German II, 3rd Ed. (Comp.) [CD] [Audiobook] [Audio CD]

Pimsleur Language Programs (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0743523490 | ISBN-13: 978-0743523493 | Publication Date: January 1, 2003 | Edition: 30 Lessons + Reading

German is the official language of Germany and Austria and is one of the official languages of Switzerland, Belgium, Lichtenstein, and Luxembourg. Nearly 100 million people speak German as their first language: about 77 million in Germany, 8 million in Austria, and 4.5 million in Switzerland.

Comprehensive German II includes 30 additional lessons (16 hrs.), plus Readings, which build upon the language skills acquired in Level I. Increased spoken and reading language ability. Level II will double your vocabulary and grammatical structures while increasing your spoken proficiency exponentially. Upon completion of a Level II, you will be able to:

• engage in fuller conversations involving yourself, your family, daily activities, interests and personal preferences,
• combine known elements into increasingly longer sentences and strings of sentences,
• create with language and function in informal situations,
• deal with concrete topics in the past, present, and future,
• meet social demands and limited job requirements,
• begin reading for meaning.

Note: In order for the Pimsleur Method to work correctly, you must first complete the Level I language program before proceeding to the Level II language program.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Dr. Paul Pimsleur devoted his life to language teaching and testing and was one of the world’s leading experts in applied linguistics. After years of experience and research, Dr. Pimsleur developed The Pimsleur Method based on two key principles:  the Principle of Anticipation and a scientific principle of memory training that he called “Graduated Interval Recall.”  This Method has been applied to the many levels and languages of the Pimsleur Programs.

Product Details

• Audio CD
• Publisher: Pimsleur; 30 Lessons + Reading edition (January 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743523490
• ISBN-13: 978-0743523493
• Product Dimensions: 13 x 11.6 x 1.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #49,730 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #24 in Books > Books on CD > Languages
  • #64 in Books > Books on CD > Nonfiction

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sehr Gut, October 6, 2005

By 

Glenn Yates (Nashville, TN USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: German II, 3rd Ed. (Comp.) [CD] (Audio CD)

I took two years of German in high school, which was some decades ago, and after a ski trip to Austria I decided to brush up on my German. I've bought numerous books, dvds, tapes, etc. and for learning conversational German this has been far and away the best. It's pricey, no doubt, but it's very, very well done and very user friendly. I had a professor in college who said we learn the most in an area of "just manageable difficulty". In other words, stretched and challenged but not made to despair. This is the arena the Pimsleur cd/tapes work in.
I liked this one (German II) so well, I also bought 3 and 4. Two is the most well done, the guy on three sounds a bit like he's being held against his will, but the folks on this one are engaging and pleasant. They combine techniques of having you repeat German phrases with having you answer questions in German (can be a bit challenging) and a couple of other techniques. There is a bit of the unavoidable "canned" feel to the conversations, but nowhere near as much as in other tapes I've tried. I felt like I learned a lot and on a trip to Switzerland this year I was able to understand a lot and be conversational.
As I said III and IV, especially IV are not quite so well done, but II is excellent, and a lot cheaper than the average German course at a college would be. The only thing it lacks is much help with syntax, you probably need to plow through a German grammar book on your own for that.

26 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best of the Pimsleur German series., November 18, 2004

By 

Eric Andrew - See all my reviews

This review is from: German II, 3rd Ed. (Comp.) [CD] (Audio CD)

If you thought Pimsleur German I helped you to learn German, you really must move onto Pimsleur German II. It is, without a doubt, one of the best tools you could possibly use to progress from barely being able to get your message across to being able to express not only what you want, but what you think about things.

Both Pimsleur German I and II were updated in 2002, so they represent the best of decades of trying to perfect the language learning experience. What you will find in Pimsleur German II can't easily be found anywhere else, because it teaches you to speak the way Germans speak, complete with the little inflections that you would use without even thinking in your native language. I've never seen such things in any other program.

If you have the means, move onto Pimsleur German II as soon as possible after finishing Pimsleur German I. It will put you light years ahead in only a few short weeks.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A great tool!, October 19, 2007

By 

Thomas J. Brown (Carlsbad, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: German II, 3rd Ed. (Comp.) [CD] (Audio CD)

I will probably repeat a lot of what others have said, but here goes. I think the real strength of these courses is that they get you to converse. You practice conversation. You talk, you listen. Will you learn lots of vocabulary? No. Will you learn all the grammar rules? No. Can you learn a language with only these courses? Of course not. You will need other materials, courses, books, whatever. But they are another tool in your toolbox to help you achieve your goal. What they give you is practice at speaking real conversations. And you will pick up some vocabulary and grammar along the way, what you need to succeed in these lessons.

I've been through all 4 levels and found them all great. Including level 4 (German Plus). This one has a bad rap, I think mostly because it's shorter than the rest. And certainly some of the new vocabulary is quite focused on one topic. But I found it added a lot of new conversational situations, and a lot of new grammar. Do you learn words that the average tourist doesn't need? Sure, but if you were just the average tourist, would you be buying these? We are only talking about a dozen or so words, it's not like your being forced to learn hundreds of words you'll never use.

Are they perfect? No, there are inconsistencies, there are silly little things here and there that I would call "editing" mistakes. And I really wish they'd give up the pretension that you only need to do each lesson once. I had to do each one at least 3 times before I could move on. But they are great for what they are. If you want to practice conversations, this is for you.