Learning German on your own from scratch. How to learn German from scratch on your own

1) Yartsev V.V. Deutsch fur Sie und... is a two-volume book that will give you an excellent base on all aspects of the language (the best in my subjective opinion - note by E. Kashaeva)

2) Yartsev V.V. “German grammar. Don't be afraid." - German grammar is very accessible

Practicing German pronunciation

12) Pronunciation + many other aspects of the language http://www.youtube.com/user/LanguageSheep/featured

13) German phonetics for Russian speakers :) http://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5iQEtkZ2oNA2ccipGiw82g

14) Resource with a description of phonetics in text format: http://www.english-german.ru/?cat=27

21) Explanatory (German-German) dictionary with links to other dictionaries: http://canoo.net. There is a Wortformen section where word forms are given (an important and super-useful section!)

25) A simple but necessary list of frequency words. Lists from 100 to 10,000 words are available, frequency lists of English, Dutch and French are also available http://wortschatz.uni-leipzig.de/html/wliste

The manual consists of two parts: a tutorial and a phrasebook.
The self-instruction manual presents grammatical rules in simple, accessible language, and also provides exercises to consolidate vocabulary and grammar. While studying grammar, you simultaneously learn many words and expressions that are useful in everyday life using examples.
In the phrasebook you will find a range of topics for new acquaintances, friendly conversations and everyday communication.
At the end of the manual there is a list of Internet sites where you can find a lot of interesting information about Germany, the Germans and their culture. The manual is intended for everyone who wants to learn German.

CONTENT
Preface 4
Grammar
Reading and pronunciation 6
Article 9
Noun 12
Adjective 17
Pronoun 24
Verb 28
Number 53
Preposition 56
Adverb 67
Basics of word formation 71
Simple sentence 84
Complex sentence 94
Test 98
Answers to exercises 100
Phrasebook
Speech etiquette 112
Conversational situations 115
Time, days of the week, months, seasons 122
Nature and weather 127
Dating 138
Flirting 147
Work 152
Hobby 158
In the city 162
Museums and theaters 169
Transport 176
At customs 199
In the bank 202
At hotel 204
In store 210
In the restaurant 230
Sports 243
In the hairdressing and beauty salon 252
Religion 255
Medical assistance 260
Internet Guide 269

Reading and pronunciation.
Learning to read German is not difficult. You should pay attention to only a few features. Features of reading consonants:

1. The letter h at the beginning of a word or root is read as an aspirated x: Herz (heart). In the middle and at the end of words, it is not read, but serves to lengthen the previous vowel: fahren (to ride), froh (cheerful, joyful).
2. The letter j is pronounced like y, and in combinations ja and jit the Russian ear hears ya and yu: Jahr (year), Juni (June).
3. The letter I is always softened when read: Blume (flower).
4. The sound g is pronounced by most Germans with a burr: Re gen (rain).
5. The letter s before or between vowels is read as z: Sonne (sun), lesen (read).
6. The letter fi is read as s: grofi (big).
7. The consonants k, p, t are pronounced with some aspiration: Park (park), Torte (cake), Koffer (suitcase).
8. The letter v is pronounced like f: Vater (father). Only in rare cases (most often in borrowed words) is it pronounced as in: Vase (vase).
9. The letter w is read like the Russian sound in: Wort (word).
10. Double consonants are read as single consonants, but at the same time they shorten the vowel in front: Sommer (summer), Mutter (mother).

Download the e-book for free in a convenient format, watch and read:
Download the book German for beginners, Self-instruction manual, Phrasebook, Groshe Yu.V., 2008 - fileskachat.com, fast and free download.

Download pdf
Below you can buy this book at the best price with a discount with delivery throughout Russia.

There are a lot of textbooks on the market. Both Russian and foreign publishing houses. And they are all not perfect. Almost all German language textbooks contain grammatical and spelling errors, and use outdated or little-used words and phrases. There are often errors in the explanation of grammar. We actively discussed the topic of textbooks with teachers during my . More than one experienced teacher could not name a German textbook that was ideal in all respects, but from all the abundance we were able to identify the best textbooks and those that we do not recommend using.

In this collection, I will briefly describe the advantages and disadvantages of the German language textbooks that I have personally studied and with which I work in courses.

