2 comments about Langenscheidt Pocket German Dictionary: German-english/ English-german (Langenscheidt Pocket Dictionary).

1. I have several German dictionaries from the large Oxford-Duden to the small compact Langenscheidt and others. This new pocket dictionary is the single best daily use German dictionary you can find. It is laid out well and very easy to use. The type is printed on bright white paper (easy on the eyes) and the new blue headwords make looking things up quickly a snap. It has the right amount of words to help you while also facilitating a quick, easy scan of similar words. Like English, German words are organized in word families. A quick look at four similar words (noun, verb, adjective, etc) organized together will increase your erudition rapidly. I love this book and use it constantly! You will too.



2. This is comprehensive and easy to use. It's a little larger than most pocket dictionaries and wouldn't fit in my pocket, but the size is worthwhile. I've found most other German dictionaries, even larger ones, missing much of what I need and/or difficult to follow. The Langenscheidt is a pleasure to use.

5 comments about Langenscheidt's Compact German Dictionary: German-English English-German (Langenscheidt Compact Dictionaries).

1. I used this dictionary when I trekked through the outskirts of Germany. There are some inconveniences to it, for example, finding the gender and past tense of certain words is tedious. However, once you get the system down, its portability and quick reference capabilities are useful. I suggest the Harper-Collins series dictionaries for a more reliable and useful source, but this one is great for keeping with you on trips or in your backpack at college for quick reference. Recommended!
   
   -Dr. Kenneth



2. Translations (German/English and English/German very accurate. Dictionary very useful for everyday usage of common language questions.
   
   If there is a negative it is physical. The book is rather thick and a little unwieldy as a result.



3. What can I say? It's a dictionary. Langenscheidt's Dictionary has been around forever and is as good as any. If it would only translate for me...



4. This dictionary has a confusing way of using acronyms in its definitions. Recommend getting a different dictionary.



5. First, it should be obvious that this being essentially a pocket dictionary, isn't going to be the most comprehensive dictionary around. That being said, I hate this dictionary. It is incredibly frustrating to use: under any given entry there will follow a list of a dozen or more words, but without any indication as to how they are supposed to be used or in what context. If you don't already posses a substantial command of the language you will end up pretty far from what you really want to say. I greatly prefer the Webster's New World Dictionary. It is much more user-friendly and will help you find the RIGHT word.

5 comments about Teach Yourself Arabic Complete Course Package (Book + 2CDs) (Teach Yourself . . . Complete Courses).

1. Hi
   
   Being a non arabic speaking fellow, i sincerely found the book to be a companion in learning how to read, write and even speak arabic
   
   M.M. Abubakar



2. I am working my way through this book very thoroughly, I am on chapter 8 at the moment, and here is what I think about it. The first thing that really desperately needs improvement is they give you vocabulary words, but they do not have audio to match each vocabulary word, so unless you want to go back and find each place were every word occurs in the dialogue, you have to rely on the roman type sound-alike pronunciation that they list near the actual arabic type. Are they to cheap to pay someone who speaks Arabic well to pronounce each vocabulary word? By the way I concur with an earlier reviewer, in that this is not the book you want to start with . . . . start out with a book that explains the Arabic alphabet and shows you how to write in Arabic. On the positive side, they DO use Arabic script, when there are a lot of courses out there that use roman script to try to teach Arabic, and I ask, what good is that? . . . If you are going to study Arabic, why would you not want to learn to READ it too?
   
   The stories from the Arabian Nights are great, I would love to see them expanded upon in some later edition.
   
   Given what I have seen out there in Arabic courses, I rate this at four stars . . . Transparent Language does better if you ask me, and if I use my imagination, there is a LOT of room for improvement in many of the Arabic courses out there. If there were more competent Arabic courses out there though, I would be rating this a three, due to the forementioned issues with this 2003 version.



3. It's far too difficult for a light approach - you really have to want to learn Arabic for more than just a vacation trip. My own fault, though, since I just assumed it would be more suitable for my needs.



