This method of learning German is not for beginners! Having had previous German study, I was able to understand the concept and process of this course, but with difficulty. There are no English translations on the tapes. The course is more book intensive, and there are two booklets that accompany the tapes. They must both be used simultaneously, which is cumbersome. The rules of grammer are not introduced or discussed; reliance on a separate grammar section is required, and could be understood only by individuals who have had previous study in a foreign language. Sometimes the speakers' voices trail off, and occasionally pronunciation is not distinct. While this is how we will probably hear the language, it is not helpful in the learning process. I think many of us expect to use tapes for learning a language in a more passive way, i.e. in the car. The neccessity to have both books at hand during each lesson makes this kind of learning impractical.

I am attempting to learn German on my own. I'm a native english speaker who has learned a moderate amount of Spanish; I've learned how to learn. I bounced from one "system" of learning to another--tapes, books, etc, and had found nothing useful. They all had greivous flaws: one obsesses over lots of obscure nouns, another fails to provide a reasonable audio track / book material matchup, etc.. This system is a bit cumbersome; one must have two books open and the finger on the CD pause button.. but it is workable.. enough so that I'm going to purchase it (it was checked out from a library). The speakers have REAL German accents and reflect what you can expect to hear. Additionally, the situations presented are very poignant.. the phrases you memorize by going through the dialogues are among the most pragmatic I've seen yet. Bottom line: if you are SERIOUS about learning and are willing to WORK for it, this is good material *in my opinion*. This plus a German dictionary and maybe a German computer language program (for all basics like hours, money, numbers, days.. the endless repitition you need to do to " get" the sound and mimic) are all you really need.

I just returned from a 2-week vacation in Germany. This dictionary was totally useless. Every word I tried to look up, both in German to get the English translation, and vice-versa was not in the dictionary. Most of the food/menu items we tried to look up when dining were not in the restaurant section. Our travelling companions, unfortunately, had bought the same book. I would NOT recommend this book at all.

This compact little phrase book is packed with useful words, phrases, and interesting cultural notes that should be more than sufficient for most tourists and business travellers. I especially enjoy the part about food (that's the most important thing, isn't it?) But of course it is not a substitute for learning German formally. In fact, I wonder if I would appreciate this book as much if I had not already taken 2 semesters of German. Also, perhaps it's time for a revision. Some new references concerning the EMU, the internet, mobile phones, etc. would be useful.