An easy and intuitive guide to basic German that will have you speaking Deutsch in no time
Looking for a fun, easy, and accurate guide to conversational German? German All-In-One For Dummies, 2nd Edition provides helpful guidance on German grammar, vocabulary, rules, structure, and conventions that will get you fully up-to-speed on the German language. This book gets you ready to communicate in German in a ton of everyday situations: at work, on a trip, and online.
German All-In-One For Dummies, 2nd Edition pairs perfectly with in-class German instruction, app-based language learning, and solo study—quickly and reliably improving your German. Plus, you'll get complimentary access to online audio resources that cover common German conversations!
Inside:
- A huge collection of German vocabulary, including words, common phrases, and grammar
- Practical solutions to common roadblocks and frustrations encountered by beginning German speakers
- Exercises to help you practice the German lessons in the book
German All-In-One For Dummies, 2nd Edition is perfect for anyone looking to brush up on the fundamentals before a work trip, vacation, or just for fun.
Table of Contents:
INTRODUCTION 1
About This Book 1
Conventions Used in This Book 2
Foolish Assumptions 3
How This Book Is Organized 4
Book 1: Getting Started with German 4
Book 2: Speaking German on the Go 4
Book 3: Assembling the Grammatical Foundations for Communication 5
Book 4: Building Detail and Precision in Your Communication 5
Book 5: The Appendixes 5
Icons Used in This Book 6
Where to Go from Here 6
BOOK 1: GETTING STARTED WITH GERMAN 7
CHAPTER 1: Warming Up to German Basics 9
CHAPTER 2: Handling Numbers, Times, Dates, and Measurements 31
CHAPTER 3: Meeting and Greeting: Guten Tag! 51
CHAPTER 4: Talking about Home and Family 73
CHAPTER 5: Taking Care of Business and Telecommunications 83
CHAPTER 6: Shopping Made Easy 101
CHAPTER 7: Guten Appetit! Dining Out and Going to the Market 115
BOOK 2: SPEAKING GERMAN ON THE GO 139
CHAPTER 1: Asking for Directions 141
CHAPTER 2: Going Out on the Town 157
CHAPTER 3: Planning a Trip: Gute Reise! 171
CHAPTER 4: Finding a Place to Stay: Gute Nacht! 191
CHAPTER 5: Getting Around: Planes, Trains, Taxis, and Buses 205
CHAPTER 6: Handling Emergencies 221
BOOK 3: ASSEMBLING THE GRAMMATICAL FOUNDATIONS FOR COMMUNICATION 237
CHAPTER 1: Laying Out the Basics to Build Sentences 239
CHAPTER 2: Sorting Out Word Gender and Case 259
CHAPTER 3: Dealing with the Here and Now: The Present Tense 279
CHAPTER 4: Asking and Answering Questions 297
CHAPTER 5: Describing and Comparing with Adjectives and Adverbs 315
CHAPTER 6: Modifying Verbs with Helpers: The Modal Auxiliaries 339
CHAPTER 7: Instructing and Commanding: The Imperative 357
CHAPTER 8: Sorting Out Separable- and Inseparable-Prefix Verbs 369
BOOK 4: BUILDING DETAIL AND PRECISION IN YOUR COMMUNICATION 381
CHAPTER 1: Tying Ideas Together with Conjunctions and Relative Pronouns 383
CHAPTER 2: Specifying Relationships with Prepositions 395
CHAPTER 3: Using Reflexives and Other Verb Combinations 407
CHAPTER 4: Conversing about the Past: The Present Perfect and Past Perfect 419
CHAPTER 5: Narrating the (Simple) Past: Fact and Fiction 437
CHAPTER 6: Looking to the Future (And Avoiding It) 449
CHAPTER 7: Describing Your Mood: Summing Up the Subjunctive 461
BOOK 5: THE APPENDIXES 475
APPENDIX A: Verb Tables and Case Charts 477
APPENDIX B: German-English Mini-Dictionary 499
APPENDIX C: English-German Mini-Dictionary 511
APPENDIX D: Fun & Games 523
INDEX 565
About the Author :
Wendy Foster loves languages. She spent 30 years in Munich, immersing herself in the German language and culture, intermittently bouncing to Paris to complete her MA in French. Later, she lived in Spain, where she studied Spanish. She’s now a polyglot living in New England. She’s the author of German For Dummies, German Workbook For Dummies, and more.
