Is SmarterGerman any good?

[Speakeasy]

PDF Copy of Course Book (Murder Mystery)
As a correction to my "initial impressions" concerning the availability of a PDF copy of the course book, I would note that one of the webpages of SmarterGerman contains the following advice: "You can download the book here as PDF in case you want to do some casual reading. But do not use it for learning. Only work with this course." Here is the LINK to the document: https://www.filepicker.io/api/file/BT9WwwGQa6RQqpLGtpN7

Dual Reader (German, English)
As an additional correction to to my "initial impressions" concerning my statement that the text is in German only (it is, indeed, in German only in the onscreen demonstration), a quick review of the PDF copy reveals that it is actually a "Dual Reader" with the German text having been (literally) translated into English to assist the student's understanding the original.

Black Cat Readers: Build Your Own Course?
AML, I would imagine that reineke included the link to the Black Cat Readers website in response to my own comment to the effect that the basic materials for this course (the murder mystery) are really nothing more than an audio book. If I understand correctly, the implication here is that, for the price of 360 $US, you could purchase an entire set of German Graded Readers and, with the help of a simple German Grammar, construct your own German course.

Second Impression
I took a second, closer look at the Course Book and all of the Course Instructions, Tips, Comments on Memrise, General and Specific Advice, et cetera. My "second impression" is that Michael's approach has been to offer the independent learner an interesting "dual reader / audio book" accompanied by some very sound advice on how to use these basic materials. However, in the end, the student will have to do all the grunt work of learning the language. In other words, although Michael will act as your guide to the mountain top, you'll still have to carry your own backpack and do your own climbing all the way to the summit. Again, this is not meant to be a disparaging comment directed either at Michael or at his approach to teaching.

So then, AML, if you do the work required in the SmarterGerman programme, you should attain your goal. Nevertheless, in the end, there is really nothing unique about either the materials or the process. You could achieve the same results by using alternative well-designed materials and by simply buckling down and doing the hard work ... uh, er, meiner Meinung nach!

Perhaps the "key ingredient" in Michael's course is his presence as a guide, as a mentor, and as a source of encouragement, inspiration, and motivation.

EDITED:
Tinkering.
Formatting.

[reineke]

That book is approximately 30 pages long (German only).

You can buy 30 Black Cat readers for that (book + CD).

"Black Cat Graded Readers offer a range of original stories and adapted classics aimed to facilitate the study of foreign languages through literature.

Graded Readers, in both print and digital editions, are available in 5 languages and a variety of series covers all the language levels.
Level grading based on International standards and Certifications;
a wealth of beautiful illustrations;
Intercultural dossiers;
Activities to help better understand the text (before, while and after reading);
Full audio recording;
Exit tests;
Activities in the Cambridge ESOL and Trinity style.
...
Online WebActivities: interactive activities to practise grammar, vocabulary, written and oral comprehension;
Digital version with integrated illustrations, audio and interactive activities, available for IOS and Android."

If you like dual language editions look up Dover Publications. If you like exploring "methods" why don't you bite the bullet and reward our trouble here with an honest review.

[Lysander]

I'm leaning towards purchasing the course and working through it. Once I finish it, or at least work through a substantial portion, I will return to this thread and give you my impressions.

Did you purchase the course? If so, you'd be around halfway through the initial 90 days with it now. I am curious what your thoughts are

[AML]

I'm leaning towards purchasing the course and working through it. Once I finish it, or at least work through a substantial portion, I will return to this thread and give you my impressions.

Did you purchase the course? If so, you'd be around halfway through the initial 90 days with it now. I am curious what your thoughts are

Yes, I am working through the course and usually spend at least one hour per day with it (Mon-Fri) and do less on the weekends.

I think it is quite good. It is built around a story, and each lesson goes through one chapter (each chapter is small). In addition to the story itself, there are lots of explanations about how German works and many clever tips and songs that make certain things easier to remember. One of the major benefits of the course is how it gives you a structure for how to learn languages in general. I think if you have learned another language to fluency before, then this course is less necessary. But if you have never learned another language to fluency, then this is an excellent way to start off.

As sort of an experiment, though not a well-controlled one, I am also working through Assimil German simultaneously using my own approach (Assimil + SRS). I have a feeling that SmarterGerman will lead to a higher level (legit B1) than Assimil (claims B2, but I've never believed that). I should finish both courses by the end of the year. Can report back at that time.

Update: I've decided to take a break with SmarterGerman (SG) to just focus on Assimil first, because I feel like I'm not getting the max out of either one. I made it about 40% through SG. I still recommend it, but I think it's better to not be a fairly raw beginner when starting with SG. Thus I want to master the Assimil material and then go back to SG.

[Lysander]

I'm leaning towards purchasing the course and working through it. Once I finish it, or at least work through a substantial portion, I will return to this thread and give you my impressions.

