German All-in-One For Dummies

Wendy Foster, Paulina Christensen, Anne Fox

• Publisher: For Dummies
• Year: 2013
• ISBN:
  9781118612712
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Lingue e linguistica
• Subtopic: Lingua tedesca

Learn to speak German? Easy.

German All-in-One For Dummies conveniently combines titles from the German Dummies library into one handy guide that covers all of the bases of the German language. For those looking to master fluency in this popular language, this book and CD combo are an efficient and logical choice.

German All-in-One For Dummies brings together content from German For Dummies, 2nd Edition, German For Dummies Audio Set, German Phrases For Dummies, Intermediate German For Dummies, and German Essentials For Dummies.??Plus, it includes a new CD that allows for even more opportunities to practice speaking the language, as well as additional content on grammar and usage to empower you to use and speak German like a native.

• Offers instruction and practice exercises for both speaking and writing German
• Helps you prepare to demonstrate proficiency in conversational German

If you want to improve your German, whether it's for work, travel, or enjoyment, German All-in-One For Dummies has you covered.

Book I

Getting Started with German

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Contents at a Glance

Chapter 1: Warming Up to German Basics

Chapter 2: Handling Numbers, Times, Dates, and Measurements

Chapter 3: Meeting and Greeting: Guten Tag!

Chapter 4: Talking about Home, Family, Friends, and Daily Life

Chapter 5: Talking Telecommunications, Business, and Current Events

Chapter 6: Shopping Simplified

Chapter 7: Dining Out and Buying Food: Guten Appetit!

Chapter 1

Warming Up to German Basics

In This Chapter

Recognizing the German you already know

Spotting words that aren’t what they seem

Understanding German pronunciation

The best way to learn a new language is to jump right in — no tiptoeing around. In this chapter, you get a head start in German by seeing bits of the language you’re already familiar with. You find out some popular German expressions, and you get the hang of why you need to be careful with words known as “false friends,” that is, words that seem to be the same in both languages but actually have different meanings. In the section on pronunciation, you familiarize yourself with the German alphabet and find out how to pronounce words so you can start to sound just like a native.

Starting with What You Already Know

Because German and English are both Germanic languages, quite a few words are either identical or similar in the two languages. Words that share a common source are called cognates. Another group of words common to German and English stem from Latin-based words that English speakers are familiar with. Many of these words have direct equivalents in German (for example, nouns that end in -tion).

Friendly allies: Kindergarten and more (perfect cognates)

The following words are spelled the same way and have the same meaning in German and in English. The only difference is the pronunciation, as shown in parentheses; in a few instances, the German and English pronunciation for the word is the same, so you see the English word in the pronunciation (...