German Berlitz Phrase Book and CD (Berlitz Phrase Book & CD) (Berlitz Phrasebook & CD)

Buy it for the phrase book...
If you buy the book for the sole reason that you want a portable dictionary you will be disappointed. At the start of that section it is clearly stated that it is merely a decoder for signs, maps, transport terms...etc so you will not find the more complex words you may seek. This can be frustrating because it means you must have another dictionary to hand, but the size of the guide makes it ideal for subtle reading when you don't want to look like an obvious tourist or tempt the natives to speak in English.
The phrase book is very comprehensible and easy to refer to quickly. Like its Spanish counterpart,
"SPANISH phrase book and dictionary"
it has colour coded sections so you can flick through rapidly to the relevant section. It also saves the embarrassment and frustration of having to spend hours looking for simple words and phrases.
The Food section of the German guide is particularly impressive with cultural information about wine regions and specialities and an extensive "MENU READER" which lists food and drink alphabetically in German. My one qualm is that there isn't the same from English to German so that you can ask where to find what you want.
The travel section had useful information about document requirements and as in all the sections the most vital information is housed in clear boxes which also include sentences that native speakers might deliver in those situations.
The BASIC EXPRESSIONS chapter is the most useful where you can learn adjectives and questions before you even set foot in Germany. Even as a language student I find this book to be more important to me than any other text I have used in my study, because it provides the information for every day life colloquial speech which you don't always achieve in the classroom in the first few months of learning a foreign diction.
I find the phonetics are not always accurate in the Berlitz guide as was pointed out to me by native Germans, but if you spend long enough in the country you become quickly accustomed to the vowels and consonants and can easily ascertain what is necessary to pay attention to and what is not. Having said that, the phonetics are as good as can be expected from a language where sounds can not easily be illustrated!
I found the Spanish version of this book to be easier to use, but after two months in Germany this guide is still in my bag every time I go out!
Don't leave for Germany without it if only for the back section which has the most comprehensive guide to telling the time in German that I have found yet!

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German Berlitz Phrase Book and CD (Berlitz Phrase Book & CD) (Berlitz Phrasebook & CD)

Berlitz

Reader Reviews:

Even after 2 months in Germany, this book is indispensible! (7/7 people found this helpful)

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