (Complete Basic Courses) (Paperback)

I'm enjoying this conversational German text. It builds on words taught in lists, recycling them into coversations at the end of each unit. It seems relatively fast moving to me, but I am a first time German learner and it keeps me intersted. Commendably it uses words and phrases in rich, multi-layered social situations which make the language more memorable. I would recommend this course.