German: Start Speaking Today! (Language 30) (German Edition)

I've used the Language 30 learning cassettes for learning/reviewing 5 languages, and have found them to be the BEST out there. What makes them the best? The words and phrases included on the cassettes are the most relevant, they are repeated twice at a normal, yet understandable speed and you can follow along with a guide book which is well-formatted and has a pronunciation guide next to each word/phrase. There is also plenty of time for you to repeat what you've heard. Berlitz wishes their tapes were this good!

As far as phrasebooks go, this is one of the best. It actually gives phrases you might use. On the otherhand, it is really not for learning German as it says. For learning grammar, conjugations, declensions, etc. you will have to look elsewhere. For the most part this is not a problem, you should be using multiple programs anyway to get the best effect (I also checked out Pimsleur German and Living Language German Complete Course, and will write reviews for each.) Some of the problems that I had with this course are: 1) I would prefer longer pauses after English, in which to practice the phrase before it is given in German. (Pimsleur calls this the "principle of anticipation") 2) I'd like to see similar ideas expressed with similar (preferrably the simplest) constructions. For those with minimum time, this is best. 3) The pronunciation guide is rather pointless, and can be misleading. Everything is on tape. Better to practice and get the pronunciation as it really is. 4) Not all the sections are well organized. "Visits and Introductions" is 5 pages long (most are less than one page), and includes phrases irrelevant to visits or introductions.

Some things that I like: 1) everything is on tape. One can get lots of practice in listening and speaking, and not even need to look at the phrasebook. 2) Phrases are useful 3) phrasebook is small, and contains all the phrases in written form.

In conclusion, I recommend this course as a partial source in learning German, but cannot recommend it as your sole source.

I have been learning German for over two years. I've bought quite a few tools to help me learn to speak it. I bought this late last year, and must say that it's one of the best German language sets I've owned. It's quite thorough, plus they don't say the words or phrases so fast that you get frustrated. Everything is also repeated, which is very important. You also not only have the two cassettes included, but also have a nice informative book with everything that is spoken in written form. They even give you a little history about how half the English that we speak comes from Old German; that was very interesting to hear. The book also gives you a history of the German language, grammatical notes, and important signs. You shouldn't feel ripped off if you buy this pack. It's worth it.