Kontakte

This was a decent textbook for learning German. It is about %80 vocabulary and grammar and %20 culture lessons. I did enjoy some of the tidbits on culture like the German fairy tales and nursery rhymes. The group activities were also fun and provide a chance to immerse students in German. The progression makes sense. I do not like how some words that have not been covered in the vocabulary randomly pop up (especially in the directions) and cause a little confusion. It woiuld make more sense to use ENglish in the directions until a student has the vocabulary to read the directions. Maybe start with English directions and slowly substiture German once the words have been covered in the Vocabulary.I would have given the book 5 stars had it not been for the price. I feel like it should have been better considering it is quite a bit more expensive than other German books.T^his textbook is better use4d in group (classroom) setting as opposed to a person wanting to pick up the language alone. Most of the activities are group-oriented so great for a classrom but not so great solo (talking to yourself in German does not help learn much).

Came in great condition. The textbook itself is very good, though I must say I'm unable to separate my judgement of the book from my excellent teacher... The textbook takes one through the nominative case first, focusing on clothing, then adding verbs, and then delves into the complex task of listening comprehension, adding daily activities, and then time. Finally, the accusations case is taught, and at this point, the grammatical side becomes more difficult. I do not teach German, am merely a student, but I think the textbook does a very good job of setting up the foundation and then after a few chapters (A, B, 1 all of which of course add new elements and become more nuanced) the book adds in an entirely new case--- yet the student is certainly prepared to handle the new information as there has been plenty of practice and proper instruction on how to construct sentences and healthy amounts of vocabulary. I think the book well-balanced, not too heavy on any aspect.As mentioned by others the approach is communicative, though there is a structured approach to grammar as well, I would still recommend getting a grammatical companion to work through alongside the textbook. Mainly so you remain aware of structure and grammar is then presented in a different, concise, manner than how it is being presented in the textbook. One must always keep their mind sharp when learning a language, so as not to fall into complacency as language is a living, breathing thing, with the structure of an entire society contained within the grammatical rules.I'd recommend practicing outside of class often, watching German films to become acclimated to the sound and culture in Germany and Austria. Have fun and make sure to say "ja" and "sehr schon" often!

This is only for the Kindle edition, not the hard copy edition and not the content of the book. On the good side, it is much nicer not to carry a book with you to class every day. The pages and sections are easy to flip through, and you can zoom in as you would with any Kindle book. The bad part is that unlike using a PDF on an ipad, you can't write or make notations on the pages. You can highlight sections, sure. But since this is a text book used in a classroom setting where some exercises ask you to work with a partner and write your answer, or complete a table, it would be nice to be able to not have to do so on another piece of paper. Drawing a grid and keeping track of where you are between a screen, paper, and your group is a major disadvantage.

Decent College level textbook. Don't try to teach yourself from this book, though, as THAT won't work. Not as user friendly as a high school text... but then, it isn't a High School text.... it is used by the University of California system, and the Junior Colleges that feed into it. Very information dense. You'll need an instructor to help you tap into that information.... at least, at first.

The book is supposed to be used, but it seriously looks new. I flipped through the pages and there are only a few words scribbled lightly in pencil - nothing that can't be erased. No serious problems with the book. Worth the price ($30 less than what a friend would have sold me his for).Great vendor. Will buy more from cheapusedbooks in the future.

Unnecessarily complex and disorganized, this 'introductory' textbook would frustrate any first-year German student. I know, because my wife has suffered through 2 quarters at the Univ. of Washington, Seattle, and I was on her side the whole time. I am a native German speaker, so it was a real painful experience for me to see her struggle. For a 7th edition, one would think that most of the errata had been corrected - but no, there are grammatical mistakes in the chapters I read with her. In an effort to be contemporary, the authors try to include real-life conversations and audio. Except these do not help much, because the colloquial language found there is not translated or idioms explained. Since the expensive, graphics-heavy textbook is oriented toward the majority of German speakers, Austrian and Swiss German comes up short. Even with a full-fledged dictionary in hand, Kontakte does not satisfy the need to successively read and understand conversations, assignments, and tests. I bet there are other, more conventional, but also better-organized, textbooks that guide the beginner through vocabulary and grammar exercises that allow students to register progress and achieve some familiarity with the German language. It definitely is not a self-study publication, but it also fails the grade for in-class instruction.

This is a college level german language book. Start with something easier, say child or highschool level book, then this book will make more sense.

If I was not told that this book is used, I thought it was a new one.I love the idea that the user of this book sell the book back for future users once they finish their study. I also really appreciate it that the book was well protect by the previous users!

Ugh... get the textbook, not the ebook version. Badly optimized.

It's expensive, but It works for multiple courses so it's worth it in the long run.