4. I had taken a six week intensive course in Iraqi Arabic in the military a few years ago, and ordered this with the intention of refreshing and maybe adding to what I knew. This course, like most of the "Teach Yourself" courses is wonderful. It works to provide a solid foundation before moving on to actual phrases. It's so difficult to really get all the sounds in Arabic correct and the audio CD helps immensely with this. It would be even better if they offered a video DVD supplement, but I'm sure that's in the works. Lessons are very well organized and really allows you to learn at your own pace.



5. This book takes you step by step to demystify the Arabic language. I thought the script would be hard to learn, but it's actually not that hard. I enjoy using the book very much.

5 comments about Rick Steves' French, Italian, and German Phrase Book and Dictionary.

1. This is one of my best purchases in Amazon, it's amazing how good is this book. It's very practical for any traveler around the world, it has detailed content in subjects like: what to tell to italian men if they are bothering you (and as a woman... this can become very handy!) or everything you need to say in a medical emergency or how to enjoy the food in a restaurant (because you can understand now the menu). I really recommend this book if you are looking for a better experience in your trips or if you are learning a foreign language (like me). Greetings from Mexico. Nayeli



2. This book is full of practical advice and essential information that kept me from making some mistakes on our vacation this summer. Though I probably won't return to Europe for a few years, this book will stay in my bookshelves for future reference. I have always enjoyed Rick Steves' travel shows because of his down-to-earth, straight-forward style. The book follows that pattern perfectly. I highly recommend this book to any European travel novice.



3. This books is great. It has many handy phrases that make traveling in Europe easier. Contrary to what most people believe, not everyone in other countries speak English. If you are the adventurous type and like to explore on your own, knowing some phrases to navigate the area is really useful.
   
   I purchased additional copies of this book for a few friends that were traveling as well.



4. I bought this book because of the reviews I read and it lived up to the hype. It came in handy in both routine and emergency situations - particularly when I had left my passport, money and credit cards on a train in Italy and had to communicate to the stationmaster in Genoa!



5. Any book that tells you how to say "May i give you a back massage" and "I dont have any diseases" in three different languages is definatly worth buying it. Also it has the basics and maybe the more useful phrases like "where is the bathroom" "check please" and the like.

5 comments about Rick Steves' German Phrase Book and Dictionary.

1. IT GIVES YOU ALL THE BASICS AND MORE!



2. More Hotels should be listed, including 4 stars. Locations of hotels should be in light gray marks to separate them from Attractions. Aprox. times for visiting should also be suggested.



3. This is a very useful phrase book, which i have used successfully in germany. it's fresh and fun, unlike other phrase books i have used. i very much agree with other reviewers: this is the best phrase book i have seen, of the 5 or 6 i have used. but, for me, the book is missing what i think could have easily been included: article and gender. the book doesn't list what article (the/a) goes with a noun (masculine, feminine, or neuter; der, die, das/ein, eine, ein). for those with no experience in german this lack may seem like no big deal. but article/gender plays a critical role in constructing sentences--adapting what rick steves provides--because word endings change according to gender.



4. I recently took a trip to Europe and needed 3 language books. I had Lonely Planet books for French and Italian then bought this book for German. I was really disappointed in this book after having used the Lonely Planet books prior. The menu translator, in particular, is lacking. I could hardly find anything from the menu in this book...and I went to Oktoberfest. I'm sure the food served was traditional German food so why wasn't it in the book? Next time, I'll stick with Lonely Planet.



5. I really liked the pronunciation guides and the phrases, but i had difficulty finding the specific words that I wanted. For example, I couldn't look at a restaurant menu and then look in this book and figure out what my food options were. Probably works better for a touristy trip, than my permanent move.

5 comments about English Grammar for Students of German.

1. This book is very down to earth in that it makes english language comparisons with very short little mini quiz and examples. Good book to have.



