What are you doing about languages? (German language primer)

[bltleo]

the best way of learning German is to find german friends!

Buy some good book for self-learner or visit course learning German - whatever you like. Watch german movies etc.

Read about Germany. The more you will like country, the more you will be motivated to learn the language.

Foreign languages are the best assets for discovering the world and finding new friends.

[HSV Hooligan]

We're using the 6 CD set, which oddly teaches you to say "I understand no German" in German, thereby possibly confusing your new acquaintances.
Ich bin auslaender und spreche nicht gut Deutsch!

[The Beautiful Frame]

Here's something none of you learning German should miss: Mark Twain's take on the subject, aptly titled "The Awful German Language". Funny as hell, IMHO.

http://www.crossmyt.com/hc/linghebr/awfgrmlg.html

I have heard of an American student who was asked how he was getting along with his German, and who answered promptly: "I am not getting along at all. I have worked at it hard for three level months, and all I have got to show for it is one solitary German phrase -- `Zwei Glas'" (two glasses of beer). He paused for a moment, reflectively; then added with feeling: "But I've got that solid!"

[Shabs]

...
I bought a beginners German 6 cd set by Pimsleur. I heard this is one of the better ones. $25 at Borders.

Hmm. I've looked online for the 6-cd set for Pimsleur German and I can't find it anywhere. Could you point out (see link below) exactly which set is yours, or give me the exact name of the set?

http://www.bordersstores.com/search/search.jsp?srchTerms=pimsleur+german&mediaType=1&srchType=Keyword&doSearch.x=0&doSearch.y=0&doSearch=foad

Thanks.

[Shibb]

Here's a link to all of the Pimsleur products, with pictures. I believe that Simon & Shuster is the publisher:

http://www.simonsays.com/content/browse.cfm?sid=128&pid=516362,369955

I'd HIGHLY recommend that you try first with your public library to find the beginning course on CD or tape. Libraries will typically let you keep this out for a longer period and maybe even renewal, so you might not need to buy them at all. But if you are going to buy the series then at least try it first if you can to make sure that it's a good fit for you.

I'm currently listening to the intermediate series as a sort of refresher. Some of it is a bit more formal than you're likely to encounter but not incorrect.

[bltleo]

Here's a link to all of the Pimsleur products, with pictures. I believe that Simon & Shuster is the publisher:

http://www.simonsays.com/content/browse.cfm?sid=128&pid=516362,369955

I'd HIGHLY recommend that you try first with your public library to find the beginning course on CD or tape. Libraries will typically let you keep this out for a longer period and maybe even renewal, so you might not need to buy them at all. But if you are going to buy the series then at least try it first if you can to make sure that it's a good fit for you.

I'm currently listening to the intermediate series as a sort of refresher. Some of it is a bit more formal than you're likely to encounter but not incorrect.

it might be interesting to have this book as German from pur interest to find out how foreigns learn our language. It seems to be good book.

[Shabs]

Here's a link to all of the Pimsleur products...
http://www.simonsays.com/content/browse.cfm?sid=128&pid=516362,369955
...

Hmm. Thanks. I've already purchased one of these sets, the first one (Basic German). Its 5 cd's. Thing is none of the sets in your link nor any I could find elsewhere contain 6 cd's like the one everyone says they've gotten.

[Enge]

Oh, yeah, a loooot of hot girls are lined up to take German. . . LOL

Dude, head across the border to Switzerland, you'll be stunned. You know those female Swiss skiers in the Olympics? They all look like that in Switzerland.

I took German in high school, and found that practicing with the computer software before going over helps a lot. I've been using Tell Me More Intermediate level, and it's hard enough to be challenging and has that great microphone system to practice pronunciation. I also get some practice here in Frankenmuth, because a lot of the older people still speak German and we have lots of German festivals and church services.

For the non-German speakers, I saw Rick Steves live and he put it perfectly. When a Norwegian hiker in the Alps needs to communicate with a Greek hiker, the Norwegian does not try to speak Greek or vice versa. They switch to English. You can get by with English without a problem, especially in the tourist areas. I do suggest you do something more friendly than what Lee Marvin suggested in the Dirty Dozen: "look mean and grunt."