Daf Kompakt A1-B1

- a super textbook, in my opinion. There are three levels in one textbook - A1, A2 and B1. Some topics are repeated at different levels, that is, a certain topic is later expanded with new words and grammar. The textbook trains everything - reading, speaking, listening, writing, grammar and vocabulary. Lots of interesting texts, small and large, real examples of advertisements, letters, e-mails, etc. Texts are often divided into several small ones, making them easier to read. There are many listening exercises. In addition, the textbook comes with a workbook with a large number of exercises to improve all skills. At the end of each chapter there is a summary of the material covered - a list of words and grammar.
My mark: ★★★★★

Begegnungen

is one of my favorites and I recommend it to both beginners and intermediates. Interesting topics and optimal presentation of material - topic, words, phrases and a small piece of grammar tied to the topic. The exercises and texts are interesting, and the textbook website has additional exercises for all levels. This textbook is used by teachers from well-known language schools, such as the Goethe-Institut and various Studienkollegs. This textbook is also convenient because it is easy to navigate. After completing the course, it remains a “cheat sheet” for the student, who can open the desired page at any time and re-read the rules or words. This textbook, like Daf Kompakt, has one caveat: the textbook is difficult to study on your own. Grammar topics are sometimes scattered across different chapters, making it difficult to go through page by page. Sometimes I have to change the order of chapters depending on the group of students and their goals.
My mark: ★★★★★

Studio 21

(as well as its predecessor Studio D) is a textbook used by teachers in initial courses at the language center of the University of Marburg. The textbook is aimed at students who have just arrived in Germany. When I taught courses for beginners, I also had the opportunity to work with him - and I was not satisfied. There are fewer exercises than in similar textbooks, errors in the use of words already in the first chapters of the A1 textbook, boring topics and words that are irrelevant for beginners. The advantage of the textbook is a large number of additional materials (for an additional fee) such as DVDs with videos, intensive grammar and accompanying material for teachers. Therefore, I sometimes take some exercises from these textbooks for variety.
My mark: ★★☆☆☆

Schritte

- a series of textbooks for all levels. I know from hearsay that this textbook is popular in language schools in Russia. However, I have not met a single teacher in Germany who would work from this textbook or simply take individual exercises from there for classes. The advantage of the textbook is that it is beautiful. Lots of photos, bright colors. Lots of speaking exercises, lots of role-playing games - good material for learning the language in a group. Another plus is the list of conversational phrases at the end of each chapter. The downside is that there are few exercises for everything else except speaking. Few words, little grammar. The textbook is pleasant to flip through, there are many pages that attract the eye. However, I never found any use for these pages in my courses. Therefore - not a favorite.
My mark: ★★★☆☆

Ja genau!

- a new textbook for me. I haven't worked with him that much yet, but he definitely deserves attention. The textbook for level B1 is an excellent book for working on reading: many short and long texts and everything is spoken. Much attention is paid to the study of words and phrases - new words are collected in the margins of the textbook, at the bottom or on the side, so if necessary, it is easy to find and repeat. Lots of games for group activities and current topics, lots of fun communication exercises.
My mark: ★★★★★

Lagune

- a popular textbook in courses for beginners. Personally, I really like the illustrations in this tutorial. Like, it’s important to me that the pages attract the eye. The book contains tasks for training all skills - speaking, writing, reading and listening. All topics are illustrated, so they are easy to navigate without the help of a teacher. However, some grammatical topics are presented too simply. Initially, this may not be noticeable, but minimalism in explaining the rules leads to the fact that the rules can be understood too unambiguously or even in two ways. This disadvantage of the textbook was pointed out to me by a teacher at , who worked on this textbook for a long time in language courses, but eventually abandoned it.
My mark: ★★☆☆☆

Sicher!

is an excellent textbook for level B1 and above. In terms of vocabulary, these textbooks, in my opinion, are more complex and more comprehensive than the Begegnungen books. The audio materials are more complex, the dialogues are faster (although sometimes you can clearly hear that the dialogue is being read out). The emphasis is on vocabulary and improving speaking and reading skills. Grammar fades into the background, which is quite logical for an advanced level. Interesting topics are discussed, but the textbook is mainly aimed at school graduates and students, so several chapters from books B1 and B2 are devoted to the topic of graduating from school, entering a university, studying at a university, finding an internship, etc. Overall, a fresh approach to well-known topics at an advanced level.
My mark: ★★★★★

