Académique Documents
Professionnel Documents
Culture Documents
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GERMAN
LANGUAGE
BUILDER
Hodder Arnold
A MEMBER OF THE HODDER HEADLINE GROUP
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First published in UK 2001 by Hodder Headline, 338 Euston Road, London NW1 3BH.
Copyright 2001 Thomas Keymaster Languages, LLC. All rights reserved.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means,
electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without
permission in writing from the publisher or under licence from the Copyright Licensing Agency Limited. Further
details of such licences (for reprographic reproduction) may be obtained from the Copyright Licensing Agency
Limited, Saffron House, 610 Kirby Street, London EC1N 8TS, UK.
Typeset by Transet Limited, Coventry, England.
Printed in Great Britain
Impression
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2
Year
2010 2009 2008 2007 2006
ISBN
978 0 340 78969 8
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Introduction
Who was Michel Thomas?
Michel Thomas was head of the Michel Thomas Language Centers and
taught languages for over fifty years, primarily in New York, Beverly Hills,
and London. He was a graduate of the Department of Philology at the
University of Bordeaux, France, and studied psychology at the Sorbonne
(Paris) and at the University of Vienna. However, it was his remarkable life
experiences that fuelled his passion for teaching languages*.
Michel spent most of his childhood in Germany and France. With the rise
of Hitler, he began his years of escape and resistance. He spent two brutal
years in French concentration and slave labour camps, constantly
threatened by deportation to German death camps. He escaped and fought
for the French Resistance, surviving capture, interrogation and torture.
Michels wartime experiences, particularly his torture by the Gestapo when he
discovered the ability to block out pain, made him aware of the untapped
potential of the human mind. However, it was his deeply held conviction that
the biggest weapon in maintaining a free society was education that drove
him to devote his life to probing the learning process. Michel moved to Los
Angeles in 1947, and he set up a language institute in Beverly Hills. Over a
period of fifty years, he developed a unique and revolutionary learning
system that made him the worlds leading language teacher.
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You may have learned German before and now want to brush it up for a
holiday or business trip, or perhaps you are looking for a new approach to
help with revision or to re-motivate you: either way, the Language Builder
will give you a real insight into how the language works and will boost your
confidence to speak.
You may find that it takes a while to get used to Michels innovative way of
teaching it is certainly quite unlike any other method you will have come
across but once you have experienced the excitement of painless learning
you will be hooked!
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Relax!
Use the pause button to stop the recording so that you have time to think
out your translations. Then say the phrase or sentence out loud (or in a
whisper, or in your head, if you are in a public place), before Michel does.
This is essential. You do not learn by repetition but by thinking out the
sentences yourself; it is by your own thought process that you truly learn.
Stop the recording whenever it suits you
You will notice that the recordings are not divided into lessons*** so it is
easy to stop wherever you want.
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Customer feedback
I am writing to congratulate you on the highly original and successful
language courses by Michel Thomas; I am currently working on German
and French while my daughter, at my suggestion, has bought the Italian
course.
R Harris
I have now finished the eight cassette Italian course and would like to say
how pleased I am with it. I am a scientist, with all my neurones in the side
of my brain that deals with understanding, and next to none on the side
that deals with memory. This has meant my ability to retain vocabulary and
learn a language has been about as bad as it comes. Against all odds, the
Michel Thomas course has left me with a real sense of achievement, and a
tremendous basis for further progress in learning Italian.
T A Whittingham
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Recording 1
Guten Tag!
Hello!
I would like to do it
I will do it
I want to see it
I will see it
NOTE: will you in German is the same as do you want. Will you tell me... in English is not the
future tense but a polite request.
I cannot find it
I want to have it
I will buy it
with weil (because) the verb comes at the end of the sentence.
if you dont start with the subject (e.g. ich in the sentence above), then you invert, so ich will
becomes will ich.
