Tabla de materias
About the Authors 7
Introduction 19
About This Book 19
Conventions Used in This Book 19
Foolish Assumptions 21
How This Book is Organized 21
Part I: Getting Started 22
Part II: German in Action 22
Part III: German on the Go 22
Part IV: The Part of Tens 22
Part V: Appendixes 22
Icons Used in This Book 22
Where to Go from Here 23
Part I Getting Started 25
Chapter 1 You Already Know a Little German 27
The German You Know 27
Friendly allies (perfect cognates) 27
Kissing cousins (near cognates) 29
False friends 30
Lenders and borrowers 32
Using Popular Expressions 35
Chapter 2 The Nitty-Gritty: Basic German Grammar 37
Getting a Handle on Parts of Speech 38
Nouns 38
Articles 39
Pronouns 40
Adjectives 40
Verbs 41
Adverbs 42
Constructing Simple Sentences 42
Arranging words in the right order 43
Putting the verb in second place 43
Pushing the verb to the end 44
Forming questions 44
The Tenses: Past, Present, and Future 45
Looking at the present 45
Talking about the past: The perfect tense 46
Writing about the past: Using the simple past tense of verbs 48
Talking about the future 48
Putting the Language in the Proper Case 49
A quick trip through the different cases 49
Why all these cases matter 50
Chapter 3 Hallo! Pronunciation and Basic Expressions 55
Mouthing Off: Basic Pronunciation 55
Dealing with stress in German 55
Building the alphabet blocks 56
Pronouncing vowels 56
Pronouncing ä, ö, and ü 58
Pronouncing diphthongs 59
Pronouncing consonants 59
Pronouncing combinations of consonants 60
Getting Formal or Informal 62
Saying “Hello”, “Goodbye”, and “How are You?” 63
Asking “How are you?” 64
Replying to “How are you?” 65
Introducing Yourself and Your Friends 67
Introducing your friends 67
Introductions for special occasions 67
Chapter 4 Getting Numbers, Time, and Measurements Straight 73
Juggling Numbers 73
Telling Time 75
Asking for the time 75
Telling time with the 12-hour clock 76
Using the 24-hour system 77
Times of the day 77
Days of the week 77
Naming the Months 79
Measurements, Quantities, and Weights 80
Chapter 5 Talking about Home and Family 85
Living in an Apartment or House 85
Describing life within four walls 85
Asking the right questions 86
Talking about Your Family 87
Part II German in Action 93
Chapter 6 Getting to Know You: Making Small Talk 95
Talking about Yourself 95
Describing your work 95
Providing your name and number(s) 97
Looking at possessive pronouns 99
Conversing about Cities, Countries, and Nationalities 100
Revealing where you come from 100
Using the all-important verb “sein” 101
Asking people where they come from 102
Discovering nationalities 103
Chatting about languages you speak 104
Making Small Talk about the Weather 106
Noting what it’s like out there 106
Discussing the temperature 107
Describing the day’s weather 107
Chapter 7 Asking for Directions 111
“Wo?” – Asking Where Something is 111
“Wie weit?” How Far is It? 113
Going Here and There 114
Asking “How Do I Get There?” 114
Using “in” to get into a location 115
Using “nach” to get to a city or country 116
Using “zu” to get to institutions 116
Describing a Position or Location in Relation to Some Other Place 117
Getting Your Bearings Straight with Left, Right, North, and South 119
Left, right, straight ahead 120
The cardinal points 120
Taking This or That Street 121
Using Ordinal Numbers: First, Second, Third, and More 121
Traveling by Car or Other Vehicle 124
Chapter 8 Guten Appetit! Dining Out and Going to the Market 127
Hast du Hunger? Hast du Durst? 127
All about Meals 128
Setting the Table for a Meal 129
Dining Out: Visiting a Restaurant 130
Deciding where to eat 130
Making reservations 132
Arriving and being seated 134
Deciphering the menu 135
Placing your order 139
Applying the subjunctive to express your wishes 139
Using modals to modify what you say 141
Ordering something special 142
Replying to “How did you like the food?” 142
Asking for the check 143
Shopping for Food 145
Knowing where to shop 145
Finding what you need 145
Chapter 9 Shopping Made Easy 149
Places to Shop around Town 149
Finding Out about Opening Hours 150
Navigating Your Way around a Store 150
Just Browsing: Taking a Look at Merchandise 152
Getting Assistance as You Shop 152
Shopping for Clothes 153
Familiarizing yourself with the colors available 155
Knowing your size 156
Trying on the items you find 157
Paying for Your Shopping Items 159
Comparatively Speaking: Making Comparisons Among Objects 161
Chapter 10 Going Out on the Town 163
What Would You Like to Do? 163
Going to the Movies 164
Getting to the show 164
Buying tickets 165
What Was That? The Simple Past Tense of “Sein” 167
Going to the Museum 167
