Mastering German Vocabulary A Practical Guide to Troublesome Words - pdf

Mastering German Vocabulary: A Practical Guide to Troublesome Words

How often have you looked up an English word in a German dictionary only to be confronted by a bewildering array of German equivalents? Which is the correct word for the context in question? Thirty years' experience in teaching Germanic languages at tertiary level to English-speaking students have made the author acutely aware of this problem. Mastering German Vocabulary explains how to use over 2,200 common German words correctly, using example sentences in German with English translations.

In order to aid quick consultation, all German and English words are listed in separate indexes. The book is designed for all upper secondary and tertiary students of German and complements Routledge's grammar, dictionary and vocabulary building textbooks. It is a practical companion for anyone serious about perfecting their German.

Product Details

Paperback: 224 pages
Publisher: Routledge; Bilingual edition (May 16, 2004)
Language: German, English
ISBN-10: 0415261155
ISBN-13: 978-0415261159

Reviews

An excellent companion for choosing the right word for all occasions.

This book is not for beginners. It is excellent for anyone who has a high-intermediate or better command of German. This is because it deals with the subtleties of German vocabulary, explaining the nuances among seemingly synonymous words. For example, in English, try to think of how you would explain to someone the differences between "to use," "to make use of," "to employ," "to utilize," and "to apply," when all of them could be grouped under the verb "use." I recommend the book whole-heartedly for those who want to perfect their idiomatic command of the language.

I will just add that I think that this book can be very useful for beginners/intermediate students since it clarifies how to say quite simple things that you won't find explained in a normal textbook or dictionary. So for example, when I was still at a lower intermediate level I wanted to know how to say "I agree." It's very easy in English, but if you look up the word in most dictionaries there will be a bewildering number of possible choices in German. Donaldson explains very clearly the simplest way to say this in German, and the exact meaning of all those other variants. This is a very useful thing even for beginning and intermediate students!