German all in one for dummies

Table of Contents Introduction.................................................................. 1 About This Book............................................................................................... 1 Conventions Used in This Book...................................................................... 2 Foolish Assumptions........................................................................................ 3 How This Book Is Organized........................................................................... 4 Book I: Getting Started with German.................................................... 4 Book II: Speaking German on the Go.................................................... 4 Book III: Assembling the Grammatical Foundations forCommunication............................................................................. 5 Book IV: Building Detail and Precision in Your Communication...... 5 Book V: The Appendixes........................................................................ 5 Icons Used in This Book.................................................................................. 6 Where to Go from Here.................................................................................... 6 Book I: Getting Started with German.............................. 7 Chapter 1: Warming Up to German Basics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Starting with What You Already Know.......................................................... 9 Friendly allies: Kindergarten and more (perfect cognates).............. 9 Kissing cousins (near cognates)......................................................... 11 False friends.......................................................................................... 13 Lenders and borrowers........................................................................ 16 Using Popular Expressions............................................................................ 19 Handling Basic Pronunciation....................................................................... 21 Understanding stress in German........................................................ 21 Constructing the alphabet blocks...................................................... 21 Pronouncing vowels............................................................................. 23 Pronouncing ọ, ử, and ỹ....................................................................... 24 Pronouncing diphthongs..................................................................... 25 Pronouncing consonants..................................................................... 25 Pronouncing consonant combinations.............................................. 28 Chapter 2: Handling Numbers, Times, Dates, and Measurements . . . 31 Doing the Numbers......................................................................................... 32 Counting off with cardinal numbers................................................... 32 Getting in line with ordinal numbers................................................. 36 Telling Time..................................................................................................... 38 Using the 12-hour clock........................................................................ 38 Using the 24-hour system.................................................................... 40 Describing times of the day................................................................. 40 x German All-in-One For Dummies Expressing Dates............................................................................................ 41 Recounting the days............................................................................. 41 Knowing the names of the months and seasons.............................. 42 Writing dates the European way......................................................... 44 Referring to specific dates................................................................... 45 Naming specific times in the months................................................. 46 Celebrating holidays............................................................................. 47 Measurements, Quantities, and Weights..................................................... 49 Chapter 3: Meeting and Greeting: Guten Tag! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53 Getting Formal or Informal............................................................................ 53 Saying Hello, Goodbye, and How Are You?....................................... 54 Saying Guten Tag and Auf Wiedersehen..................................... 54 Asking Wie geht es Ihnen?................................................................ 56 Giving a response to Wie geht es Ihnen?........................................ 57 Introducing Yourself and Your Friends....................................................... 59 Introducing your friends...................................................................... 59 Making introductions for special occasions..................................... 59 Introducing yourself............................................................................. 61 Talking about Yourself................................................................................... 62 Describing your work........................................................................... 63 Providing names and numbers........................................................... 64 Discussing Cities, Countries, and Nationalities.......................................... 67 Saying where you come from.............................................................. 67 Asking people where they come from................................................ 68 Discovering nationalities..................................................................... 70 Chatting about languages you speak.................................................. 71 Making Small Talk about the Weather......................................................... 73 Noting what its like out there............................................................. 73 Discussing the temperature................................................................ 74 Describing the days weather.............................................................. 75 Chapter 4: Talking about Home, Family, Friends, and Daily Life . . . . 77 Describing Where You Live........................................................................... 77 Looking at your living quarters: Mein Haus...................................... 78 Naming furnishings and appliances................................................... 79 Talking about Family...................................................................................... 83 Naming your relatives.......................................................................... 83 Family pets............................................................................................. 86 Discussing Friends, Acquaintances, and Neighbors.................................. 87 Spending Time at Your Home or Someone Elses...................................... 88 Daily routine.......................................................................................... 88 Das Wochenende: The weekend......................................................... 90 Doing and saying the right thing......................................................... 91 Playing Sports................................................................................................. 93 Playing around with the verb spielen............................................. 93 Verbalizing sports you enjoy.............................................................. 93 Inviting someone to play...................................................................... 94 Table of Contents Chapter 5: Talking Telecommunications, Business, and Current Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97 Making a Phone Call....................................................................................... 97 Asking for your party........................................................................... 