Talking about Action in the Past 169
Forming the past participle 170
Using “haben” in the perfect tense 171
Using “sein” in the perfect tense 172
Going Out for Entertainment 173
How Was It? Talking about Entertainment 175
Asking for an opinion 175
Telling people what you think 175
Going to a Party 177
Getting an invitation 177
Talking about a party 178
Chapter 11 Taking Care of Business and Telecommunications 181
Phoning Made Simple 181
Asking for your party 182
Making the connection 183
Making Appointments 185
Leaving Messages 186
A Few Words about Dative Pronouns 187
Sending Written Correspondence 188
Sending a letter or postcard 188
E-mailing 190
Sending a fax 190
Getting to Know the Office 191
Mastering your desk and supplies 192
Doing business in German 193
Chapter 12 Recreation and the Great Outdoors 197
Playing Sports 197
Playing around with the verb “spielen” 197
Verbalizing sports you enjoy 198
Inviting someone to play 199
Using Reflexive Verbs to Talk about Plans 200
Getting reflexive 200
Accusing and dating your pronouns 200
Some common reflexive verbs 201
Reflexive verbs that are flexible 204
Exploring the Outdoors 204
Getting out and going 204
Things to see along the way 204
Going to the mountains 206
Going to the country 208
Going to the sea 210
Part III German on the Go 213
Chapter 13 Planning a Trip 215
Getting Help from a Travel Agent 215
Planning Ahead: Using the Future Tense 217
Describing events in specific months 218
Naming specific times in the months 219
Rethinking Dates 219
Dealing with Passports and Visas 220
The all-important passport 220
Inquiring about visas 221
Chapter 14 Making Sense of Euros and Cents 223
Changing Currency 223
Heading to the ATM 226
Getting Imperative 227
Understanding the Euro and Other Currencies 228
Chapter 15 Getting Around: Planes, Trains, Taxis, and Buses 231
Using German at the Airport 231
Getting your ticket 231
Checking in 232
Going through immigration 234
Going through customs 235
Traveling by Car 235
Renting a car 236
Making sense of maps 238
Wrapping your brain around road signs 238
Taking a Train 239
Interpreting train schedules 239
Getting information 239
Buying tickets 240
Knowing When to Separate Your Verbs 241
Navigating Buses, Subways, and Taxis 242
Catching the bus 243
Getting a taxi 244
Chapter 16 Finding a Place to Stay 247
Finding a Hotel 247
Reserving Rooms 248
Saying when and how long you want to stay 248
Specifying the kind of room you want 249
Asking about the price 250
Finalizing the reservation 250
Checking In 252
Stating how long you’re staying 252
Filling out the registration form 252
Getting keyed in 253
Asking about amenities and facilities 253
Checking Out and Paying the Bill 256
Asking for your bill 256
Asking small favors 257
Chapter 17 Handling Emergencies 261
Requesting Help 261
Shouting for help 261
Reporting a problem 262
Asking for English-speaking help 262
Getting Medical Attention 262
Describing what ails you 263
Telling about any special conditions 264
Getting an examination 265
Specifying parts of the body 266
Getting the diagnosis 267
Getting treatment 269
Talking to the Police 270
Describing what was stolen 271
Answering questions from the police 272
Getting legal help 273
Part IV The Part of Tens 277
Chapter 18 Ten Ways to Pick Up German Quickly 279
Labeling the World Around You 279
Organizing Useful Expressions 279
Writing Shopping Lists 280
Thinking in German 280
Using Language CDs and Downloads 280
Watching German TV and Listening to German Radio Online 281
Trying an Interactive German Program 281
Watching German Movies 281
Reading German Publications 281
Eating German Cuisine 282
Chapter 19 Ten Things Never to Say in German 283
Using the Right Form of Address 283
Addressing Service People Correctly 283
Hot or Cold? 284
I’m Not Loaded 284
Speaking of the Law with Respect 284
Using “Gymnasium” Correctly 284
Knowing the Appropriate Form of “Know” 285
Going to the Right Closet 285
Using Bekommen Properly 285
Using the Right Eating Verb 286
Chapter 20 Ten Favorite German Expressions 289
Alles klar! 289
Wirklich 289
Kein Problem 289
Vielleicht 290
Doch 290
Unglaublich! 290
Hoffentlich 290
Wie schön! 290
Genau! 290
Stimmt’s? 291
Chapter 21 Ten Phrases That Make You Sound German 293
Schönes Wochenende! 293
Gehen wir! 293
Was ist los? 293
Das klingt gut! 293
Keine Ahnung 294
Es zieht! 294
Nicht zu fassen! 294
Du hast Recht!/Sie haben Recht! 294
Lass es! 294
Nicht schlecht! 294
Part V Appendixes 293
A: German-English Mini-Dictionary 295
B: Verb Tables 313
Regular Verbs (No Stem Vowel Change) 313
Special Conjugations 314
Irregular and Modal Verbs 316
C: On the CD 325
D: Answer Key 327
Index 331
