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German For Dummies » (BOOK & CD)

Book cover image of German For Dummies by Anne Fox

Authors: Anne Fox, Paulina Christensen, Juergen Lorenz
ISBN-13: 9780764551956, ISBN-10: 0764551957
Format: Other Format
Publisher: Wiley, John & Sons, Incorporated
Date Published: May 2000
Edition: BOOK & CD

Author Biography: Anne Fox

Berlitz(r) has taught languages to millions of people for over 120 years. Paulina Christensen, Ph.D., and Anne Fox are veteran language teachers and Berlitz(r) authors. Updated to the latest German spelling and usage standards by our German publishing partner, MITP-Verlag.

Book Synopsis

Your survival guide for everyday words and expressions

The renowned Berlitz? approach with a fun and friendly twist

This unintimidating guide from the experts at Berlitz? will help you start speaking German right a way, whether you're a student, a traveler, or you just want pick up the language.

All this on the audio CD

Pick up German the Berlitz? way - through actual conversations

* Listen to the dialogues from the book

* Hear how native speakers say the words

* Practice your own pronunciation

Discover how to:

* Have everyday conversations in German

* Make sense of German grammar

* Improve your pronunciation

* Get a handle on verb conjugations

* Use idioms and popular expressions

	Introduction	1
	About This Book	1
	Conventions Used in This Book	2
	Foolish Assumptions	3
	How This Book Is Organized	3
	Icons Used in This Book	4
	Where to Go from Here	5
Part I	Getting Started	7
Chapter 1	You Already Know a Little German	9
	The German You Know	9
	Friendly allies (perfect cognates)	9
	Kissing cousins (near cognates)	11
	False friends	12
	Lenders and borrowers	14
	Using Popular Expressions	16
	Mouthing Off:Basic Pronunciation	17
	Dealing with stress in German	17
	Learning the German alphabet	17
	Pronouncing vowels	18
	Pronouncing umlauts	19
	Pronouncing diphthongs	19
	Pronouncing consonants	20
	Learning a new letter: [beta]	21
	Pronouncing combinations of consonants	22
Chapter 2	The Nitty Gritty: Basic German Grammar	25
	Types of Words	26
	Nouns	26
	Adjectives	26
	Verbs	27
	Adverbs	28
	Simple Sentence Construction	28
	Arranging words in the right order	29
	Putting the verb in second place	29
	Pushing the verb to the end	30
	Forming questions	30
	The Tenses: Past, Present, and Future	31
	Looking at the present	31
	Talking about the past: using the perfect tense	32
	Writing about the past: using simple past tense	34
	Talking about the future	34
	Putting the Language in the Right Case	35
	Nominative case	36
	Accusative case	36
	Dative case	36
	Genitive case	36
	Why all these cases matter	36
	Numbers	41
Chapter 3	Guten Tag! Hallo! Greetings and Introductions	43
	Getting Formal or Informal	43
	Discovering Common Greetings and Salutations	44
	Asking "How are you?"	44
	Replying to "How are you?"	46
	Introducing Yourself and Your Friends	48
	Introducing your friends	48
	Introductions for special occasions	49
	Introducing yourself	51
	Talking about Cities, Countries, and Nationalities	52
	Telling people where you come from	52
	Sein: the being verb	53
	Asking people where they come from	54
	Kommen: to come	55
	Learning about nationalities	56
	What languages do you speak?	57
	Saying Good-Bye	58
Part II	German in Action	63
Chapter 4	Getting to Know You: Making Small Talk	65
	Talking about Yourself	65
	Describing your work	65
	Giving somebody your address and phone number	67
	Nouns and their articles	69
	Possessive pronouns	71
	Talking about Your Family	72
	Talking about the Weather	75
	What's it like out there?	75
	Talking about the temperature	76
	Casting your vote on the day's weather	77
Chapter 5	Guten Appetit! Dining Out and Going to the Market	81
	Is It Time to Eat Yet?	81
	All about Meals	83
	Getting Set for the Table	83
	Going Out to a Restaurant	84
	Distinguishing places to eat	84
	Making reservations	85
	Arriving and being seated	88
	Deciphering the menu	89
	Placing your order	92
	Using the conjunctive	93
	Using modals	94
	Ordering something special	95
	Replying to "How did you like the food?"	96
	Getting the check	96
	Shopping for Food	98
	Finding what you need	99
	Measurements and weights	101
Chapter 6	Shopping Made Easy	105
	Places to Shop the Town	105
	Finding Out about Opening Hours	106
	Getting around the Store	106
	Asking Nicely	107
	Saying please	108
	Saying excuse me	108
	Browsing with Style	108
	Getting Assistance	109
	Shopping for Clothes	110
	Color me German	111
	Knowing your size	112
	Trying it on	113
	Paying the Bill	115
	Comparatively Speaking	117
Chapter 7	Going Out on the Town	119
	Telling Time	119
	Asking for the time	120
	Telling time the "old-fashioned" way: From 1 to 12	120
	Using the 24-hour routine: 0 to 24	121
	Times of the day	122
	Days of the week	122
	What Would You Like to Do?	124
	Going to the Movies	124
	Getting to the show	125
	Purchasing tickets	126