NOTE:
I cannot do it
today I cannot do it
NOTE:
after wo, we have a weil situation, i.e. the verb goes to the end of the sentence.
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ob
whether
I dont know...
...if he can do it
...when he will do it
...that he can do it
es scheint mir
it seems to me
es scheint mir,...
it seems to me...
I dont know...
I want to do it
I wont do it today
beschftigt
busy
das Geschft
store, business
I am too busy
I will do it...
I have much to do
...dorthin zu gehen
...going there
...hier zu bleiben
...staying here
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I agree
verstehen
to understand
verstanden
understood
einverstanden
agreed
I dont agree
I understand you
I (have) understood
Do you agree?
es interessiert mich
it interests me
NOTE:
leider
unfortunately
leiden
to suffer
berhaupt nicht
not at all
I dont think...
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Note the use of man for one in German which is much more common than in English. We often
translate it as you.
man wird sehen
it is not possible
es so zu tun
es wird nicht mglich sein
es so zu tun
to do it that way
it will not be possible
to do it that way
I dont believe it
sicher
sure
sicherlich
surely, certainly
natrlich
naturally
naturally Im sure
thats all
NOTE:
noch etwas means anything else. anything or something else can also be sonst etwas.
es ist fertig
it is ready
...if it is possible
NOTE:
ich war
I was
I was busy
I cannot do it
because I am busy
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ich konnte
I could
sie konnte
she could
es konnte
it could
I could not do it
NOTE:
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Wo waren Sie?
er war nicht da
wre
would be
zeigen
to show
I show it to you
sich erkundigen
NOTE:
es geht schon
I have a question
Note that in German you use fragen in the sense of to ask a question but bitten to mean to ask for
or to request something.
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bitten
to ask
to come with us
sagen
to say, tell
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die Sorgen
worries
ohne Sorgen
without worries
Dont worry!
Darf ich...?
May I...?
versuchen
to try
suchen
ich suche es
Im looking for it
berall
everywhere, overall
ber alles
over everything
anprobieren
to try on
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vergessen
to forget
...es zu tun
...to do it
wirklich
really
es jetzt zu tun
ich wei nicht, ob ich es jetzt tun
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doing it now
I dont know if I can do it now
kann
...aber ich werde versuchen...
...to do it now
...dorthin zu gehen
...going there
...doing it now
warum nicht
why not
we can go there
if you want
ja, sicher
yes, certainly
sehr gern
very gladly
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I like that
NOTE:
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es gefllt mir
I like doing it
NOTE:
it is a good idea
es freut mich
die Freude
the pleasure
I am pleased
I am very pleased...
OR
...Sie zu sehen
OR
...Sie zu sehen
I am sorry
I am very sorry
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Schade!
its a pity...
wunderbar
wonderful
groartig
great
herrlich
magnificent
schnes Wetter
beautiful weather
hbsch
pretty
a pretty girl
it is very funny
schlecht
bad
nicht schlecht
not bad
lcherlich
ridiculous
lachen
to laugh
komisch
odd
verrckt
crazy
er ist verrckt
he is crazy
der Rcken
the back
zurck
back
zurckkommen
to come back
I will go back
zurck sein
to be back
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drcken
to push
I cannot stand it
halten
to hold
aushalten
ertragen
to bear
tragen
to carry
I cannot bear it
behalten
to keep
ich behalte es
Im keeping it
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NOTE: aushalten aus is a detachable (separable) prefix, for example, ich halte es aus. behalten
be is not a detachable prefix, for example, ich behalte es. If the stress falls on the prefix, then it
breaks off and is separable.
Halt!
Stop!
I cant do it
NOTE:
knnen means can but knnten means could in the sense of would be able to.
I must do it
I want to do it
we want to do it
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ich wollte
I wanted
I wanted to do it
I didnt want
I didnt want to do it
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I like to do it
I like to eat it
ich glaube,...
I think...
NOTE:
fahren means to go but not on foot. If you are walking use gehen.
