Customer Reviews

Deutsch: Na klar! An Introductory German Course, 4th Edition (English and German Edition)

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

 

 

Really, there's one thing to say about the Na Klar series... it's virtually worthless if you're trying to learn by yourself. In a classroom setting, with proper instruction, a ton of listening CDs, and lots of supplementary work, Na Klar can be a valuable tool. But at that point, a box of flash cards wouldn't be much different.

Before taking my first German class, I tried to open the book on my own to ge a head start on the class. I barely got through half of the introductory chapter before I was completely lost. Mass sections will provide, for example, a German conversation and simply say "Now that you understand what's been said" with absolutely no helpful explanation- save a wordlist at the END of every chapter... hence my flash card comment- 90% of your time with this book will probably be spent memorizing those all too sparse wordlists.

Of course, if you're like me, this book was required for a class and there wasn't exactly much you could do about it. If you're in that boat as well, you absolutely MUST get the lab/workbooks and all related listening CDs that accompany Na Klar. In fact, you'll find that nearly all of Na Klar's guide to proper German pronunciation is tucked away in the lab workbooks that you might never bother to check out since they're not referred to at all in the central book. Of course, the listening CDs with the lab books are also mostly worthless as (for example) you'll be asked to differentiate between long and short vowel sounds spoken by people who don't display any appreciable difference between the two at all. Still, SOMETHING to listen to is better than nothing (there are answers in the backs of the workbooks for most exercises), and despite there being absolutely no reference to the listening CDs throughout most of the main or lab books, the CDs play a crucial role throughout Na Klar's curriculum. You'll be largely lost through whole sections of the books if you don't check out that chapter's CD to see if you're missing related materials- again, materials that are absoltuely necessary to the book but aren't mentioned at all during said parts.

For the price of this book, this is all very ridiculous. But if you read this far, it's probably required for a class. At least you've saved money shopping online.

For those of you who aren't bound to this book by a course list, basically anything else you can get your hands on would be a better idea- especially for the price, most especially if you're learning outside of a classroom alltogether. I reccomend the "Idiot's Guide to..." and "...for Dummies" books. Despite the names, they're quality books that cost under a quarter of Na Klar's overly hefty fee, and will probably produce similar results.

So...

-If you're stuck with Na Klar, get the supplementary materials (break out the credit card!), and always scan them for correlation, as Na Klar often fails to mention when one material will help (or is necessary for) another.

-If you're not stuck with Na Klar, it's easy to find better books. In fact, you could easily buy 2-3 cheap beginner's German books at your local store for well under under Na Klar's price and still have some cash left to buy refreshments as you crack them open to see which suits you best. You could probably even nab a book on useful phrases (a la the hilarious booklet "Scheisse!: The Real German You Were Never Taught in School") with the money that you're still saving versus buying the Na Klar supplements.

Im a German major who just finished my first semester of German. I got an A, partly thanks to this book.

I have been teaching myself German BEFORE taking the class with some success actually, using a number of different resources (books, cds, sites, etc.)

And from experience I can say that this text books is top notch IF you have a german teacher to guide you through. Otherwise you will be lost at some point (in the early chapters most likely.)

So if you're thinking about teaching yourself German, this isn't the book for you.

Otherwise, I say "Go for it!" Great texts, pictures, dialogues, activities, etc etc.

I was frustrated with this book because it lacked explanation for important grammatical concepts. I was in a class room and still found it difficult to use this book. My teacher, a native German speaker, was continuously pointing out flaws/mistakes.

I had a fantastic German instructor who made the department's required text of Na Klar workable. However, on your own, it is useless. Also, this text is full of visual fluff and lacks a lot of textual instruction -- I never could use this book for individual studying.

Book helpful for the German course taking. Arrived in condition promised and within time frame promised. Would order from this bookshop again.

This is not a textbook you will want to learn a foreign language from. It lacks a decent amount of good examples when introducing a new concept and is almost like the workbook, 75% of the chapter seems like a big exercise. I was very annoyed by this book.

Too overpriced, doesnt do a very good job of teaching at all even in a classroom setting. Half of the excercises are just guesswork because explanations in the book are minimum to non-existant. This book was definitely not worth the price. Probably not even worth free.

The book arrived EXACTLY on the day we needed it, and it's in really good condition. Thanks so much! :)