Ultimate German: Advanced: Cassette/Book Package (Living Language Ultimate Courses) [Audio Cassette]

Living Language (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0609602020 | ISBN-13: 978-0609602027 | Publication Date: May 19, 1998

Eight 60-minute Cassettes - 432-PAGE TEXTBOOK
Lively, up-to-date, authentic dialogues
Clear explanations of grammar
Cultural highlights
plus Business vocabulary & etiquette

Learn advanced German at Home or On the Go with the Most Complete, Up-to-Date Program Available!

Developed by the experts at Living Language, Ultimate German: Advanced has everything you need to increase your fluency in German. Just like the basic-intermediate level course, this program combines advanced conversation with grammar and culture in an easy-to-follow, enjoyable, and effective format. Ultimate German: Advanced also covers business vocabulary and etiquette, perfect for business people as well as serious students and travelers.

COMPREHENSIVE LESSON MANUAL WITH REFERENCE SECTIONS
20 lessons:
lively, authentic, up-to-date dialogues
vocabulary, grammar, and usage
cultural highlights
business terms and etiquette Reference sections:
complete grammar summary with verb conjugations
business and social letter writing
German-English / English-German glossary

EIGHT 60-MINUTE CASSETTES
First, learn at home:
immerse yourself in German- listen and repeat with the all-German recordings
follow along with the manual, which includes English translations
learn conversation, grammar, and culture

Then practice on the go:
review and expand upon what you've learned
an English-speaking instructor guides you through each lesson
no reading required with these German/English recordings
learn in the car, at the gym, anywhere

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 --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Audio Cassette
• Publisher: Living Language (May 19, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0609602020
• ISBN-13: 978-0609602027
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 9.2 x 2.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,153,339 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #10 in Books > Books on Cassette > Languages > German

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.