Did you purchase the course? If so, you'd be around halfway through the initial 90 days with it now. I am curious what your thoughts are

Yes, I am working through the course and usually spend at least one hour per day with it (Mon-Fri) and do less on the weekends.

I think it is quite good. It is built around a story, and each lesson goes through one chapter (each chapter is small). In addition to the story itself, there are lots of explanations about how German works and many clever tips and songs that make certain things easier to remember. One of the major benefits of the course is how it gives you a structure for how to learn languages in general. I think if you have learned another language to fluency before, then this course is less necessary. But if you have never learned another language to fluency, then this is an excellent way to start off.

As sort of an experiment, though not a well-controlled one, I am also working through Assimil German simultaneously using my own approach (Assimil + SRS). I have a feeling that SmarterGerman will lead to a higher level (legit B1) than Assimil (claims B2, but I've never believed that). I should finish both courses by the end of the year. Can report back at that time.

Update: I've decided to take a break with SmarterGerman (SG) to just focus on Assimil first, because I feel like I'm not getting the max out of either one. I made it about 40% through SG. I still recommend it, but I think it's better to not be a fairly raw beginner when starting with SG. Thus I want to master the Assimil material and then go back to SG.

How are Assimil and SmarterGerman going for you?

[AML]

I'm leaning towards purchasing the course and working through it. Once I finish it, or at least work through a substantial portion, I will return to this thread and give you my impressions.

Did you purchase the course? If so, you'd be around halfway through the initial 90 days with it now. I am curious what your thoughts are

Yes, I am working through the course and usually spend at least one hour per day with it (Mon-Fri) and do less on the weekends.

I think it is quite good. It is built around a story, and each lesson goes through one chapter (each chapter is small). In addition to the story itself, there are lots of explanations about how German works and many clever tips and songs that make certain things easier to remember. One of the major benefits of the course is how it gives you a structure for how to learn languages in general. I think if you have learned another language to fluency before, then this course is less necessary. But if you have never learned another language to fluency, then this is an excellent way to start off.

As sort of an experiment, though not a well-controlled one, I am also working through Assimil German simultaneously using my own approach (Assimil + SRS). I have a feeling that SmarterGerman will lead to a higher level (legit B1) than Assimil (claims B2, but I've never believed that). I should finish both courses by the end of the year. Can report back at that time.

Update: I've decided to take a break with SmarterGerman (SG) to just focus on Assimil first, because I feel like I'm not getting the max out of either one. I made it about 40% through SG. I still recommend it, but I think it's better to not be a fairly raw beginner when starting with SG. Thus I want to master the Assimil material and then go back to SG.

How are Assimil and SmarterGerman going for you?

I finished Assimil and have moved on to Listening-Reading. Assimil took about four months. I did a new lesson each day and reviewed each lesson a total of 10 times, thus each day I did 10 Assimil lessons per day, where 9 were review and 1 was new. It was a nice intro. I think it's better overall to do Assimil before SmarterGerman (sG). For now I am enjoying Listening-Reading, so I'll do that for as long as it's enjoyable. If I do L-R long enough, then I will probably outgrow sG. To be determined...

[sedabugo]

Hi
did you finished SG also? Just started to discover SG but after this post and comments I don't know which one is better?
Any recommendation?
Thanks!!

[Speakeasy]

Although I have not been invited to this particular party, sedabugo did ask me whether or not my Dance Card was full.

Speakseasy, I-ve just started to see this post, and it's really good feedback!! Now, one BIG question for Everybody, If would have to choose between Assimil and Smartgerman, which one will you pick? Thanks!!!

For the record, I would like to post the essential part of my own thoughts on Assimil versus SmarterGerman …

Assimil versus SmarterGerman
In conclusion, … it should come as no surprise to you that my own preference would be: (1) Pimsleur I and II, then (2) Assimil, followed by (3) FSI Basic, and then (4) a mixture of genuine intermediate-level textbooks and readers plus resources (books, films, TV, videos, whatever) for native-speakers. Please note that Assimil and FSI could be done in tandem. In my opinion, the materials in SmarterGerman are worth about 20 $US, if not a tad less. Meiner Meinung nach*, the sole benefit of SmarterGerman is the distant-learning hand-holding that the creator offers prospective students. I would not characterize SmarterGerman as being sub-standard; however, it does not appear on the list that I submitted ….

*Meiner Meinung nach = In my opinion (Vielen Dank, Pimsleur!)

[Chaosandpeace]

I read your review of smarter german. I loved how detailed it was and I learned a lot from it. I've started learning german and I would really appreciate if I could get some tips from you. I've just started out and I want to reach B2 in 5 months. What tips do you have for someone like me? Thank you in advance.