How to get started with German?

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ClaireCalire
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How to get started with German?

Postby ClaireCalire » Sun Oct 02, 2016 11:53 am

Hello, I am interested in learning German on my own but I am not sure how to go about starting it on a good note.

I prefer a structured and progressive method of language learning. And will appreciate if anyone can point towards an effective German course and good books based on your personal experience.

Also, what is the best way for me to learn the alphabets and their pronunciations?

Thank you very much! I am currently studying Russian with a tutor, so my plan to learn German on my own is going to be a rockier one.
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tastyonions
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Re: How to get started with German?

Postby tastyonions » Sun Oct 02, 2016 12:40 pm

I can warmly recommend Assimil's "German" (ISBN-10: 2700580494 for the package with audio). Over the past four months I have done about 95 lessons, a bit slower than the recommended pace of one lesson per day, and have seen consistent growth in my understanding of the spoken and written language. I began the book with more or less zero knowledge of German.

I also recommend Brian Smith's "German Easy Reader" (ISBN-10: 1512029041) and "Pre-Intermediate Reader" (ISBN-10: 1519235380), which will help solidify through repetition and variation the structures and vocabulary you pick up from a structured course.
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Re: How to get started with German?

Postby Cainntear » Sun Oct 02, 2016 2:23 pm

That depends on your native language, which isn't clear in your profile.
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Marais
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Re: How to get started with German?

Postby Marais » Sun Oct 02, 2016 4:09 pm

Start with basic overview - basic grammar, tenses, personal pronouns and sentence word order.

Then move on to real content as quickly as possible.
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ClaireCalire
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Re: How to get started with German?

Postby ClaireCalire » Sun Oct 02, 2016 5:58 pm

tastyonions wrote:I can warmly recommend Assimil's "German" (ISBN-10: 2700580494 for the package with audio). Over the past four months I have done about 95 lessons, a bit slower than the recommended pace of one lesson per day, and have seen consistent growth in my understanding of the spoken and written language. I began the book with more or less zero knowledge of German.

I also recommend Brian Smith's "German Easy Reader" (ISBN-10: 1512029041) and "Pre-Intermediate Reader" (ISBN-10: 1519235380), which will help solidify through repetition and variation the structures and vocabulary you pick up from a structured course.


Thank you for the recommendation, tastyonions! Really appreciate them! I haven't heard of 'Assimil' so I will go and check the course out. So you started 'Assimil' with zero knowledge of the German alphabets? Does it have a section on this?
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ClaireCalire
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Re: How to get started with German?

Postby ClaireCalire » Sun Oct 02, 2016 5:59 pm

Cainntear wrote:That depends on your native language, which isn't clear in your profile.


My native language is English.
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Re: How to get started with German?

Postby Marais » Sun Oct 02, 2016 6:39 pm

ClaireCalire wrote:
tastyonions wrote:I can warmly recommend Assimil's "German" (ISBN-10: 2700580494 for the package with audio). Over the past four months I have done about 95 lessons, a bit slower than the recommended pace of one lesson per day, and have seen consistent growth in my understanding of the spoken and written language. I began the book with more or less zero knowledge of German.

I also recommend Brian Smith's "German Easy Reader" (ISBN-10: 1512029041) and "Pre-Intermediate Reader" (ISBN-10: 1519235380), which will help solidify through repetition and variation the structures and vocabulary you pick up from a structured course.


Thank you for the recommendation, tastyonions! Really appreciate them! I haven't heard of 'Assimil' so I will go and check the course out. So you started 'Assimil' with zero knowledge of the German alphabets? Does it have a section on this?

The German alphabet is exactly the same as the English one except the umlauts and the ß.
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Re: How to get started with German?

