Customer Reviews

Mastering German Vocabulary: A Thematic Approach (Mastering Vocabulary)

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

It is usually the case that we look up the translation of a word we want to use in a dictionary. And then, it turns out to be not the word we've wanted, for the fact that the usage of it is somewhere different. Thematic approach was what was missing, and needed at the same time.

This book, however, has changed that. With its 40 chapters on different themes that include 'eating', 'clothing', 'actions and behaviors', 'feelings and instincts', this book offers german-learners everything they need to know for both learning German and living in Germany. Now, it is possible to walk into a shop and tell exactly what kind of a shoe you want, without any difficulty. The book offers another feature: example sentences that help you understand how you use the word. Therefore, every word can be used fluently during talking.

It is concise, and simple. Its small size allows for carrying in a bag. Any further grammatical complications,such as the plurals and different tenses of the verbs, unlike other reviewers, I think, would make the book difficult to use, and heavier to carry. This book can be used with an additional grammer companion, if very necessary. But, for the sole purpose of building vocabulary, the book is excellent. Yet, the grammar section at the end is quite satisfactory for quick referrals. I highly recommend 'Mastering German Vocabulary: A Thematic Approach' for all german-learners.

I moved to Germany 6 months ago (I'm in the military). I had a good start in German, having completed a German technical translation program in college. But that was 15 years ago. I have a LOT of German instructional books, but this is by far the one I use the most, since I already have the grammar and pronunciation down. I try to go through at least a page every day before I go to bed. This book has taken me a long way towards my goal of total fluency, because even if you have perfect grammar and have an excellent accent, you can't get around the fact that there are thousands of words you simply have to know cold.

I HIGHLY recommend this book!

The biggest flaw, as noted by other reviewers is the omission of the plurals for nouns (sometimes it's in the example sentences, but not enough). Because the rules are complex (when they apply at all) it is always best, when learning a noun, to memorize the grammatical gender, plural, and any irregular case endings. They also need to give the conjugations (at least the third person present, past and participle forms) of strong verbs. A substantial number of German verbs are strong (irregular) verbs and here, too, one needs to memorize the conjugation when learning the word. Also in the conversational past tense, verbs take either haben or sein and it would be helpful if that were indicated.

I have found the book to be useful, but if they added what I and others here have suggested, it could sweep the field.

I just finished my first year of German, and I found that my weakest area was vocabulary. This book changed that. If you want to learn German vocaubulary, this book is for you. The thematic structure makes it easier for someone to grasp and remember German. The reason I gave it 4 stars is because I felt that the book could have used two improvements: 1) The plural forms of the nouns are not given. There is a section at the end of the book that gives rules on determining the plural forms, but it would have been much easier to just give the plural form next to the singular. 2)When an irregular verb is listed, the authors do give the conjugations in the present, simple past and present perfect tenses. However, they fail to include the auxilliary for the present perfect tense.

I picked this book up after struggling with learning vocabulary. While I like the book, and it covers a broad range of subjects (or themes), there are a few things that could be altered, that I think would help the book overall.

First, the book should include the plurals of all nouns. As any German learner knows, there's roughly 12 different ways to form a plural on a noun, and while there are ways to try and figure them out, it's best (and easiest!) to just learn the plural along with the noun. Having to look up the plural of each noun as you go through the book is irritating.

Secondly, while I think the book is useful, I think it would be more useful if each subject comprised two or three paragraphs, making use of the words, in full context. Learning words in context is the *best* way to learn vocabulary, hands down. Learning it via static sentences is better than just a plain old vocab. list, but if the words were grouped into paragraphs on a topic, I'd give this book 5 (or 6, if possible) stars.

And don't forget to add in the plurals in the next edition! :)

This book does exaclty what it promises. It does help you to enlarge your vocabulary. Words are sorted by theme, which is great since it helps you to memorize the words. At the end there is a very well built index where words are (of course) alphabetically sorted. I have taken 6 semester of German (I'm just in the basic level) but I found this book to be very useful in two specific situations: To collect examples of usage of a word that I recently learned ; To help me fill those moments of idleness when I'm not at home (for instance, before a movie begins or when I'm waiting for someone in a meeting at work). The comprehensiveness of this book, its small size, and low cost makes it one of the best cost-benefit books I have ever bought!

This is wonderful book for reviewing vocabulary. You should also know that French, Spanish, and Italian versions exist as well. The words covered are very helpful, especially for those who like to travel and need to know "easy" words that do not appear frequently in literature but do come up often in offices, stores, etc. Each entry offers a clear example of usage in its proper context. These books are so inexpensive, that it is worth taking one with you on a trip abroad, even if you end up abandoning it at the end to make more room in your suitcase for the books that you want to bring home.

I just finished my first year of German, and I found that my weakest area was vocabulary. This book changed that. If you want to learn German vocaubulary, this book is for you. The thematic structure makes it easier for someone to grasp and remember German. The reason I gave it 4 stars is because I felt that the book could have used two improvements: 1) The plural forms of the nouns are not given. There is a section at the end of the book that gives rules on determining the plural forms, but it would have been much easier to just give the plural form next to the singular. 2)When an irregular verb is listed, the authors do give the conjugations in the present, simple past and present perfect tenses. However, they fail to include the auxilliary for the present perfect tense.

Other have already pointed out both the qualities and the main flaw of this book, but let me refinforce their opinions.

Barron's series Mastering Vocabulary is a great tool for language learners! Using a normal course, such as one in the Colloqial series, you will end up with knowing the grammar relatively well and with a vocabulary of 1500 words. That's a good start, but you need to know more words to get moving. The Mastering Vocabulary series is a great help along the way. By doing one chapter each week, you will know more than 7000 words after half a year. That is enough to live in a language where the language is spoken and use it in all everyday interactions and communication. My only real complaint with the series is that it's not available for more than four languages.

In the case of Mastering German Vocabulary, the failure to provide plural forms is a flaw. For French, Italian and Spanish, plurals are fairly regular but not so for German. Had it been included, this book would received five stars but it's such big a flaw that I've removed two starts. Hopefully this will be addressed in the next edition.

This book is very well organized and allows you to easily find a section of the book in order to learn words relevant to you. As every speaker progresses, he finds that it is more important for him to learn certain vocabulary before others. This book makes this easy. It also has small notes on grammar. I would recommend it to anybody.