Ziel

- textbooks for level B and above are some of my favorites. Lots of texts and discussion exercises. The texts are an order of magnitude more complex than in the Begegnungen or DaF Kompakt series; there are short stories, novellas, as well as scientific and journalistic articles. These textbooks move away from everyday topics and focus on understanding specific things, for example, they discuss board games, facts from history, science, and popular magazine publishing. In this case, the emphasis is not on a specific topic, but on practicing vocabulary and phrases on general topics. I like that each chapter has a grammar page, sometimes repeating grammar from previous levels and sometimes introducing small but important nuances. At the end of each chapter there is a list of phrases and expressions on a specific topic.
My mark: ★★★★★

There are still many different textbooks for learning German, but many of them are gradually losing their position in German courses in Germany, for example Em, Tangram aktuell, Themen aktuell. These books, even their new editions, are considered no longer relevant in terms of presentation of material and less interesting compared to the textbooks listed above.

Grammar textbooks

From all the variety, I have identified the three best grammar textbooks that I and my colleagues use. These manuals were recommended to us by experienced teachers and heads of language schools.

First place - textbook Grammatik aktiv

This book can accompany any other general textbook or be used as a main grammar textbook if the course does not have a main one. Often in courses A2 and above, teachers do not introduce the main textbook, but bring their own materials. In such cases, this textbook can become the basis for practicing grammar. Grammatik aktiv includes only the most common structures, the rules are explained very simply and are accompanied by illustrations. Topics follow in a logical order - from simple to complex. Grammar is trained only with common words and phrases. Everything you need and nothing extra. Varied, not the same type of exercises.

Second place - textbook B Grammatik

(there is also A Grammatik for beginners and C Grammatik for advanced levels).
Just like in Grammatik aktiv there are many interesting exercises for practicing grammar. The main emphasis is on conversational grammar and one structure is tied to a specific topic. The advantage of this series of books is that the grammar is divided into levels (one book - one level), so one level is collected in one place. On the other hand, there is one nuance: within one book, grammatical topics do not go step by step, but are divided into categories “verb”, “noun”, “adjective” and so on. Therefore, it will not be possible to go through it page by page. Also the textbook is less colorful than Grammatik aktiv.

Third place - Schritte grammar

Unlike the Schritte textbooks, I was very pleased with this small but remote grammar book. Many of my students use this book on their own for additional training. The difficult word “grammar,” which many associate with stress, looks light and pleasant on the pages of this manual. The disadvantage of the textbook is that the topics are not organized by levels, but by grammatical topics, as in B Grammatik. Therefore, it will not be possible to go through the book sequentially from beginning to end, but you need to look for suitable topics.

Of the Russian textbooks, I can only recommend Zavyalova’s book.
- This is not a practical German language course, but a grammatical one. An excellent textbook for memorizing grammar and basic vocabulary. But difficult, especially the translation exercises. Translating from Russian into German is difficult, since the textbook provides little information and examples. But when you translate all the sentences in the task, you feel like a hero. The downside here is that memorization and constant repetition of the same thing poorly improves your speaking skills. But it's good for practicing grammar.

For example, grammar Duden and book Helbig/Buscha. Despite the fact that these books are almost the bible in many philology departments of Russian universities, they are of no value to students of German. Duden and Helbig/Buscha describe a complete grammar of the German language. Full. Which many Germans are not aware of at all. Therefore, why learn the grammar that the Germans do not use?

Secondly, in Helbig/Buscha the grammatical rules are described in great detail, with a large number of linguistic terms. And examples for grammatical structures are taken from scientific and journalistic books. Long, complex sentences from scientific texts with many complex and specialized words. These manuals have nothing to do with communication and spoken language.

What are these books really for? If you are interested in reading in detail about some grammatical phrase, finding out all the patterns and exceptions and seeing how it is used in scientific and journalistic texts. For those who conduct some linguistic research. But I don’t recommend studying with these books. These are theoretical books.

I advise you to handle the textbook very carefully. I often see it with students - many use it as a collection to quickly glance and re-read some rule. The textbook is attractive with tables and a small amount of text. Everything, it would seem, should be clear from the diagrams and examples. However, the textbook contains serious didactic errors. Some rules are presented in tables so simply that they can be understood in two ways or even incorrectly. There are also errors in the examples. Therefore, this book, beloved by students, is avoided by teachers. Sometimes the simplicity of presenting material can play a bad joke. Therefore, it is better not to take risks and use the three textbooks listed above.