2. go to the publisher's website and download the .pdf file for your german text. go to [...] and select german. you'll find an adobe acrobat file that provides the mapping between the chapters in this text and several popular college level german text books.
   
   the mapping is very detailed, even down to mapping subsections in each text.
   
   my only regret is not reading the preface sooner to learn about the free file. I'm sure my previous studies could have been much more efficient.
   
   other than that the text is great. chapters are short and should knock the rust off your grammer, if you haven't forgotten too much. if you have, then don't be afraid to pickup another text just on english grammer to supplement your studies. this text will help you refresh your grammer enough to learn german grammer, but it isn't meant to teach you english grammer. for that there are many reasonably priced texts of similar length that you can consult as you progress through your studies.
   
   don't think you have to relearn english grammer before starting to learn german. just relearn it as learn your german.
   
   good luck.



3. I took German in college in 1979, so when I started a refresher German course earlier this year, I picked this up in a college bookstore. Wow, what a life saver! Since I did not have sentence diagramming in grade school, my language skills have always been intuitive, with this book it's all laid out neatly and easily in front of you. EGFSG cleared up many questions that I had regarding clauses, objects of a preposition, etc.
   
   Sit down for an hour or two and read the short concise chapters, it's an amazing little book. It even helps your English day to day.
   
   Who says Grammar has to be boring?



4. This is the best resource I've come across for simple to use and understand explanations of most aspects of German grammar for beginning students of German as a foreign language. The comparison with English grammar on all aspects of the language is unique to this book and is a key to being able to comprehend and retain the material presented.



5. This handy little book is essential to learning the German Language. I have found it extremely helpful in making it easier to understand a foreign language and all it's rules of grammar.

5 comments about Conversational German: Learn to Speak and Understand German with Pimsleur Language Programs (Simon & Schuster's Pimsleur).

1. Fairly solid grounding in beginning German; strong on pronunciation but short on vocabulary. And possessed of some very strange interchanges. You ask Frau Meyer if she wants some wine. She does. Then you ask her if she also wants a beer, as apparently she's either an alcoholic or you're trying to get her looped. So while you learn a little bit of German very well, it doesn't quite build enough vocabulary to have a conversation much beyond "I know a little German but I don't speak it well." And you'll sound like you're kidding when you say it with such good pronunciation, rendering the phrase almost useless.



2. I bought this box set for my boyfriend who is serving at a German army base. He says it has been helpful and he sleeps with the cds playing in his ears. Luckily, most Germans speak English but they appreciate your effort to speak German.



3. I have been amazed that I have been able to learn the language so fast. I truly think this is an excellent program.



4. Would not recommend this for beginners
   As there are no books
   I took 2 years in high school
   and two years in College
   so, I know the grammatical side
   and how to spell



5. The product is a wonderful value and saved our vacation. Please note that this is an introductory course and is not comprehensive by any means. We were told that most everyone in Germany spoke English but found many uncomfortable to do so. This product gave me enough German to convey my wants and desires. The lessons are easy to follow and teach by hearing and speaking. I was able to review all the material in two weeks and got many compliments on how well I sopke the language. This product would be helped greatly by some written material for back up. Overall, I am very satisfied with my purchase and heartily recommend it to any beginner.

5 comments about Essential German Grammar.

1. I bought this book for my son who is trying to learn how to speak German. It looked like an informative book and, for the price, was worth it. I bought another beginners book and a CD to augment the "Essential German Grammar" book. This book looks like it will be VERY handy in the future but, for now, is a bit advanced. Inside it recommends that you have a significant German vocabulary before utilizing the book. I gave this book 5 stars because of the content and sentence structure instructions but I would NOT recommend this book as a sole guide for learning to speak German. Use it in addition with other instruction tools.



2. I have been in the process of teaching myself German for the last few months. This is an excellent suppliment for comprehending the intricate ins and outs of German grammer. Sentances are provided with the litteral german-to-english tranlation as well as the intended meanting translation. I find this feature particularly helpful.
   
   Examples are plentyful and explained very well. I believe it would be beneficial as a brush up or as a first time learner like myself. Worth the minor financial investment.



3. Very good for help with writting and basic but complex phases. You know the ones we don't use. This and my German/English Dictionary sit together.



4. This book is great for quick reference and study. It has all sorts of rules and charts for memorizing German Grammar. Small book, but lots of information.
   