Was it my imagination, or did the P.A. announcer at Kaiserslautern yesterday sound like an American at times?

[Roehl Sybing]

I spent the last five years learning Japanese in earnest. I'd like to spend my energy learning something other than language (language pedagogy, I'll learn). All I'm doing is getting a pocketsized phrasebook.

[dfb547490]

Was it my imagination, or did the P.A. announcer at Kaiserslautern yesterday sound like an American at times?

Yeah, I noticed that too. They were also blasting "R-O-C-K in the USA" over the PA system after the game, you could hear it in the background during the postgame interviews. Definitely trying to cater to the American crowd there.

[Shibb]

Yeah, I noticed that too. They were also blasting "R-O-C-K in the USA" over the PA system after the game, you could hear it in the background during the postgame interviews. Definitely trying to cater to the American crowd there.

USSF was the sponsor of the game. We were hosting Poland. This was our first "home" game in Europe.

[Ultra Peanut]

I'll be learning some words and phrases, just stupid ones. Austrian dialect, animal noises and other onomotopoeia, words you only need if you're in a Richard Scarry book--I figure I'll get pretty far. "I'd like to rent a gerkenauto." "Hey, what do I gotta do to get some palatschinken up in this piece?"

[MikeLastort2]

Here's a link to all of the Pimsleur products, with pictures. I believe that Simon & Shuster is the publisher:

http://www.simonsays.com/content/browse.cfm?sid=128&pid=516362,369955

I'd HIGHLY recommend that you try first with your public library to find the beginning course on CD or tape. Libraries will typically let you keep this out for a longer period and maybe even renewal, so you might not need to buy them at all. But if you are going to buy the series then at least try it first if you can to make sure that it's a good fit for you.

I'm currently listening to the intermediate series as a sort of refresher. Some of it is a bit more formal than you're likely to encounter but not incorrect.
Pimsleur rocks.

My wife is using the beginning level German course right now and has learned quite a bit. I've started speaking to her in German lately too.

:)

Anyone ever use this site?

http://www.verbix.com

It's awesome for verb conjugations, in just about any language on the planet.

http://www.verbix.com/languages/german.shtml for German.

[roadkit]

onomotopoeia

Now that's a word I had to look up in the dictionary. :D

[Shibb]

Now that's a word I had to look up in the dictionary. :D

Not a Todd Rungren fan, I take it.

[roadkit]

Not a Todd Rungren fan, I take it.

I've got a vinyl copy of Runt in my basement somewhere, but I haven't listened to it since I was in high school (late '70's). ;)

[Dougly]

I'll be learning some words and phrases, just stupid ones. Austrian dialect ... "Hey, what do I gotta do to get some palatschinken up in this piece?"
http://www.karanitsch.net/w6/vfa.htm

[Ultra Peanut]

http://www.karanitsch.net/w6/vfa.htm

Between that and the Zompist Phrasebook (http://www.zompist.com/phrases.html), I'm all set.

[geoduck06]

Not a Todd Rungren fan, I take it.

Shibb, I said the same thing to myself as I read the onomotopoeia comment.

I took two years of German in high school and a quarter and a half at college (from Hitler's evil twin!). It's amazing how language doesn't go away, even after 30 years, but just hides and waits to be invited back. I picked up a beginning level [U]Instant Immersion German[U] CD set. Thought I had forgotten nearly everything. Nicht zutreffend meine Freunde! It's coming back really fast.

Here are some German football vocabulary sites:

http://www.britishembassyworldcup.com/football_glossary.pdf
http://german.about.com/library/blsport_fussb.htm

A German lesson site:

http://www.germanfortravellers.com/learn/index2.html

By the way, if you don't have Todd's latest CD Liars, why not? Freakin' brilliant!

[MikeLastort2]

Anyone seen this?

http://www.mygermanclass.com/

Very basic, but also very good