Montag
Monday
Dienstag
Tuesday
Mittwoch
Wednesday
Donnerstag
Thursday
Freitag
Friday
Samstag
Saturday
Sonnabend
Saturday
Sonntag
Sunday
die Woche
the week
I will travel...
...first to France...
Im travelling to Munich
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NOTE:
in German you can use the Present Tense to express the future.
ich hoffe,...
I hope...
OR
...in Germany
mehrere
several
mehrere Tage
several days
I feel like...
die Sicht
the sight
das Gesicht
the face
die Aussicht
the view
die Absicht
the intention
I have no intention to do it
OR
reisen
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die Reise
the trip
Gute Reise!
to take a trip
absichtlich
deliberately
intentionally, on purpose,
he will do it deliberately
Soll ich?
Shall I?
Sollen wir?
Shall we?
NOTE:
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aufmachen
to open
zumachen
to close
anmachen
to turn on
es ist klar
it is clear
klarmachen
erklren
to explain
ich wusste
I knew
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REMEMBER:
when could in English is clearly in the past, i.e. was able, then in German you must use
konnte or konnten. If could in English means would be able to or it is not clearly in the past, then
you must use knnte or knnten.
er wird es reparieren
he will repair it
ich wei,
I know
obwohl
I couldnt do it
although I wanted to do it
es gibt...
there is...
What is there?
Whats new?
Recording 2
das erste Mal
manchmal
sometimes
oft
often
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I go there sometimes
but not very often
gewhnlich
usually
I dont usually do it
selten
seldom, rarely
I do it very rarely
bequem
comfortable
angenehm
agreeable
Im reading a book
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gerade means just and also straight. geradeaus means straight ahead.
er ist nicht da
he is not there
Ist er da?
Is he in?
Wissen Sie...
Do you know...
morgen frh
tomorrow morning
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Note that you use morgen frh (lit. tomorrow early) to mean tomorrow morning because morgen
means tomorrow and morning. You can also use morgen Vormittag.
ich werde ihn morgen Vormittag
anrufen
OR
ankommen
to arrive
bermorgen
Monat
month
im Monat Mai
man sagt
one says
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gehren
to belong
hren
to hear
ich hre es
I hear it
es gehrt mir
it belongs to me
it doesnt belong to me
es gehrt Ihnen
it belongs to you
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finden kann?
Wo kann ich ein gutes deutsches
Restaurant finden?
nah(e)
near
it is quite near
it is very near
I need a car
fr zwei Wochen
Wie viel kostet es...
...pro Tag?
...per day?
tglich
daily
wchentlich
weekly
pro Woche
per week
monatlich
monthly
pro Monat
per month
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es ist schwer
it is heavy OR it is difficult
it is very complicated
es zu finden
to find it
es ist leicht
it is easy OR it is light
einfach
simple
it is quite simple
die Sache
the thing
tatschlich
really
die Tat
the deed
it is really true
die Wahrheit
the truth
es ist wahr
it is true
es war wahr
it was true
wahrscheinlich
likely
unwahrscheinlich
unlikely
unglaublich
incredible, unbelievable
...dorthin zu gehen
...going there
...es zu kaufen
...buying it
...es zu sehen
...seeing it
Im taking a bath
I am very tired
die Ruhe
the quiet
Ruhe bitte!
Silence please!
ruhig
quiet
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sich ausruhen
to rest
I have no time
genug
enough
es zu tun
bringen
to bring
lange
long
geradeaus
straight ahead
Go straight ahead!
(if you are on foot)
Go straight ahead!
(if you are in a vehicle)
immer geradeaus
Continue going!
nach links
to the left
nach rechts
to the right
it is on this side
die Ecke
the corner
an der Ecke
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schnell
fast, quickly
Nicht so schnell!