Good luck to everyone!

The best German language textbooks - a review of modern textbooks was last modified: November 2nd, 2018 by Catherine

Dmitry Petrov's courses offer an original method through which you can learn the basics of the language in just 16 lessons. The method has been tested on a huge number of students and brings very good results. This is an ideal way to gain basic knowledge in the shortest possible time. The best part is that all course lessons are available for free viewing.

2. Get Germanized

The creator and sole presenter of this channel has set himself an ambitious goal not only to teach the German language, but also to help people get to know Germany better. To do this, he uploads many videos dedicated to national traditions, cultural characteristics and nuances of life in this country.

The channel is intended primarily for those who know German well and want to learn German as a second foreign language. New videos are published every Wednesday, Friday and Sunday.

3. German from Germany

The channel host is a professional teacher, a native speaker of German. Its main goal is to teach students new words and grammar rules, as well as to popularize the German language in the Russian-speaking society. It’s no secret that now people are trying to learn English first, while German remains somewhat in the shadows.

This project will help dispel the myth that German is a very scary and difficult language that is almost impossible to learn.

4. Deutsch für Euch

If you are bored with standard textbooks with monotonous exercises, then try switching to this channel. Its young, charming presenter will make even the most difficult material fascinating.

The main theme of the Deutsch für Euch channel is grammar, and in this it has no equal on YouTube. The channel contains several hundred videos covering almost all the main points necessary for mastering the German language.

5. StartLingua

This channel contains video tutorials, exercises and simply interesting reports about. All classes are taught by native speakers, so you can not only learn grammatical rules, but also hear the correct pronunciation of words. There is also a small section with audiobooks, which is useful for practicing listening comprehension skills.

Where to begin? These lessons will help you increase your German vocabulary. All German lessons are divided into levels and modules. When you just set out on the path to learning German, immediately press the button "start lesson". If you feel that you already have the so-called “school vocabulary”, click the button "start test"- this way you will find out what level of German your knowledge approximately corresponds to. Over time, take the test again and check your progress!

How to learn German on this site?

The lessons are designed in such a way as to increase vocabulary. At the same time, you can not only find out how the word is spelled, its translation and transcription. You will be able to hear how it is pronounced. Pronunciation is what distinguishes native speakers from learners from the first seconds of communication. We can learn German from books for as long as we like, know the grammar and many rules. But there will be difficulties with pronunciation. Books cannot convey how to pronounce this or that word in German. Even a word read by a tutor may be pronounced differently by native speakers. Now, in the 21st century, anyone can learn German words with pronunciation completely free of charge! Get started now!

For your convenience, the lessons are divided into 4 levels:

• German: Beginner
• German: Pre-Intermediate
• German: Intermediate
• German: Upper-Intermediate

German language tutorial - instructions

1. Do you still not know what level of German you have? Spend 10 minutes on the test. The result will tell you which lesson to start studying with.
2. Go to the lesson that the test suggested or select any other lesson from the drop-down menu at the top of the page.
3. You will see a table of words in German, their translation and transcription. On the left there will be buttons, by clicking on which you will hear the pronunciation of the word in German. Naturally, you will need headphones or speakers.
4. Start with several lessons a day. This will prevent you from overtiring your brain with new words. If you notice that the words are already familiar, feel free to skip the lesson and move on to the next German lesson.
5. Are you wondering how your vocabulary has changed? Take the test again to see how the German tutorial has improved your vocabulary.

How will this site help me?

The main goal of the site is to increase your vocabulary with words with correct pronunciation. The emphasis is on pronunciation- something that is always missing when you don’t communicate with native speakers. Another feature of the site is that registration is not required. We do not collect your personal data and do not send mailings via email or instant messengers. Here you can learn German completely free of charge. You can safely recommend it to your friends! We recommend bookmarking the site in case you accidentally lose the link. We decided to call the tutorial that way, because this method of learning German is suitable for lazy people, or those who cannot bring themselves to sit for an hour on lessons. One lesson here will take you no more than 15 minutes. This way you will increase your vocabulary in just 15 minutes a day. Enough reading already, it's time to start the first lesson!