Ultimate German: Advanced: Book (LL(R) Ultimate Advanced Course) [Paperback]

Living Language (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0609802526 | ISBN-13: 978-0609802526 | Publication Date: May 19, 1998 | Edition: 1st

A Complete Lesson Book and Reference Guide
Lively, up-to-date, authentic dialogues
Clear explanations of grammar
Cultural highlights
Business vocabulary and etiquette
plus
Grammar summary
Verb conjugations
Glossary

Developed by the experts at Living Language, this book offers a highly effective combination of advanced conversational German with grammar and culture. This sequel to the Basic-Intermediate Ultimate German book covers the equivalent of two years of college-level study.

20 lessons, each with a lively, authentic German dialogue that takes you everywhere from a vineyard to a film festival  to a lawyer's office.
English translations and explanations of German grammar  and usage, pronunciation, vocabulary, and cultural notes.
Special sections on business vocabulary and etiquette.
Quizzes and review sections to check your progress.
A complete summary of German grammar, and verb charts covering all major tenses.
A section on letter writing for business and social occasions.
An extensive two-way glossary.

While this book stands on its own as a complete course and an invaluable reference, you'll find that using it with the recorded lessons is even more effective. Along with the recordings, Living Language: Ultimate German: Advanced cassette packages include this manual.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“A really great package for those who do not have the time to sit in a classroom, or the money to spend on two years in a foreign country.”
–Juergen Kempff, Ph.D., Curriculum Director, University of California-Irvine

“Authentic…enlightening and useful…I like the fact that the business section was closely related to the dialogue…makes the learning process more fun and realistic.”
–Marisa Castro Cid, World Trade Institute Language Center --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Language Notes

Text: English, German

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 432 pages
• Publisher: Living Language; 1st edition (May 19, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0609802526
• ISBN-13: 978-0609802526
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,561,621 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

108 of 109 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A very impressive effort that fills a much needed gap, December 8, 2003

By 

Jerome A. Carney "Jerome Alton Carney" (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ultimate German Advanced (Book and CD Set): Includes Comprehensive Coursebook and 8 Audio CDs (Ultimate Advanced) (Audio CD)

In recent years, I've purchased over 20 German study texts, and the Living Language "Ultimate German" series is the best I've come across. The textbook offers tried-and-true, nuts-and-bolts grammar and vocabulary review, along with interesting, useful dialogs and cultural and business essays. The two sets of CDs -- one to accompany the text and another, parallel set for "on the go" review -- are equally well-produced and relevant (although two of my CDs were mislabeled).

As a businessman focusing on international marketing, I greatly appreciate the "real world" content and social settings of each chapter. German is the third foreign language I've studied, and I'm most impressed by how well the Living Language "Advanced" series fills the gap for those of us who are well-beyond the basics, but not yet ready for Goethe.

The content, organization and graded structure are far superior to the advanced German text books I used for classes last year at a major California university. Other advanced texts tend to forego the graded approach, where each lesson builds on vocabulary and grammar learned in the preceeding lesson, offering instead an amalgam of short stories or essays accompanied by vocabulary lists that too often feature less-than-relevant terms and expessions. Despite being a first cousin to English, German is a complex langauge with an excessively rich and nuanced vocabulary, and a graded structure is still necessary, in my opinion, even at an advanced level.

For those who are visually inclined, however, please note that the textbook contains no images or pictures, just text and vocabulary and grammar drills.

All in all, "Ultimate German Advanced" is a well-thought, well-structured, well-executed product. It's not the prettiest, most colorful textbook to be found, but it will put real-world German fluency well within your grasp.

31 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Ultimate German Advanced vs. FSI/Barron's, June 11, 2007

By 

Gregory B. Garrison "???" (USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Ultimate German Advanced (Book and CD Set): Includes Comprehensive Coursebook and 8 Audio CDs (Ultimate Advanced) (Audio CD)

Having completed both Barron's German I & II, I decided to try this to stay in practice while working abroad one summer. The layout is simple, and not dry as many would consider the FSI courses to be; however, as far as the breadth of material that is covered, I consider FSI to be superior.

FSI I & II covers the entire gamut of German grammar (from presnt tense to Konjunctiv/subjunctive), whereas the material in UGA seems to rest in between them. Thus,grammatically, FSI will take you beyond UGA. That said, the format of FSI might not be enjoyable for all as it is riddled with repetitive grammar drills. However, FSI is preferable for me.

So, in short: if you really enjoy laborious grammar exercises and would like to learn the full breadth of German grammar, FSI is certainly the one you want. UGA is an excellent program, but probably more geared towards those who are interested in practical situations and not in grammar mastery.

44 of 49 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars From a 2-year highschool, 1-year college German study, April 2, 2002

By 

Bryan T. Vold (Minneapolis, MN (lived in Berlin for a year)) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ultimate German: Advanced: Cassette/Book Package (Living Language Ultimate Courses) (Audio Cassette)

When I originally bought the book, I didn't know that you could buy it with CD's. That would have helped tremendously, had I known. As it was, I sat down every lunch hour and did a lesson. Usually I only made it through the story (and looking up vocabulary). Then do the lesson on a future lunch hour. I thought the book was extremely helpful in explaining how things fit together. It also has pretty helpful cultural hints. I would also suggest All-Audio German (listen to it as much as you can, to perfect your pronunciation, you'll be glad you did). I also bought the English-German dictionary...for my Palm - this is an ABSOLUTE MUST if you are going to be going to Germany and you are serious about getting more fluent.