Not so fast!
so... wie...
as... as...
as fast as possible
as soon as possible
es ist furchtbar
it is terrible, horrible
I am afraid
I am afraid to do it
es ist schrecklich
it is awful
bekommen
to get, obtain
I dont know
REMEMBER:
versuchen means to try, suchen means to look for and besuchen means to visit.
zu tun
ich bin nicht daran gewhnt es zu
tun
ich kann mich nicht daran gewhnen
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trotzdem
I will do it anyway
it is very interesting
...zu wissen
...to know
das Telefon...
the telephone
die Heizung...
the heating...
...funktioniert nicht
...doesnt work
es geht nicht
it doesnt go
NOTE:
use lassen to express the idea of having something done, i.e. not doing it yourself.
lassen
to let, leave
I will repair it
reinigen
to clean, clean up
waschen
to wash
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waschen lassen?
ich muss meinen Wagen reparieren
lassen
Wollen Sie mir das Frhstuck
bringen?
Wollen Sie das Frhstuck ins
Zimmer bringen?
into my room?
raufbringen
to bring up
lassen?
Wollen Sie den Koffer runterbringen?
lassen?
Wollen Sie mich morgen frh
um acht Uhr wecken (aufwecken)?
Wollen Sie mich morgen frh
wecken lassen?
down?
Will you wake me (up) tomorrow
morning at eight oclock?
Will you have me woken up
tomorrow morning?
runterkommen
to come down
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wnschen
to wish
Alles Gute!
Viel Vergngen!
dauern
to last
I cannot wait
if you want
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if you want
as you like
I am happy
es macht nichts
it doesnt matter
weitermachen
to continue doing
weitergehen
to continue going
I thank you
langweilen
to bore
Im getting bored
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vielleicht
maybe, perhaps
spter
NOTE:
wenigstens
at least
besonders
especially
what it is
denken
to think
berlegen
to think it over
legen
to lay
Im thinking it over
es geht gut
fhlen
to feel
ich fhle es
I feel it
I feel well
Note that when you are referring to yourself fhlen becomes reflexive so you need to add mich.
This also applies when talking about somebody else, so he feels well would be er fhlt sich gut.
ich fhle mich besser heute
besser als
better than
arbeiten
to work
die Arbeit
the work
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I must work
ich arbeite
Im working, I work
when Im alone
Im alone here
Im entirely alone
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the comparative of adjectives is formed by adding -er to the adjective, e.g. interessant
interessanter. Some have irregular forms, e.g. gut besser.
NOTE:
es ist da drben
it is over there
es ist da oben
it is up there
es ist da unten
it is down there
it surprises/astonishes me
(very much)
it doesnt surprise me
I am astonished
beraschen
to surprise
berascht
surprised
I am surprised
es berascht mich
it surprises me
viele Leute
many people
schnell
fast
langsam
slowly
langsamer
more slowly
frh
early
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it is very clean
schmutzig
dirty
der Schmutz
the dirt
es ist perfekt
it is perfect
irgendwann
anytime
irgendwo
anyplace
irgendjemand
anybody
jemand
someone
irgendwie
anyhow
berall
everywhere
bis
until
auf Wiedersehen
genug
enough
es gengt
it suffices, it is enough
nie wieder
never again
so etwas
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NOTE: if you can see the person you are saying goodbye to, you use auf Wiedersehen. If you are
on the phone, you use auf Wiederhren (until hearing you again).
auf Wiederhren
wieder
again
auf bald
wie bitte?
pardon?
Gute Reise!
Viel Glck!
Good luck!
Alles Gute!
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Just confidence
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Special Editions 99
French
ISBN: 978 0 340 81402 4
Italian
ISBN: 978 0 340 81403 1
Spanish
ISBN: 978 0 340 88289 4
Read Michel Thomas amazing life-story The Test of Courage, by
Christopher Robbins (ISBN 978 0 340 81245 7; 9.99 paperback).
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Hodder Arnold
338 Euston Road
London NW1 3BH