German Grammar Books?

[EmmaC02]

I'm currently learning German, and I have many resources, but no pure grammar resource. I was wondering if anyone had any grammar textbook or workbook suggestions? It would be much appreciated!

[Soclydeza]

What level are you? Here are some that helped me:

The Everything Learning German Book (Beginner) - Good for getting your feet wet, gives you a basic rundown without being overly complicated.

Hugo 3 Months (late beginner) - This isn't really a "grammar" book, per se, more of a program, but I was able to get some good grammar practice with this.

Schaum's German Grammar (beginner-intermediate?) - This won't really teach you grammar (though they do provide summaries of grammar points) but it contains a lot of exercises.

Practice Makes Perfect German Problem Solver (late beginner-intermediate) - I really like this one and still use it. It's similar to Schaum's, in that it's more of a practice workbook than a resource (though it gives basic summaries), but it's a great source to practice from.

Hammer's German Grammar (reference) - This is a great book to have for reference, as it is very detailed; some treat it as the German grammar Bible. However, I would wait before you get this. It can be so detailed that you will go to it for an explanation and just end up completely overwhelmed and confused; I just wanted to make you aware that it exists.

Youtube videos - not a book, but just looking up things like "accusative vs dative" helped clarify things for me, I'm more of a "visual/see-it-in-action" kind of guy.

If I could only pick one, I would pick Practice Makes Perfect: German Problem Solver, use it to practice shaky grammar areas, make me aware of new ones, look up Youtube videos for deep explanations, then use this book for practice. Viel Glück!

[EmmaC02]

What level are you? Here are some that helped me:

The Everything Learning German Book (Beginner) - Good for getting your feet wet, gives you a basic rundown without being overly complicated.

Hugo 3 Months (late beginner) - This isn't really a "grammar" book, per se, more of a program, but I was able to get some good grammar practice with this.

Schaum's German Grammar (beginner-intermediate?) - This won't really teach you grammar (though they do provide summaries of grammar points) but it contains a lot of exercises.

Practice Makes Perfect German Problem Solver (late beginner-intermediate) - I really like this one and still use it. It's similar to Schaum's, in that it's more of a practice workbook than a resource (though it gives basic summaries), but it's a great source to practice from.

Hammer's German Grammar (reference) - This is a great book to have for reference, as it is very detailed; some treat it as the German grammar Bible. However, I would wait before you get this. It can be so detailed that you will go to it for an explanation and just end up completely overwhelmed and confused; I just wanted to make you aware that it exists.

Youtube videos - not a book, but just looking up things like "accusative vs dative" helped clarify things for me, I'm more of a "visual/see-it-in-action" kind of guy.

If I could only pick one, I would pick Practice Makes Perfect: German Problem Solver, use it to practice shaky grammar areas, make me aware of new ones, look up Youtube videos for deep explanations, then use this book for practice. Viel Glück!

Wow thank you so much, this is exactly the type of answer I was looking for! I'll definitely be checking these books out I love workbook style resources because frankly, nothing beats drilling until it comes naturally when it comes to grammar.

[Soclydeza]

nothing beats drilling until it comes naturally when it comes to grammar.

Have you checked out the FSI course? It's free, just google FSI German. It's an old course (from the 60's) but it's based heavily on drilling (speaking, but there is a written component as well). If you're a complete beginner, it may be a little too much but it's something to consider a once you start to get a handle on the language.

[EmmaC02]

nothing beats drilling until it comes naturally when it comes to grammar.

Have you checked out the FSI course? It's free, just google FSI German. It's an old course (from the 60's) but it's based heavily on drilling (speaking, but there is a written component as well). If you're a complete beginner, it may be a little too much but it's something to consider a once you start to get a handle on the language.

I've taken a quick look at it, yeah. I've heard very good things about it. Right now I have Assimil and Michel Thomas... Would you suggest working through those and then maybe tackling FSI?

[Soclydeza]

It depends how much time you have, but you also don't want to burn yourself out. It might be a good idea to wait until you finish Assimil but you can try it out and just stop for a while if things aren't working out with it. Personally, I just started using it again. Though I'm somewhere in the B1-B2 range (intermediate to advanced intermediate) I'm still getting a lot out of it. I've found that if you walk into it having a good idea of all general grammar, the drills serve as practice that helps to become more automatic. For a beginner that doesn't know these rules yet, it might be a bit daunting, though I will say that I got some benefit out of it when I tried using it at your level (I only did the first few units then). Just try it out. If you're halfway through Assimil and Michel Thomas (both great courses, by the way) then you should be able to get started on it, just don't burn yourself out. If you decide not to do it, definitely try it out once you become more accustomed to the language; as far as drilling goes, it might be the best thing out there in my opinion.

[EmmaC02]

Thank you so much for all the information, it's seriously invaluable. I have a much better sense of what to do going forward now. Man I'm so excited about German Good luck with your studies! I'll definitely be checking your log out!

[Soclydeza]

Thank you so much for all the information, it's seriously invaluable. I have a much better sense of what to do going forward now. Man I'm so excited about German Good luck with your studies! I'll definitely be checking your log out!

No problem! I've been having a blast with German since I started learning, it's a fun language! Let me know if you need any guidance with materials and whatnot.

[Brun Ugle]

I second the recommendation about FSI. There are two courses. One is The Programmed Introduction and can be used as a very easy warm-up. The Basic course is much more intense. I've already done the Programmed Introduction and am now working on chapter four of the Basic. I've been using it together with Assimil. I just finished the passive wave of Assimil two days ago, so that might give you an idea of my level.

I'm also using the grammar workbook Übungsgrammatik Deutsch als Fremdsprache. I'm not sure it's the best out there, because I haven't tried any others, but it seems OK so far. There are three levels: A, B and C. The books are entirely in German, but level A has English translations written under the German. Each section has a brief explanation of the grammar point and then several exercises. There is a separate thread about the book series somewhere on this forum if you want to read more about it.

[Montmorency]

Just for completeness, the "Hammer Grammar " (edited by Martin Durrell) also has an optional accompanying workbook.

I agree that Hammer Grammar can be a bit overwhelming, although it's a great reference.

There is a simpler grammar, with Martin Durrell as a co-author/co-editor which might be more suitable for someone in the earlier stages.
Just looked on Am. to remind myself: "Essential German Grammar (Essential Language Grammars)". There seems to be a recent (2015) edition of this.