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 Language Learning Forum : Specific Languages |  | |
| arkady Bilingual Diglot Groupie United States rightconditi Joined 5399 days ago 54 posts - 61 votes  Speaks: English*, Russian* Studies: German | Message 1 of 11 11 February 2010 at 8:18pm | IP Logged | ||
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Hello folks!
I just started learning German using Rosetta Stone. I am about 25% through the first CD. I have read some criticism on this forum about RS and have not found them to be the case for me, at least in learning German. However I am getting increasingly frustrated by the grammar. Yes, there are some specific lessons tailored for grammar, but the utterly random gender assignments and lack of explanation results in many of the grammar lessons turning into a guessing game. So, can anyone recommend another method that I could complement RS with, because constantly running to the web to explore grammar rules seems wrong given the costs of RS. I speak English and Russian fluently, but am learning German completely solo with no one to speak with. Not sure if that is a factor, but this is the first time in my life (i am 29) that I have attempted such an endeavor. 3 persons have voted this message useful | |||
| tractor Tetraglot Senior Member Norway Joined 5452 days ago 1349 posts - 2292 votes Speaks: Norwegian*, English, Spanish, Catalan Studies: French, German, Latin | Message 2 of 11 11 February 2010 at 8:43pm | IP Logged | ||
I'm currently learning German using Assimil German Without Toil, Assimil German With Ease and Linguaphone. The Linguaphone course contains a lot more detailed explanations of the grammar than Assimil, but its content is dryer. I've also got Cortina German, but haven't used it yet. It looks like a decent method. The reference grammar in the back of the book is over a 100 pages long and looks like it covers all a beginner will need. The best of all is the price: about $ 10. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| arkady Bilingual Diglot Groupie United States rightconditi Joined 5399 days ago 54 posts - 61 votes Speaks: English*, Russian* Studies: German | Message 3 of 11 11 February 2010 at 9:11pm | IP Logged | ||
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Assimil eh? Interesting, I will look into it. I first discovered this method by browing this forum, up to that point I was only aware of Rosetta and Pfeuler (sp?).
Looks like the market for language appears to be quite robust. 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| datsunking1 Diglot Senior Member United States Joined 5584 days ago 1014 posts - 1533 votes Speaks: English*, Spanish Studies: German, Russian, Dutch, French | Message 4 of 11 11 February 2010 at 10:42pm | IP Logged | ||
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Assimil is amazing to say the least, I'm on lesson 10, (out of 106 or something crazy like that) and I'm starting to understand interviews and everything. It's really coming together.
I'm using Assimil German Without Toil, I DEFINITELY recommend it. I have a little "Phrase-a-day" calendar that I use also, which teaches me grammar almost passively. I would say start with assimil and then do rosetta stone (pro pronunciation and listening/speaking.) You'll be well on your way. Listening to music and doing Assimil has brought me a very long way in a short amount of time. Best of luck! Jordan 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| GREGORG4000 Diglot Senior Member United States Joined 5522 days ago 307 posts - 479 votes Speaks: English*, Finnish Studies: Japanese, Korean, Amharic, French | Message 5 of 11 11 February 2010 at 10:55pm | IP Logged | ||
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Assimil German Without Toil
Some vocabulary lists for household items so you can construct sentences about things you're doing Some German people to talk with RosettaPimsleurStone for pronunciation/reenforcement, though I think the Assimil audio would be able to help you practice pronunciation a lot Edited by GREGORG4000 on 11 February 2010 at 10:58pm 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| Katie Diglot Senior Member Australia Joined 6717 days ago 495 posts - 599 votes Speaks: English*, Hungarian Studies: French, German | Message 6 of 11 12 February 2010 at 4:48am | IP Logged | ||
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I'm also just starting to study German, so I'm watching this thread closely to see what people recommend.
I just bought this morning a book called "Collins Easy Learning German Grammar" which looks incredibly good. I've also ordered a copy of Teach Yourself German. I have an older copy "somewhere" in storage, but I can't find it, so I had to order a new copy. I used Teach Yourself Hungarian for my studies and I really enjoyed it, so I will most likely be satisfied to return to this series for German now. I've downloaded also the free version of FSI German. I know, it's as boring as bat droppings (well, for me at least. I never finished the FSI Hungarian because it nearly killed me with boredom. But I don't have any other source to work on my German pronunciation at this point - so I will have to grin & bare it. I haven't started on it yet, but I will do so on my next German day I think (won't be until Tuesday, as I'm going away this weekend to work - so no time for language studies!). I have Michel Thomas aswell. I bought this a while ago but never used it until now. I have only finished CD1 so far. I have heard mixed feedback on MT, so I am not going to solely rely on it for pronunciation, but I hope to use a variety of sources - moving in to native resources as soon as my ability allows it. I am already watching DVDs in German, but at this stage doing so with Hungarian subtitles (to kill 2 birds with 1 stone). 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| IronFist Senior Member United States Joined 6436 days ago 663 posts - 941 votes Speaks: English* Studies: Japanese, Korean | Message 7 of 11 12 February 2010 at 5:58am | IP Logged | ||
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If you are into that genre of music, Rammstein :)
Seriously. I find that I remember words much better when I learn them in a song because it feels "real" rather than "forced" like when you're memorizing lists in a book. And you can get translations for all their songs, line by line German-English, at www.herzeleid.com. Edited by IronFist on 12 February 2010 at 6:00am 1 person has voted this message useful | |||
| MatthewRM Newbie United StatesRegistered users can see my Skype Name Joined 5395 days ago 15 posts - 15 votes Speaks: English* Studies: German | Message 8 of 11 15 February 2010 at 7:23pm | IP Logged | ||
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Well it seems I'm in luck. I also just started learning German, yesterday in fact. I unboxed my Rosetta Stone German Levels 1-3 and installed it.
I am looking for another English speaking German student ( self learning is probably best) to talk to and practice conversations with. I use Skype and my Skype name is listed here for the forums. Please send me an email or Skype me if your interested in having someone to run through basic German conversations with. Just don't expect me to be a master at this point. Skype - navymilne Email - milne@tds.net Edited by MatthewRM on 16 February 2010 at 1:40am 1 person has voted this message useful |
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