Postby Speakeasy » Thu Oct 06, 2016 10:02 pm

How to get started with German
First, and this is not meant as a criticism, I am not completely surprised by the apparent lack of enthusiasm for your question; many forum members have already contributed their advice on this topic through numerous and extensive discussion threads in the previous forum, the HTLAL. My own tardiness in replying reflects what-I-suspect-is a generalized weariness with the question. Second, when compared to many other languages, there are simply "too many good options" for the study of German as a second language. I have acquired a sizeable collection of introductory and intermediate materials sufficient to fill two large bookcases. Third, in retrospect, I should have concentrated on only a few of the materials listed below and then progressed to native materials (magazines, newspapers, novels, specialized textbooks, online newscasts, films, and the like) and private tutoring. Finally, in answer to your question, here is my own "short list" of courses for starting German:

Michel Thomas German
Michel Thomas German is a well-known and very highly-regarded "all audio" program of language instruction. I make mention of this program, not because I like it, but because someone else will most likely do so. At the beginner's level, the instructor, Michel Thomas, slowly guides two English-speaking students through the present tense and past tense conjugation of a small selection of high-frequency of verbs. Everything is recorded in this "mock classroom" method, including the students' errors. As you specifically mentioned "pronunciation", I would underscore that neither Michel Thomas nor his two British students were native-speakers of German. Supporters of the Michel Thomas Method often affirm that the (decidedly poor) pronunciation of German in this course is irrelevant in comparison to the method’s numerous positive aspects; I do not share their point of view. The level achieved would be A0-A1, depending on whether or not the student has the stamina to progress to the higher levels of this program.

Pimsleur German
Pimsleur German is a well-known and very highly-regarded "all audio" program of language instruction. During each of the 30-minute-long lessons, an English speaker guides the student through the "core vocabulary" of the German language, proposing new words, phrases and sentences and introducing carefully-timed prompts for the repetition of the material. The timing of the prompts and the use of the principle of “anticipation” are an integral part of the program and they have a remarkably positive effect on retention of the material. Two native speakers, one male, one female, provide the German portion of the audio tracks in a moderately comfortable cadence. Grammar is not addressed directly; rather, the student must infer the structure of the language from the examples just as one might do in an total immersion environment. For this reason, I would suggest that one accompany the course with a simple grammar and a dictionary. I have completed all five phases of the Pimsleur German program and I would estimate that, in terms of grammatical construction, a level of A2 is achieved; however, in terms of vocabulary, the program lags well behind many other methods including all those listed below. I have come to the conclusion that, given the availability of so many other materials for the study of German, the maximum value of the Pimsleur method -- in terms of the profitable use of one's study time -- is achieved during the study of Levels 1 and 2, beyond which I would not recommend continuing with this program.

DLI German Gateway
Updated March, 2017: In the late 1970's, the Defense Language Institute (DLI) published a two-part introduction to the German language for members of the U.S. Armed Forces and their families. Both courses were designed for self-study, contain a large quantity of audio recordings and exercise materials, and are freely available via the FSI-Yojik website. Quite frankly, I would skip the first course in the series, DLI German Headstart, work with either Michel Thomas German or Pimsleur German I-II, and then follow-up with the second course in the series, DLI German Gateway which should take the leaner to "just short of" CEFR level A1. For additional information, please refer to the discussion thread "DLI German Gateway (continuation of DLI German Headstart)": http://forum.language-learners.org/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=5584

Assimil German
Assimil German is a well-known and very highly-regarded program of language instruction based on the presentation and practice of 100 short dialogues and exercise sets. Unlike many competing language methods, the dialogues possess no over-arching central theme which might otherwise assist the student visualize himself interacting with native speakers in predictable situations. This should not be taken as a weakness of the program as it mimics the manner by which we learn our own languages in real-life settings; that is, by participating in multiple, disjointed conversations. The recorded voices are those of native-speakers of German; however, the cadence is deliberately slower than that of normal conversational speech. Exposure to German TV, Radio, Podcasts, and the like will help the student acclimatize his listening skills to the more rapid speech of native speakers. The only "bémol" that I would underscore relates to the accompanying notes. While excellent and informative in themselves, I am left with the impression that they were written for people who "already" have a knowledge of German grammar. For this reason, I would suggest that one accompany this course with a simple grammar. Despite the publisher's assertion that this course would take the student to the B2 level, my impression is that a level of A2-B1 is more realistic. A more advanced, "second level" Assimil German course is available in French and in a few other languages, but is not available in English.

