Customer Reviews

Guide to German Idioms

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I found this book at the library and shortly after using it came to Amazon to find it. It is well organized by topics, contrary ... I read through it once and use it as a reference. There are two indices for German and English words, so you can search for keywords from idioms in either language. As a test I asked my wife for some English idioms and we found translations for all but one of her queries. By the way, "It's six of one and half a dozen of the other" translates as either "Das ist gehupft wie gesprungen" or "Das ist Jacke wie Hose." As the second was not so obvious, it gives the origin as 'the two garments are seen here as being made of the same material'.

I am hot and heavy for learning German. I use most of the Duden series, I taught German for 5 years, and I now reside in Germany. "Guide to German Idioms," was a great introduction to the soul of the German language: idiomatic expressions. It's well-organized chapters, table of contents, and index can lead you to almost any subject area. Whether you want to better understand Der Spiegel magazine, or simply want to beef up your vocabulary to impress your German friends, buy this book, and learn it by heart.

The manner of this book's organization makes it really useful only if writing something directly in German. Any other use and you find yourself going through the entire book to find what you're looking for. The book is categorized into thematic areas (eg attributes of character, criticism, dislike). Example sentences are provided, w/ translation, and occasionally the origin of the phrase, which is quite interesting and the only instance of that I've seen. A lot of good information here, It's just not organized intuitively. Cassell's Colloquial German recommended over this one.

There's one thing for sure about learning any foreign language. You will make plenty of mistakes, and many of them will be embarrassing mistakes. When I said, "Ich bin heiss," (I am hot) I had no idea that I was saying, I am sexually excited. I made it a point to learn important phrases like, "Sie sind doch bestimmt die Schwester, nicht die Mutter!" (Surely you must be her sister, not her mother), or "Eng tanzen is viel schicker." (Dancing closer is so much more stylish).

But that doesn't last forever, and sooner or later you have to learn the language, not memorize it. The syntax is tough for any Ami, as Mark Twain once remarked when asked why he sat through a terrible German play. "I wanted to hear the verb. "I couldn't accomplish everything yesterday," doesn't translate unless it is structured: "Yesterday, have I not everything accomplish can." (Gestern, hab' ich nicht alles erledigen können). It was about this time that I learned what "Ich bin heiss" meant. I changed it to Ich bin warm (varm).

This book takes you to the next step. When my German girlfried said, "Ich habe wut in bauch" (I have fury in my belly), you know that it means she's red with anger even though the Germans say white with anger. It also means it is time to make your ausgang (exit). If the race is neck and neck, it translates to head to head (kopf und kopf). It was at this point that I learned, "Ich bin warm" (warmer pron. vehrmer) meant "I am gay."

There are forty-three chapters to this slim paperback with such titles as: Chapter 28: Humor, Laughter, Ridicule, Teasing; Ch. 40: Surprise; Ch. 20: Enjoyment, Happiness, Pleasure and my favorite, Ch. 24 Harmony Between People. A thorough index completes the book.

This book can get you out of some hairy and embarrassing situations, and after a year and a half, you can learn that you are supposed to say, "Me is warm," which only means that your body temperature is high. This brought me to my new favorite chapter 38: Stupidity, Incompetence.

If you are studying German, this is a great compliment to your text or CD.

As they say in German, "Good luck!"

I really enjoyed getting this book, reading it and the notations in the margins. It seems the previous owner had a similar childhood to mine, as there were some familiar bonus Idioms penciled in. Very funny book to go through.

The way the book is organized is the most helpful. I would suggest it for anyone looking for a quick easy way to improve his/her German skills.