   -Dr. Kenneth



5. This book has helped me understand a lot of the intricacies of the German language. Based on that I would say it is a very worthy purchase for one to have. But, it is not a book written for those who are not fluent on grammatical technical terms. I found myself a little lost at times, when the author would very non-challantly explain that something was just a matter of the "subjunctive predicative to the second power of the reversed megablaster future tense"...I know, I'm just joking, but I'm sure some of the readers understand what I mean.
   Having said that, I still say it is a good book for students of German such as myself. You'll just have to dust off your grammar lingo, that's all!

5 comments about The Everything Learning German Book: Speak, Write and Understand Basic German in No Time (Everything Series).

1. its an ok book for telling you things about the german language, but its phonetic listings are vague because they dont tell you how to pronouce some special charactors. you're probably better off getting a english-german dictionary and some audio cd's



2. I'm coming back to German language learning after a long hiatus - about thirty years since High School German. This book is a great place to start; it provides interesting history of the German language, discussion of various parts of speech, and always ties it back to analogous words and phrases in English. There may be more advanced texts available, but this is an excellent starting point.



3. As someone who just recently started taking German classes, this book has been proven to be an invaluable resource. The author writes in a friendly, easy-to-understand manner, and the book is well-organized. I especially found the pronunciation guide to be one of the better ones I've come across.



4. I am really pleased with this book. I have a friend who speaks German, and I have had the opportunity to use some of what I have learned with them. The book does more than just give you the words to memorize, it provides details such as the formal way of saying things as well as the casual context. I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in learning the language.



5. This book has good information, but is not well organized. Other books will build you up to a basic understanding of the language and its structure prior to the nuts and bolts of the language. This book does a little of both in a disorganized way!
   
   German Beginners,
   Skip this book and go for something else.

5 comments about German: How to Speak and Write It (Beginners' Guides).

1. It's a simple, well thought out book that makes the reader learn through examples. The benefit is that it's not all memorization that you forget after 3 days of not studying it. Another good thing is that all parts of the lessons are separated in 3 : 1 line in german, 1 line in pseudo-english that makes you prononce the sentence in german and 1 line that is the translation.
   
   Overall great book.



2. I have spent 3 months studying this book and am now reading 13 1/2 Lives of Captain Bluebear but in the original German text. I of course need a dictionary to do so but that is all I need to enjoy the novel without any trouble.
   There is a Japanese maxim that says `practice beats theory' and this book is an excellent example of it, although as such one needs a little patience to finish it.
   
   Patience in any case is what one needs to learn any foreign language and the numerous illustrations of the book are then one of its strengths to help one sustain the patience.
   A movie critic once said a good movie is one that does not age. I believe this applies to illustrations as well. In fact, those in this book do not appear old at all, despite the fact that they must predate the year of my birth of 1954. They are as expressive as they are alive.
   
   The many photographs in this book on the other hand do look old, what they depict as well as themselves. One of them even fails to convey the depth, which however only contributes to the overall charm that they possess. Some of them even appear magical to me, for example the one entitled WO DIE ZEIT STILL STEHT or NATIONALTRACHT.
   
   Pictures however are not the only strength of this book.
   It develops a consistent story around a pair of families, their introduction, their relation and their interaction, in a manner that encourages continuous reading.
   Furthermore, this basic thread is interspersed with numerous funny short stories and even poems. They serve their purpose very well; they do make one laugh and they do make one appreciate the language the book is teaching.
   
   I read every single page of this book and did all the exercises. If you follow my example, you should be able to be reading normal German books in three months.
   This is such a fine book.



3. The Dover books are some of the best to use when learning a new language. I bought the French version of this book a few years ago when brushing up on my high school French. So when the time came that I had finally decided to start learning the German language, this was the first book that I bought. I like the fact that this book is good for both beginners and intermediate learners. The book is a bit dated, but the basis of the book for teaching the language comes through. I would highly recommend this book for anyone who is beginning the German language.



4. I bought this book a few months ago, I speak German already, I only needed help writing it.



5. I purchased this book as a refresher course in German, and have found it both useful and charming. The organization of the book is very logical, the artwork is charming, and all in all, it is a bit like an actual visit to Germany. Well worth the money.