Linguaphone German
Linguaphone German is a well-known and very highly-regarded program of language instruction based on the presentation and practice of 30 rather lengthy dialogues and exercise sets. The student follows the Kühn family through their lengthy vacation in Germany. The vocabulary is introduced through standard, predictable situations. The recorded voices are those of native-speakers of German. While the cadence is faster than that of the Assimil course, it never achieves that of rapid-fire conversational speech. A translation of the German dialogues is not provided and, in its place, the student is provided with extensive notes. I find that the notes have a similar effect of those accompanying the Assimil courses; that is, while excellent and informative in themselves, I am left with the impression that they were written for people who "already" have a knowledge of German grammar. For this reason, I would suggest that one accompany the course with a simple grammar. I estimate that the level achieved would be in the A2-B1 range upon completion. Linguaphone publishes an "advanced" German course for which the materials are presented entirely in German.

Living Language "Ultimate" German
Although Random House ceased publication of this series circa 2012, copies of this courses can still be found on the Internet. For a short period, the dwindling stocks were offered a prices exceeding 2000 $US. Recently, most likely in response to a lack of buyers at these prices, they have declined to something approaching 400 $US per copy, which is still four times higher than the original prices. The method is based on the presentation and practice of 40 dialogues meant to represent predictable situations that a visitor to Germany would likely encounter. The recordings are those of native-speakers of German and the cadence approaches that of conversational speech. The concise explanations of grammar are a model of clarity. I estimate that the level achieved would be in the A2-B1 range upon completion. Living Language publishes an "advanced" German course. My only reservation with the “Ultimate” series relates to the limited nature of the exercise sets and, for this reason, I would suggest that the student study this course in combination with another one, such as Assimil German.

Deutsche Welle
There are so many online German language-learning programs available that it would take far too much of my time to filter them with a view to providing a short list. Nonetheless, one bears mentioning. The Deutsche Welle website offers high-quality, free-to-the-public courses from the A1 through the C1 levels. If you’re not keen on using online courses, you can always use other materials to achieve an A1 or higher level and then test your knowledge, or otherwise practice your skills, on this website.

FSI German Basic / DLI German Basic
I do not wish to initiate yet another seemingly unresolvable debate on the usefulness of the FSI and DLI courses. However, in my opinion, a failure to mention these materials would be an unpardonable oversight. In the period from the 1960’s through the late 1970’s, the U.S. government produced a series of language courses for the instruction of their diplomatic or military personnel. The basic materials are now in the public domain and are freely available to the public. While there are several courses in the collection, I would draw your attention to the FSI and DLI German Basic courses only as these are the more complete versions. Generally speaking, despite their age and the inclusion of some less-than-current vocabulary, these courses are still very highly-regarded. The mp3 audio files presently available were digitized from audio cassettes that did not age very well, thereby yielding a sound quality that does not meet commercial standards; however, for many people, this fact does not detract from the usefulness of the materials. In all cases, the audio recordings are those of native speakers of German and, upon listening to the speakers, it becomes readily apparent that they are not voice-trained professionals. For the FSI German Basic course, the delivery of the dialogues and exercises is almost shockingly rapid when compared to that of commercially-prepared audio tracks. This is not at all the case for the DLI German Basic course where the dialogues and exercises are delivered at an artificially slower cadence, reminiscent of the Linguaphone German recordings. It should be noted that the FSI and DLI basic courses were designed for classroom use. In the case of the FSI Basic German course, the accompanying notes can seem somewhat sparse and, for this reason, I would suggest that one accompany this course with a simple grammar. In contrast, the notes accompanying the DLI German Basic course are complete in every respect, much more so than any commercially-prepared course that I have ever encountered. In addition, the DLI materials include a separate series of some 43 short guides each of which addresses a single issue of German grammar. While both courses were conceived when the “audio-lingual” method enjoyed support in American academic circles, there are significant differences in the texts and exercise materials. Both courses introduce the language through the presentation of a series of situational dialogues, twenty-four in the FSI course and ninety in the DLI course. In addition to the dialogues, the DLI course includes third-person narratives based on the lessons’ dialogues. The courses differ remarkably as to the recorded exercise sets that support the dialogues. The FSI course includes a wide variety of sentence-pattern drills (substitution, replacement, transformation, variation, etcetera) designed to reinforce the grammatical structures and the vocabulary of the individual lessons. I will be quite frank here: I found the first two units of the FSI German Basic course so horribly boring that I almost abandoned the program. However, I persevered and discovered that, as of the third unit right through to the end of the course, the authors of the sentence-pattern drills displayed much more creativity, so much so that I came to enjoy working with the exercise sets. In contrast, the recorded sentence-pattern drills of the DLI German Basic course were designed to illustrate solely the specific grammatical structures deployed in the individual lessons, using the absolute minimum of common vocabulary that was introduced in the initial lesson units. While this approach does, indeed, isolate the grammatical issues from issues of newly-presented vocabulary, the resulting sentence-pattern drills lacked the "je ne sais quoi" to maintain my interest. That is, they were so tedious, dull, repetitive, unimaginative, lifeless, insipid, uninspiring, and unrelievedly boring that I found it difficult to repeat them, thereby defeating their inclusion in a supposedly audio-lingual program. Nonetheless, the sentence-pattern drills aside, the DLI German Basic course is “worth the detour”, particularly once gets beyond the first 30 lesson units. Having said that, I still prefer the FSI German Basic course, most particularly for the drills.

