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Basic German: A Grammar and Workbook
Basic German: A Grammar and Workbook comprises an accessible reference grammar and related exercises in a single volume.
Suitable for independent study and for class use, it introduces German people and culture through the medium of the language used today, covering the core material that students would expect to encounter in their first year of learning German. Each of the twenty-eight units presents one or more related grammar topics, illustrated by examples which serve as models for the exercises that follow. These wide-ranging and varied exercises enable the student to master each grammar point thoroughly.
Features include:
*clear grammatical explanations with examples in both English and German
*authentic language samples from a range of media
*checklists at the end of each unit to reinforce key points
*cross-referencing to other grammar chapters
*full exercise answer key
*glossary of grammatical terms.
Basic German is the ideal reference and practice book for beginners, but also for students with some knowledge of the language.
Suitable for independent study and for class use, it introduces German people and culture through the medium of the language used today, covering the core material that students would expect to encounter in their first year of learning German. Each of the twenty-eight units presents one or more related grammar topics, illustrated by examples which serve as models for the exercises that follow. These wide-ranging and varied exercises enable the student to master each grammar point thoroughly.
Features include:
*clear grammatical explanations with examples in both English and German
*authentic language samples from a range of media
*checklists at the end of each unit to reinforce key points
*cross-referencing to other grammar chapters
*full exercise answer key
*glossary of grammatical terms.
Basic German is the ideal reference and practice book for beginners, but also for students with some knowledge of the language.
224 pages, Paperback
First published December 25, 2003
64 people are currently reading
255 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
August 7, 2011
This book offers a pretty wide picture of German grammar for beginners. With detailed explanations for every lesson and exercises in order to assure that the student has understood the concepts, I found it a book easy to get through. The only minus is that most of the exercises have predictable answers or only deal with a certain part of the lesson. I think it would be more useful, if notions would be mixed. An improvement would have been to add some sort of review lesson after a determined number of grammar because without reviews you might forget what you have studied before.
Anyway it is a perfect book that I used to complement other learning materials such as Rosetta Stone or Busuu.com.
Anyway it is a perfect book that I used to complement other learning materials such as Rosetta Stone or Busuu.com.
March 9, 2018
کتاب آموزش آلمانی از زبان انگلیسی است،
علاوه بر تسلط به زبان انگلیسی از نتایج مطالعه این کتاب تسلط نسبی به مفاهیم ابتدایی گرامر آلمانی است. که همیشه دستور زبان هر زبانی سخت وسنگین تر از بخش های دیگر آن است.
.یکی درگیر ار ویژگی های مثبت این کتاب مناسب بودن آن برای خود-یادگیری زبان آلمانی است.
کتاب بعدی از همین مجموعه؛ اینترمدیت آلمانی است که پیشنهاد می کنم برای آموزش استفاده کنید.
علاوه بر تسلط به زبان انگلیسی از نتایج مطالعه این کتاب تسلط نسبی به مفاهیم ابتدایی گرامر آلمانی است. که همیشه دستور زبان هر زبانی سخت وسنگین تر از بخش های دیگر آن است.
.یکی درگیر ار ویژگی های مثبت این کتاب مناسب بودن آن برای خود-یادگیری زبان آلمانی است.
کتاب بعدی از همین مجموعه؛ اینترمدیت آلمانی است که پیشنهاد می کنم برای آموزش استفاده کنید.
June 4, 2012
When it came to teaching this semester, this book was an AMAZING help. Seriously super useful. It's got a great layout and some fun exercises (though my student never would have been able to understand all that without my help). So while it's a great teaching tool, I'm not sure that someone who was self-teaching themselves could use this one as well. Probably just need a really good dictionary with it!
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August 5, 2011A great review grammar. Very succinctly covers many aspects of German grammar in short, clear, easy-to-read chapters with relevant exercises. Though not intended as a conversation manual, the examples do use more colloquial speech than some of the grammars I've worked with.
July 18, 2017
خیلی کتاب خوبیه واسه اونایی که زبان انگلیسی شون خوبه و میخوان زبان آلمانی رو یادبگیرن. مطمئنا دونستن اینکه زبان آلمانی و انگلیسی چه تفاوت هایی یاهم داره خیلی بهتون کمک میکنه. این کتاب توی ۲۸ فصل همه گرامر پایه زبان آلمانی رو توضیح میده و تمرین های آخر فصل هم داره همراه با جواب در آخر کتاب. فصل بندیش خیلی خوبه و توضیحاتش خیلی قابل فهمه. اگه تازه شروع کردید و از گرامر آلمانی میترسید یا فکر میکنید خیلی سخته بهترین گزینه است برای شما. من که از خریدن این کتاب خیلی راضیم. یه بار سنگینی از روی دوشم برداشته شد. و اینکه من خودم بدون معلم این کتاب رو خوندم و برای خودآموزی هم مناسبه.
May 11, 2017
It's a good book for German beginners. Explains basic rules and has useful examples. Also, it has a good number of exercises (could be more, of course). However, I stumbled upon a few dozens of errors in the book, mostly in the answers; the majority of them are typos, and the rest seems to contradict the rules, maybe they are also correct, but there is no explanation. So be careful and double-check the answers.
Read
November 23, 2023im beginner and i find this book straight to the points, covers lots of topics, easy to follow. it would take some other books to say if this one is good or bad but for now it is ok.
