Customer Reviews

VocabuLearn German/Englisch Complete [With 3 Listening GuidesWith CD Case] (German Edition)

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These CDs cover a substantial amount of vocabulary, with each level including nouns, verbs, adjectives, conjunctions, and phrases. Each CD is organised by grammatical class, but within that the order of the words seems to be random. While most of the words are for common, everyday things and situations, there are some selections of questionable utility, particularly in the phrases section where you will learn to say "I like my electric blanket" (Ich mag meine Heizdecke) and "The weightlessness of an astronaut" (Die Schwerelosigkeit eines Raumfahrers). There are also some phrases that seem to be American concepts translated literally into German without regard for cultural appropriateness such as "Say "no" to drugs!" (Sagen Sie "nein" zu Drogen!) and "Get out the vote!" (Spornen Sie die Leute zum Handeln an!). Having said that, the phrases CDs are an extremely useful part of the set as they include a large number of common idioms and help teach syntax as well as vocab.

My only real complaint about this product is that the recording quality is not always of a high standard. Levels 1 and 3 are crystal clear, however the German woman on the level 2 tracks sounds like she was recorded on a cheap, long-distance phone call. The length of the tracks is also inconsistent - level 1 has tracks of between 20-27 minutes (a long time to concentrate on a voice repeating random words in a monotone), while the tracks on the other levels are mostly a more comfortable 10-13 minutes. On the plus side, the pause between the English and German is long enough that you have time to try and think of the word yourself before it's repeated, and there is pleasant classical music that plays intermittently in the background. Overall, this is a good product for boosting your vocabulary from functional but basic to a more sophisticated level.

This product is just what I have been looking for since I started to learn German (and other languages). It simply reads a word in English and then a couple of second later in German, including the gender for the nouns. It is perfect for improving vocabulary during otherwise wasted time like driving to work, on the bus etc.

It comes with a small book for each level with a list of all the words and expressions on each CD (and there are lots of them, apparently 7500 words). Obviously not all of the words are going to stick the first time you listen to the CDs, but if you have the patience to use them over and over then you will be able to substantially improve your vocabulary.

This is not enough on its own to learn the language as there is no grammar, but if you want to improve your vocab then I would totally recommend this product!

I play these CD's in my car while driving and find that the recordings are crystal clear. The German words come across very distinctly and the German speaker has a pleasant voice. Classical and other types of music play in the background at times to enhance what can be a tedious process of learning vocabulary. At times it can seem that one track can be at a slightly different volume but only in a minor way. The CD's come in a very convenient travel case into which the three booklets with the transcriptions fit. The print is tiny but it's a tradeoff. Slipping the CD's in and out of their plastic pockets can be tricky while you are driving so be careful. Overall this program provides a good way to give your German fluency a boost.