Glossika Mass Sentence Drills
If you enjoy practicing sentence-pattern drills and if you are willing to exchange the tedium of lifeless sentences for the chance of increasing the fluidity of your spoken delivery, you might wish to consider the Glossika Mass Sentence Drills. Note carefully that the Glossika Mass Sentences do not represent a course of study. Rather, they are comprised of some 3,000 artificially-constructed sentences the massive repetition of which is designed to assist the student with his spoken fluency. The only supporting materials are a bilingual transcript. Issues of grammar are not discussed and it is assumed that the user has already achieved a level of proficiency approaching that of CEFR A2.

Other Study Materials
There are simply too many to mention. My advice would be to select something from the above list, practice it thoroughly, and then progress to native materials (magazines, newspapers, novels, specialized textbooks, online newscasts, films, and the like) and private tutoring.

EDITED:
Formatting
Expansion of the text referring to Glossika
Typos, wie immer.
Updated March, 2017 to make mention of the DLI German Gateway course
Last edited by Speakeasy on Mon Mar 27, 2017 9:26 pm, edited 5 times in total.
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Re: How to get started with German?

Postby AlexTG » Fri Oct 07, 2016 8:09 am

ClaireCalire wrote:Thank you for the recommendation, tastyonions! Really appreciate them! I haven't heard of 'Assimil' so I will go and check the course out. So you started 'Assimil' with zero knowledge of the German alphabets? Does it have a section on this?

Hi Claire, I agree that you should use Assimil, but like Speakeasy points out, it can be a bit light on the grammar, so you might want to pick up something like the Dover "Essential German Grammar", which should, as the name suggests, cover the essentials.

As far as learning the alphabet, by which I suppose you mean the pronunciation of the letters, since they're the same letters as ours, Assimil does cover this yes. For early lessons you will be given a phonetic transcript of the dialogue so you're reminded how the letters are to be pronounced. You will also have audio of the dialogue to listen to, and you should try to match what you're hearing with the letters on the page.

For more advanced pronunciation help you could read "Modern German Pronunciation" by Christopher Hall.
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Re: How to get started with German?

Postby Speakeasy » Sat Oct 08, 2016 2:01 am

AlexTG wrote: ... For more advanced pronunciation help you could read "Modern German Pronunciation" by Christopher Hall.
Thank you very much! I searched the publisher's website and located the audio files that were recorded to accompany the textbook. While I can play them, I have not discovered how to download them. Would you happen to know how to proceed? Merci à l'avance!

LINK: http://www.manchesteruniversitypress.co.uk/9780719066894/
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