98 Making the connection......................................................................... 99 Making appointments......................................................................... 102 Leaving messages............................................................................... 103 Writing Your Message.................................................................................. 105 Beginning and ending a letter........................................................... 105 Sending mail the old-fashioned way................................................. 106 E-mailing and faxing............................................................................ 109 Settling In at the Office................................................................................. 109 Organizing your desk and supplies.................................................. 110 Interacting with coworkers............................................................... 111 Doing business in German................................................................. 112 Tuning In to Current Events........................................................................ 115 Newspapers and magazines.............................................................. 115 Television, radio, and the web.......................................................... 117 Chapter 6: Shopping Simplified . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119 Getting Familiar with the German Shopping Experience........................ 119 Identifying types of shops................................................................. 120 Determining a stores hours.............................................................. 120 Finding your way around a department store................................ 121 Browsing and responding to Kann ich Ihnen helfen?................. 123 Getting assistance............................................................................... 123 Shopping for Clothes.................................................................................... 124 Characterizing various clothing items............................................. 124 Knowing your size.............................................................................. 128 Trying on clothes................................................................................ 130 Making Your Purchase................................................................................. 133 Preparing to pay for your items........................................................ 133 Getting a tax refund on your purchases.......................................... 135 Chapter 7: Dining Out and Buying Food: Guten Appetit! . . . . . . . . . . 137 Talking about Eating and Drinking............................................................. 138 Saying youre hungry and thirsty: Hast du Hunger? Hast du Durst?................................................................................. 138 Talking about meals: Guten Appetit!................................................ 139 Setting the table.................................................................................. 140 Going to a Restaurant: Das Restaurant...................................................... 141 Deciding where to eat........................................................................ 141 Making reservations........................................................................... 143 Arriving and being seated.................................................................. 146 Checking Out the Menu: Die Speisekarte.................................................. 147 Looking at breakfast, lunch, and dinner items................................ 147 Understanding cooking terms........................................................... 150 Quenching your thirst........................................................................ 151 xi xii German All-in-One For Dummies Placing Your Order....................................................................................... 152 Ordering politely................................................................................. 153 Asking for assistance.......................................................................... 154 Ordering something special.............................................................. 155 Finishing Your Meal and Getting the Check.............................................. 156 Replying to How did you like the food? Hat es Ihnen geschmeckt?.......................................................... 156 Asking for the check........................................................................... 156 Shopping for Food........................................................................................ 159 Knowing where to shop..................................................................... 159 Finding what you need....................................................................... 160 Book II: Speaking German on the Go........................... 165 Chapter 1: Locating Places . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167 Getting Yourself Oriented............................................................................ 167 Finding out where something is........................................................ 168 Asking how far something is: Ist es weit von hier?......................... 170 Getting more specific directions....................................................... 170 Asking How to Get from One Place to Another......................................... 171 Asking how to get to a location......................................................... 172 Asking how to get to a city or country............................................. 173 Asking how to get to a specific building.......................................... 173 Describing Where Something Is Located................................................... 174 Locating one place in relation to another....................................... 175 Going left, right, straight ahead: Links, rechts, geradeaus............ 177 Using compass points........................................................................ 178 Understanding Where to Go........................................................................ 179 Pointing out the first, second, or third street ................................ 179 Following directions: Take this street.............................................. 180 Traveling by Car das Auto or Other Vehicle................................... 183 Chapter 2: Going Out on the Town . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 185 Taking in the Sights...................................................................................... 185 Deciding what to see.......................................................................... 186 Taking a sightseeing tour................................................................... 187 Making plans........................................................................................ 188 Heading to the Movies................................................................................. 189 Going to the show............................................................................... 189 Buying tickets...................................................................................... 190 Going to the Museum................................................................................... 193 Discovering different types of museums......................................... 193 Talking about museums..................................................................... 193 Attending Cultural Performances............................................................... 195 Deciding where to go.......................................................................... 195 Going to a concert.............................................................................. 197 Table of Contents How Was It? Talking about Entertainment................................................ 