Tell me more ×
German Language & Usage Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for speakers of German wanting to discuss the finer points of the language and translation. It's 100% free, no registration required.
up vote 3 down vote favorite

I am looking out for self-study German books targeted for beginners. Please help me to compile a good list of titles worth buying.

share|improve this question
Have a look at this question. The question is for intermediate learners rather than for beginners, but you (or someone who just found your question) may still get something out of it. – OregonGhost Jun 2 '11 at 10:24
This kind of question should be asked as community wiki (I have flagged it for conversion). – Phira Jun 2 '11 at 10:39
2  
Please define: "beginner", "good", "worth buying". All of these are highly subjective. – RegDwight♦ Jun 2 '11 at 10:44
@OregonGhost: Going through the link, I came to find that the post was discussing more on books like novels and short stories targeted more towards more matured users. Can you please help me to point out any materials for beginners like me? – AbrahamJP Jun 2 '11 at 10:57
@AbrahamJP: Now that you say it, I think I took the word self-study in your question too broad, sorry :) – OregonGhost Jun 2 '11 at 11:01
show 3 more comments

1 Answer

up vote 2 down vote

Langenscheidt's "Basic German Vocabulary" is a tool for building your vocabulary, and I must emphasize that it is not a dictionary. It contains the 4000 words that most frequently occur in written German divided into categories. Each category is again divided in two, with the most frequently occurring words first and the more esoteric ones last. Each entry contains the following:

  • English and German translation of the word
  • An example sentence in both English and German
  • IPA of the German word
  • and also all kinds of auxiliary information like gender, irregularities, cases, and so on

Here's an example entry from the category "Ordnung und Einteilung":

entsprechend [ɛntˈʃpʀɛçənt]

Präp. (+gen)

Alle Angestellten werden entsprechend ihrer Leistung bezahlt.

according to

All employees will be paid according to their work.

I have been studying with this book for almost 200 days and will soon finish it. Before starting I could read nothing in German without a dictionary, and now I hardly need a dictionary at all when reading, because the few words I do not understand can be understood from the context.

I suggest using any kind of "spaced repetition software", like Anki, to learn the words.

It's also cheap. I picked it up for 12€.

There is a corresponding "Übungsbuch" ("workbook"), which I have not tried. From personal experience I would say that it is not necessary.

share|improve this answer
I just got Basic German Vocabulary. Browsing through it, the vocabulary seems neatly and logically organised. Definitely recommended for expanding your vocabulary. – Tim N Jun 3 '11 at 19:54

Your Answer

 
discard

By posting your answer, you agree to the privacy policy and terms of service.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.