	What Was That? The Simple Past Tense of Sein	128
	Going to the Museum	129
	Talking about Action in the Past	131
	Forming the past participle	131
	Using haben in the perfect tense	133
	Using sein in the perfect tense	134
	Bringing Down the House	135
	How Was It? Talking about Entertainment	137
	Asking your opinion	137
	Telling people what you think	137
	Going to a Party	139
	Getting an invitation	139
	Talking about a party	140
Chapter 8	Recreation and the Outdoors	143
	Talking about Hobbies and Interests	143
	Collecting	143
	Telling people about your hobby	144
	Getting Reflexive	144
	Accusing your pronouns	145
	Some common reflexive verbs	146
	Playing Sports	148
	Playing around with the verb spielen	148
	With some sports, it's the verb	149
	Inviting someone to play	149
	Exploring the Outdoors	151
	Getting out and going	151
	Things to see along the way	151
	Going to the mountains	153
	Going to the country	155
	Going to the sea	156
Chapter 9	Talking on the Phone and Sending Mail	159
	Phoning Made Simple	159
	Asking for your party	160
	Making the connection	161
	Making Appointments	163
	Leaving Messages	165
	A Few Words about Dative Pronouns	165
	Sending a Letter, Fax, or E-Mail	167
	Sending a letter or postcard	167
	Sending a fax	169
	Sending an e-mail	169
Chapter 10	At the Office and Around the House	173
	Renting an Apartment or House	173
	Describing what you want	173
	Deciphering newspaper ads	174
	Asking the right questions	175
	Talking about an apartment	176
	Sealing the deal	176
	Getting Around at the Office	178
	Mastering your desk and supplies	179
	Elsewhere in the office...	180
	Commanding the Command Form	181
	Speaking of This	183
Part III	German on the Go	185
Chapter 11	Money, Money, Money	187
	Changing Currency	187
	Heading to the ATM	190
	Getting Imperative	191
	Knowing the Various Currencies	192
Chapter 12	Asking for Directions	197
	Asking for Help with Directions	197
	How Far Is It?	199
	Going Here and There	200
	Asking "How Do I Get There?"	201
	Using "in"	201
	Using "nach"	202
	Using "zu"	203
	Describing a Position or Location	203
	Going Right, Left, North, South, East, and West	206
	Left and right	206
	The cardinal points	207
	Getting on the Move	207
	The First, Second, Third, and So On	208
	Traveling by Car or Another Vehicle	212
Chapter 13	Staying at a Hotel	215
	Finding a Hotel	215
	Reserving Rooms	216
	Saying when and how long you want to stay	217
	Specifying the kind of room you want	217
	Asking about the price	218
	Finalizing the reservation	219
	Checking In: Names, Addresses, and Room Numbers	220
	How long are you staying?	221
	Filling out the registration form	221
	Understanding the key game	222
	Asking about amenities and facilities	223
	Checking Out and Paying the Bill	226
	Asking for your bill	226
	Asking about special charges	227
	Parting shots at the hotel	227
Chapter 14	Getting Around: Planes, Trains, Taxis, and Buses	231
	At the Airport	231
	Picking up your ticket	232
	Checking in	232
	Going through immigration	235
	Going through customs	236
	Traveling in a Car	237
	Renting a car	237
	Reading maps and road signs	240
	At the Train Station	241
	Reading train schedules	242
	Getting information	242
	Buying tickets	243
	Knowing When to Separate Your Verbs	245
	Navigating Buses, Subways, and Taxis	246
	Catching the bus	246
	Getting a taxi	249
Chapter 15	Planning a Trip	251
	Getting Help from a Travel Agency	251
	Planning Ahead: Using the Future Tense	254
	Using the Calendar and Dates	255
	Learning the units of the calendar	255
	The basic names of the months	256
	Describing events in specific months	256
	Naming specific times in the months	256
	Dates	257
	Dealing with Passports and Visas	259
	Your passport	259
	Inquiring about visas	260
Chapter 16	Handling Emergencies	265
	Asking for Help with Accidents and Emergencies	265
	Shouting for help	265
	Reporting a problem	266
	Asking for English-speaking help	266
	Going to the Doctor or Hospital	267
	Describing what ails you	268
	Announcing any special conditions	269
	Getting an examination	269
	Specifying parts of the body	270
	Getting the diagnosis	271
	Getting treatment	273
	Talking to the Police	275
	Describing what was stolen	276
	Answering questions from the police	277
	Protecting your rights abroad	278
Part IV	The Part of Tens	281
Chapter 17	Ten Ways to Pick Up German Quickly	283
	Looking Things Up in the Dictionary	283
	Compiling Lists of Words that Go Together	283
	Writing Shopping Lists	284
	Celebrating German Day!	284
	Using Language Tapes and CDs	284
	Listening to German Radio and Watching German Television	284
	Trying a CD-ROM	285
	Watching German Movies	285
	Reading German Publications	285
	Surfing the Net	285
Chapter 18	Ten Things Never to Say	287
	Knowing When to Use the Formal or Informal	287
	Addressing Service People Correctly	287
	Hot or Cold?	288
	I'm Not Loaded	288
	Speaking of the Law with Respect	288
	The Gymnasium Is for School, Not Sports	288
	Knowing the Appropriate Form of Know	289