October 14, 2025
After finishing German in Duolingo - the 80 "levels" it has at this point - I thought I'd gotten a clue and I liked the language enough so I'm looking for books to properly learn German.
This one was pretty good, covering many basic topics to get a better understanding of how the language works.
It's not extensive and I don't believe that with only reading this one you are ready and fluent in any way. But it works as a quick guide to check on some basic concepts of the language.
This one was pretty good, covering many basic topics to get a better understanding of how the language works.
It's not extensive and I don't believe that with only reading this one you are ready and fluent in any way. But it works as a quick guide to check on some basic concepts of the language.
January 16, 2022
Amazing grammar tool!
Really quality outlook of grammar and sentence structures in German. This book did a wonderful job of detailing grammar and comparing it to English to help build bridges in learning. The exercises are extremely helpful and really solidify key components in each chapter. Highly recommend this book!
Really quality outlook of grammar and sentence structures in German. This book did a wonderful job of detailing grammar and comparing it to English to help build bridges in learning. The exercises are extremely helpful and really solidify key components in each chapter. Highly recommend this book!
April 25, 2019
This is such a comprehensive book to use.
March 1, 2020
Just a great book !
May 13, 2020
من سه بار ویرایش نخستش را خواندهام. این کتاب جملههای بهتری دارد، یک فصل اضافه شده و همچنین در انتهای هر فصل یک بخش به عنوان آیا میدانستید اضافه شدهاست. فونت
October 23, 2020
5+starzzzzzzzzzzz
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June 27, 2024Um I accidentally finished this so Es ist over für mich?
December 22, 2024
Great concise explanations that compare between German and English, useful exercises. Good to work with while studying A1 and A2 German.
January 21, 2021
Despite my native language is Turkish and i have never been any german class , i found this English book is great for beginners. This book is so easy to learn for first step to leraning German.
July 27, 2025
Das ist ein gutes Buch zum Deutschlernen!
I read this book alongside doing daily Duolingo lessons and it helped to explain and solidify a lot of what I learnt on the app. I really wish Duolingo explained German grammatical rules more often, as it’s pretty much impossible to properly learn the language without them. I found the exercises really helpful, although my lack of vocabulary did see me reaching for a dictionary on quite a few occasions to aid my worksheet attempts. There are some chapters where I could have used more explanations and examples. I had to re-read some passages quite a few times, especially the ones related to tense. But that is as much an indication of my grip on the German language as it is a comment on the book! The book is also small enough that you can use it as a reference guide for studying effectively. The way the grammar tables are laid out and explained is particularly intuitive. I also made flashcards and my own note sheets out of this book which really took my learning to another level and helped me absorb so much more information. One skill I’ve mastered whilst learning German is to accept “There is no ‘why’, I must just learn this by heart”.
Overall, this is a fantastic book to have in your toolkit but I would not rely on it solely. I’m sure it’s a book I will come back to again and again as I continue studying. I look forward to reading the next book up in this series, Intermediate German.
I read this book alongside doing daily Duolingo lessons and it helped to explain and solidify a lot of what I learnt on the app. I really wish Duolingo explained German grammatical rules more often, as it’s pretty much impossible to properly learn the language without them. I found the exercises really helpful, although my lack of vocabulary did see me reaching for a dictionary on quite a few occasions to aid my worksheet attempts. There are some chapters where I could have used more explanations and examples. I had to re-read some passages quite a few times, especially the ones related to tense. But that is as much an indication of my grip on the German language as it is a comment on the book! The book is also small enough that you can use it as a reference guide for studying effectively. The way the grammar tables are laid out and explained is particularly intuitive. I also made flashcards and my own note sheets out of this book which really took my learning to another level and helped me absorb so much more information. One skill I’ve mastered whilst learning German is to accept “There is no ‘why’, I must just learn this by heart”.
Overall, this is a fantastic book to have in your toolkit but I would not rely on it solely. I’m sure it’s a book I will come back to again and again as I continue studying. I look forward to reading the next book up in this series, Intermediate German.
December 30, 2017
This is a super fantastic grammatical intro to German. The explanations are quite simple, and the exercises useful. Though it says "basic", you get a very grounded understanding of how German works by the end of the book.
December 23, 2014
A very good introductory book for German beginners, which helps you build the grammatical frame via targeted exercises. The difficulty of exercises ranges from very low to slightly challenging, but never intimidating. The topics are well-organized, and I love the way they are ordered.
A dictionary is a must-have when you are learning German with this book.
A dictionary is a must-have when you are learning German with this book.
March 5, 2014
Very good book
شغلة حلوة
بس الغريب انو طريقة العرض بالانكليزية سلسة جدا على عكس حالات الكتب التي تشرح القواعد الالمانية باللغة العربية
شغلة حلوة
بس الغريب انو طريقة العرض بالانكليزية سلسة جدا على عكس حالات الكتب التي تشرح القواعد الالمانية باللغة العربية
April 1, 2014
super !!!
September 2, 2016
If only it had more exercises.
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August 9, 2019چهار بار این کتاب را خواندم. برای آشنایی به زبان آلمانی بسیار خوب است.
September 17, 2015
That's a boost for your Beginning Deutsch.
A Good Read inDeed!
A Good Read inDeed!
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews