10+ Best Books To Learn the German Language
Learning a new language is always hard and requires a lot of hard work. Whether you are learning German or French, you will need to put all your efforts into completely learning the language. However, with the current innovations, people have stopped using the traditional method of learning the new language. They have stopped using the books and started focusing on various platforms. However, with online platforms, it is very important for you to include books in your journey. Thus, if you are learning German, then here we will help you explore some of the best books to learn the German language.
Quick Takeaways
1. German Made Simple by Eugene Jackson and Adolph Geiger
- Following are some of the best books to learn the German language-
2. Living Language German by Living Language
3. German Grammar for Beginners by My Daily German
4. German DeMYSTiFieD by Ed Swick
5. The Everything Learning German Book by Edward Swick
6. German All-in-One For Dummies by Wendy Foster, Paulina Christensen and Anne Fox
7. Mastering German Vocabulary: A Thematic Approach by Veronika Schnorr
8. 2,001 Most Useful German Words by Joseph W. Moser and Dover
9. Speak German in 90 Days by Kevin Marx
10. Practice Makes Perfect: Complete German All-in-One by SWICK and Ed Swick
11. Easy German Phrase Book by Lingo Mastery
However, you must read till the end so that you get a better understanding of the books that are used to learn the German language.
What are some of the best books to learn the German language?
German is a language that is commonly spoken all over the world and even in Europe. Following are the textbooks to learn the German language-
1. German Made Simple by Eugene Jackson and Adolph Geiger
German Made Simple adopts a different approach, that is similar to what you would remember from secondary school. There are themed lessons with a few dialogues and a vocabulary list. The dialogue starts out easy, but as you move around, it becomes difficult. The degree of detail is amazing, and the progression of learning is steady enough to make it easy to understand. But still, try moving quickly enough to keep things interesting. If you want a school-style book designed for self-study, it is a good option for you. However, having an instructor to help you will make it a little easier to use.
2. Living Language German by Living Language
It is the book in which you will be getting different features including the coursebook, audio CDs, etc. There are three different coursebooks and nine audio CDs that are totally free. These books are categorized by different levels from beginner to advanced level. However, the main content of the book is for beginners. The best part of this book is that it focuses on visual learning. You will also be getting useful exercises, grammar, and vocabulary lists. All of the content makes it a perfect choice for self-study.
3. German Grammar for Beginners by My Daily German
Each of the chapters in this book has grammatical issues and rules that will help you to understand the language easily. In this book, you will need to read some text and complete the assignments before going on next chapter. The book is straightforward and is a perfect one for anyone who has just started with the language or wants to learn grammar fully. It also has exercises in which you will have to listen to the tape which helps you in understanding how actually the native speakers talk.
Whenever you learn a new language like Italian or French it becomes important for you to know how native speakers talk. The major drawback of this book is that you will get to see tough content more quickly which will not give you much time to understand the basics of the language.
4. German DeMYSTiFieD by Ed Swick
It is a perfect book for any beginner as well as intermediate learner. The best part of this book is the step-by-step structure that makes it easy to learn the German language. The book has a lot of examples that will help in providing grammar explanations. It also has a lot of quizzes or exercises at the end of the chapters.
Each of the lessons is included in different topics which are organised by different skills and learning goals. Some of the sections that you may find are asking questions, expressing wishes, etc. If you are finding the language to be hard then this book is definitely for you. In this book, you will basically learn German alphabets, special characters, conjunctions, etc.
5. The Everything Learning German Book by Edward Swick
One of the interesting books that will help you in learning German with engaging content is “The Everything Learning German book”. The best part of this book is that you will not find language to be really hard. The book shows you the overview of the development of the language from the common region and the Norman invasion of England. There are easy lessons and useful exercises that will help to boost language skills.
Further, you will also get audio CDS that will help you to increase your listening skills and understand how native speakers talk. This book also shows you the relationship between the German language and the English language. The main approach of this book is to develop your knowledge along with the pronunciation skills of the language.
6. German All-in-One For Dummies by Wendy Foster, Paulina Christensen and Anne Fox
It is the book in which you will get two different ways of learning the language that is practical as well as old school methods. This book will help you to understand the language easily with a combination that can be more effective and fun. The book provides you the instructions and practice exercises that will help you to develop both speaking and writing German language. It is the book that will help you to get prepared with proficiency in the conversational language.
Whether you are travelling or going to work and want to improve the language then this book is for you. You will be getting 5 books in one book. It means that it takes content from 5 different books and makes it a base for this language. These five books are-
- German For Dummies
- German For Dummies Audio Set
- German Phrases For Dummies
- Intermediate German For Dummies
- German Essentials For Dummies
7. Mastering German Vocabulary: A Thematic Approach by Veronika Schnorr
Whenever you are learning a new language the most important part of it is the vocabulary list. There for the next book on the list is ‘Mastering German Vocabulary: A Thematic Approach.’ it is the book in which you will be getting 40 different chapters that will have different topics including clothing, food, feelings, etc. The author makes sure that whatever word is used in the book The readers get to understand the meaning of them properly.
Therefore they have used each of the words in different contexts so that you get to understand how to use them. It is a small book that can be easily carried out as it is small and simple to use. Obviously, it is not the book that will help you to learn the language at 100% fluency. If you want to learn it properly then you must try to use a grammar book along with it.
8. 2,001 Most Useful German Words by Joseph W. Moser and Dover
Another book that will help you in boosting of your vocabulary knowledge is “2,001 Most Useful German Words”. It is the book that will help you when you are travelling to Germany or the areas where German is used. All of the words that you will find in this book are very common. You will be getting a lot of examples along with English transactions.
The book is updated and there you will find the term start is used commonly in the present time. As the name suggests you will be getting 2000 words with brief definitions. There are different sections in which you will be finding words related to it. These sections include food, travelling, electronics, other activities, etc.
9. Speak German in 90 Days by Kevin Marx
It is a book that not only helps you to know what to study but also helps you understand how to study the German language. There are 90 lessons which means you will have to complete one lesson each day. So if you are going on a trip to a German-speaking country then you can learn to speak it within 90 days. As it follows a particular time frame, it is one of the best books for you if you want to learn it more quickly. This book also focuses on speaking which helps you to understand how to talk to a native speaker.
As it mainly focuses on the pronunciation of the words you will not be getting many grammar rules or the vocabulary list. However, you will be able to learn how to ask questions and answer them. In each lesson, you will be getting 10 vocabulary words which means that at the end you will be able to learn 900 words.
10. Practice Makes Perfect: Complete German All-in-One by SWICK and Ed Swick
This book has six workbooks from the Practice Makes Perfect series. In this book, you will not get lengthy explanations. You will only get a lot of exercises that will help you to develop your language knowledge. You will be getting a lot of different types that will help you to learn how you can use different nouns and verbs. Although this book is not the one in which you will be getting complete lessons and their force is not for beginners.
It means that if you have a basic understanding of the language then you can use this book. All the explanations in this book are in English which makes it easy for you to understand the language. As it has 6 different workbooks, you must include it in your language journey.
11. Easy German Phrase Book by Lingo Mastery
As the name suggests, it is the book that will help you to learn German vocabulary easily. In this book, you will have around 1500 phrases that you can use in everyday life. Whether you are going travelling or shopping it can be a helping hand for you. The book divides the common vocabulary topics like business, travelling, shopping, etc.
Dividing into different sections also helps you in using them when you are travelling around. The best part of this Phrasebook is that it also has detailed pronunciation related to different words. It means that you will not only be able to understand the meanings but also the right pronunciation of the words. This book is one of the best books for beginners or a person who is thinking of travelling in German-speaking countries.
Conclusion
When you are learning a new language you must not only focus on the online platforms. You must also include traditional methods of learning the language that is through books. If you are also learning the German language then you must also know about the various textbooks that will help you to learn it. Some of the books that you must read in your language learning journey are German Made Simple, Living Language German, German DeMYSTiFieD, etc.