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Complete German: The Basics (PKG) (LL(R) Complete Basic Courses) | 
 enlarge | Author: Living Language
Publisher: Living Language
Category: Book
List Price: $29.95
Buy New: $18.32
You Save: $11.63 (39%)
New (22) Used (4) from $18.32
Avg. Customer Rating:  6 reviews
Sales Rank: 330545
Format: Unabridged
Media: Audio CD
Edition: Com/Pap
Number Of Items: 4
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.5
Dimensions (in): 8.3 x 5.4 x 2.2
ISBN: 1400024129
Dewey Decimal Number: 430
EAN: 9781400024124
ASIN: 1400024129
Publication Date: July 15, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: BRAND NEW
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Product Description
With Living Language Complete German: The Basics, you’ll start by learning words, and then you’ll progress to phrases, sentences, and conversations. This simple four-step building block approach will have you speaking with confidence right from the beginning, and you’ll be able to learn gradually and effectively. Best of all, this comprehensive course includes everything you need — pronunciation, vocabulary, grammar, culture, and practice — and it’s designed to be effective in a short period of time. So what are you waiting for? With Living Language, you’re just a few simple steps away from speaking German!
This comprehensive course package includes:
•40 step-by-step lessons in a convenient coursebook
•4 audio CDs with all the important course content
•A comprehensive grammar reference section
•Supplemental sections on e-mail and internet resources
•An English-German/German-English learner’s dictionary
•A bonus pocket travel reference
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| Customer Reviews: Read 1 more reviews...
 hastily put together April 20, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
This German course is cheaply put together, but not altogether awful. The audio on CD is worthless without the course book. The audio goes along extremely fast. The coursebook is a 460 page paperback novel-sized. I am on page 56 and have spotted around 4-5 errors already (duplicate sentences, sentences that don't match up with the audio) which indicated the cheap editing. The small dictionary that comes with it is good for beginners. All-in-all, you get what you pay for. I would recommend buying a PC based course available for the same amount of money.
 Great set. March 31, 2008
This course is great for someone who is best at learning a language by hearing it, and having a little book to refer to when hearing the conversation that's being spoken. One thing I have to note -- like another reviewer -- the booklet doesn't cover every single thing that is said in the audio, it only translates what's said in the main conversation in the beginning of each lesson and the new words that are introduced. It's not a major problem, not something that should have you looking elsewhere for another course, but it would be nice. Oh yeah, at the end of the booklet is little but helpful grammer guide.
This course won't make you fluent in german -- as if any course does btw -- but it will give you a good foundation to begin your road to fluency. How do you get fluent? Simple, by speaking german with german speakers and constantly hearing german through any means necessary, be it TV, radio, people...That way you get practice so that you reach the point where you can begin to speak without thinking about how your gonna say something, and also so that you get quicker at understanding what someone says.
Also, it won't make your grammer perfect. That matter should be left to other resources like books that teach grammer, or excellent german speakers who can help.
In all, despite its shortcomings, i give it a 5/5 because its effective. The shortcomings that i've mentioned in this review are not a problem because I don't see how it would help you anymore than the text thats already given in the booklet.
very satisfactory October 30, 2007
0 out of 5 found this review helpful
We really appreciate the speed in which our order arrived. A very satisfactory transaction. Would recommend this seller.
Great Intro Course May 22, 2007
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
I used this course before visiting Germany after I graduated from High School. Prior to my trip I studied French in high school (the boring grammar, drills, verb conjugations, teacher saying, " Ecoute tout le monde, repite... "). At first I worried that I had picked up a phrase book that would not be helpful in forming sentances. I was also wary of the idea that only German was spoken on the cassette tapes. The German-only tapes turned out to be more helpful than a burden. It turns out that the proper way to study the course is to review the book prior to and then along with the audio a few times. Then you must use only the audio. When you hear and repeat the audio try thinking of the meaning of the sentance in terms of imagages and feelings instead the English translation.
The results that I experienced were that my listening comprehension in German was better than that of the French that I studied for 3 years in high school. I was able to form sentances more intuitively than by trying remember verb congugations. Latter in college I studied German and I was well ahead of my classmates. In Germany I was able communicate even though I could not have a full conversation.
This course will not get you to fluency but if you learn that way I learn (intuitvlely with little emphasis on rules)then it is a great beginning. There is very little in the way of grammar, but hey, do you really diagram your sentances in the middle of speaking English?
The only drawback is that there are numerous helpful drills in the text that are not included with the audio.
 Good... for some May 17, 2007
8 out of 8 found this review helpful
I had purchased this set primarily to learn conversational german for a two-week stay in Germany, although I did have some interest in learning the language for a long time. While this set does provide a good method for learning a large amount of the language, it is not easily approachable for casual learners. For instance, it will take a while to get to lessons involving important phrases for travelling.
However, if you are looking for a rather in-depth introduction to the language, this may be just your ticket.
Considering the sheer number of lessons, the coursebook will likely take a few months to get through (at least if you intend to retain the knowledge). The requirement to use both the CD's and the book make it quite difficult to set time for learning. Also, the CD's are filled with German phrases or words without any actual dividers, making for a very muddled and confused rambling of german words - you really need to follow along with the book!
I feel that I am learning little bits, but this program is not as easy to use as others have been.
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