198 Asking about the entertainment....................................................... 198 Telling people what you think........................................................... 199 Going to a Party............................................................................................ 200 Getting an invitation........................................................................... 201 Talking about the party...................................................................... 202 Chapter 3: Planning a Pleasure Trip: Gute Reise! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203 Getting Ready for Your Trip........................................................................ 203 Finding travel information online..................................................... 204 Getting help from a travel agent....................................................... 206 Packing your bags............................................................................... 208 Exploring the Outdoors............................................................................... 209 Getting out and going......................................................................... 209 Things to see along the way.............................................................. 210 Going to the mountains...................................................................... 212 Going to the country.......................................................................... 214 Going to the sea.................................................................................. 215 Dealing with Passports and Visas.............................................................. 217 Keeping tabs on your passport......................................................... 217 Inquiring about visas.......................................................................... 218 Handling Money............................................................................................ 219 Changing currency: Geldwechsel..................................................... 220 Understanding the euro and other currencies............................... 223 Heading to the ATM............................................................................ 223 Chapter 4: Finding a Place to Stay: Gute Nacht! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 227 Finding Accommodations............................................................................ 227 Making a Reservation................................................................................... 228 Saying when and how long you want to stay.................................. 229 Specifying the kind of room you want.............................................. 229 Asking about the price....................................................................... 230 Finalizing the reservation.................................................................. 231 Checking In.................................................................................................... 233 Stating how long youre staying........................................................ 233 Filling out the registration form........................................................ 233 Getting keyed in.................................................................................. 234 Asking about amenities and essentials............................................ 235 Making the Most of Your Stay..................................................................... 238 Making special requests.................................................................... 238 Pointing out problems........................................................................ 239 Checking Out and Paying the Bill............................................................... 240 Asking for the bill................................................................................ 240 Asking small favors............................................................................. 241 xiii xiv German All-in-One For Dummies Chapter 5: Getting Around . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 243 Going through the Airport........................................................................... 243 Getting your ticket and checking in................................................. 243 Going through passport control....................................................... 247 Going through customs...................................................................... 248 Traveling by Car........................................................................................... 249 Renting a car........................................................................................ 249 Making sense of road maps............................................................... 251 Understanding and observing road signs........................................ 252 Identifying parts of a car.................................................................... 253 Taking the Train............................................................................................ 255 Interpreting train schedules.............................................................. 255 Getting more information.................................................................. 256 Buying train tickets............................................................................. 257 Navigating Buses, Subways, Streetcars, and Taxis.................................. 259 Purchasing a ticket............................................................................. 259 Boarding the bus, subway, or streetcar........................................... 260 Getting a taxi....................................................................................... 262 Chapter 6: Handling Emergencies: Hilfe! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 263 Requesting Help............................................................................................ 263 Shouting for help................................................................................ 263 Reporting a problem.......................................................................... 264 Asking for English-speaking help...................................................... 265 Handling Health Issues................................................................................ 265 Describing what ails you.................................................................... 266 Talking about any special conditions.............................................. 267 Getting an examination...................................................................... 267 Specifying parts of the body.............................................................. 269 Understanding the diagnosis............................................................ 270 Getting treatment................................................................................ 272 Going to a pharmacy.......................................................................... 273 Handling Police Matters............................................................................... 276 Describing what was stolen............................................................... 276 Giving a description of the thief....................................................... 277 Getting legal help................................................................................ 278 Book III: Assembling the Grammatical Foundations for Communication........................................................281 Chapter 1: Laying Out the Basics to Build Sentences . . . . . . . . . . . . 283 Identifying the Parts of Speech................................................................... 284 Nouns................................................................................................... 285 Pronouns.............................................................................................. 287 Articles................................................................................................. 288