Treffpunkt Deutsch: Grundstufe (5th Edition) [Hardcover]

E. Rosemarie Widmaier (Author), Fritz T. Widmaier (Author), Margaret T. Gonglewski (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 9, 2007 | ISBN-10: 0131955462 | ISBN-13: 978-0131955462 | Edition: 5

Student-centered, communicative learning is the foundation upon which Treffpunkt Deutsch is built. Written by experts in the field, this best-selling text has been carefully designed to encourage students to interact spontaneously and meaningfully in German, transforming the classroom into a Treffpunkt, a meeting place, where students get to know one another better and learn interesting cultural information about the German-speaking world.

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: German, English --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

From the Publisher

This best selling German program integrates communication exercises and activites, comprehensive grammar instruction, in-text listening activities and timely cultural discussions. --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 512 pages
• Publisher: Prentice Hall; 5 edition (March 9, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0131955462
• ISBN-13: 978-0131955462
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #23,165 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #15 in Books > Education & Reference > Foreign Languages > German > Instruction
  • #18 in Books > Education & Reference > Foreign Language Nonfiction > German

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A Little Confusing, May 26, 2007

By 

Arthur Blenheim "arthurblenheim" (Boston) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Treffpunkt Deutsch, Grundstufe (4th Edition) (Hardcover)

I've been taking three classes of German compressed into a single, 12-week, Summer semester at my school. The class requires the following text books:

Text book: Treffpunkt Deutsch (4th ed.),
Work book: Treffpunkt Deutsch Arbeitsbuch Hoerverstaendnis (4th ed.),
Work book answer key: Treffpunkt Deutsch Arbeitsbuch Answer Key (4th ed.), and
17-CD set of exercises of the Treffpunkt Deutsch 4th ed.

Additionally, my class was also recommended a German-English translation dictionary, the book English Grammar for Students of German, and another book 501 German Verbs.

The Treffpunkt Deutsch books or CDs is confusing. I'll say why:

First, the exercises throughout the text book are very strange. The way they work is that all the classmates will pair into two-person groups. For each exercise, each person in every two-person group is either labeled "S1" or "S2." The "S1" person will read the first German script question, then the "S2" person has to answer it in German according to the script. Then, the "S2" person asks a question in which the "S1" will answer. These two scripts often become confusing because of the swapping. Additionally, exercise instructions are often incoherent or incomplete. Another problem is I don't know enough German to comprehend many of the exercises. The book never tells me the definition of the words its exercises use except for the glossary translation which means I have to keep thumbing around looking for even simple things. When I add this to the confusion arising from the rules of Grammar, like sentence structure and regular and irregular gender complications, I end up looking for FIVE THINGS just to complete a simple excercise.

These four books are supposed to be coordinated together, but they aren't. The chapters in the work book should reflect the chapters in the text, so that, when the students learn something, they can go home and practice using the work book. But, the work book is only relating to the chapter content rather than the exercise headings, despite their having names like "E-1" and "2-5" in both books when there's no correlation between them, despite the implication.

Then, the CDs are supposedly usable in conjunction to the text, and this is true; although, of how it is true, I'm still unsure. For instance, when I read the text and listen to the disc, the narrator is saying stuff that isn't in the text book. When I first heard the disc, I thought I was listening to the wrong CD track; but, I wasn't, as both the CDs and books are clearly labeled by the chapter and the exercise number. The narrator never reads the exercises I'm reading!

Also, the Treffpunkt CDs aren't designed like, for example, the Fodor's Living Language set, where the narrator says something in English and then immediately translates it into German, twice. The Treffpunkt CD narrators only speak in German, and there is no translation. I guess I'm supposed to learn the words through a process of osmosis.

The text exercises are the same way: I don't get the translation unless I'm perusing around the chapters or the glossary looking for information I need.

I recommend getting one of those quick-reference folders with German-language grammar rules, the ones covered in plastic.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Not so good, September 10, 2005

By 

Jennifer M. Juergensen "college kid" (washington dc) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Treffpunkt Deutsch, Grundstufe (4th Edition) (Hardcover)

I have a very minimal knowledge of German. This is the first German class I have taken in college and I feel like the examples used are irrelevant to words/phrases that I will ever use. Even my instructor (who is from Germany) says that the words used are very awkward examples. The CD and website is a must have, and the workbook has not been updated for the newest edition.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Nicht gut, September 22, 2008

By 

A. Russell "Deutschmeister" (Davenport, IA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Treffpunkt Deutsch: Grundstufe (5th Edition) (Hardcover)

I have been studying German for the past 5 years, some years in high school and the rest self study along with the help of various textbooks. Since German is my main area of study along with Philosophy I have purchased many books on German even if ones that are elementary to my level just to see which ones work the best so I can use them as references in future when I help teach the language.

Since the college I am attending did not offer any intermediate or advanced level courses in German I just took Elementary German 101 in order to refresh any lost data and to help out the students in the class. We are using this textbook and it has been causing a lot of confusion to all the students, including the couple who have studied German prior-to the course.

My first problem is the ordering of the articles. I was used to learning in the order "Der, Die, Das" and this textbook turns it to "Der, Das, Die", which in itself is quite confusing and does not flow as well, thus making it harder for getting used to the new way, and even if a new student to the language it is confusing and harder to deal with. I assume they ordered it this way so that they can compare it side by side with the plurals in which endings are closely related. However, this can cause much confusion in my opinion.

The more we go through this book, the more problems I see. Just the other day we were doing an exercise and out of nowhere they throw in the use of "sondern", without giving any reason or explanation as to what to use it as and what it itself even means. My professor has been quite frustrated with it as well, they took out all the good exercises from the last book, and replaced them with even worse exercises according to her, and judging by this book I don't think it gets much worse than this.

We have to fly through this course thanks to the glorious education program we have in this country that puts NO emphasis on foreign language what-so-ever, and this text book is making it very hard for the students to undertsand. They will just want to turn away from German and once again more programs for German will be removed from the area I live in, despite the fact of the large German history and population here. They will turn to spanish or french since they are more emphasized and more well heard of, but it all is very sad.

As someone who Loves German Language, History, and Heritage, I urge any professor thinking about these books to consider another choice. I honestly think anyone is better off just using books that cost 90% less than this and are much more useful, not to mention economical.

I don't even think it deserves 2 stars, but since I have not yet read the whole thing I will give it the benefit of the doubt, but I have a feeling it will not get any better.