The Everything Essential German Book: All You Need to Learn German in No Time!

Of the dozens of language books I've used in the past to supplement my beginning language learning of several different languages, I consider this one the absolute best I've used. It was exactly what I wanted, an explanation of basic grammar, with just the right amount of examples, for a beginner in the language. Because it is not an exhaustive grammar book, and written in an extremely readable style, it is a joy to read, and extremely helpful. My learning process of late is usually a combination of starting with Pimsleur, if available, especially if the Unlimited app is available, and later supplementing it with LingQ, italki tutors, (insert language)Pod101, JTLanguage (disclaimer--I wrote this one), TPRS books, and whatever good teachers or material I can find on YouTube. It's frustrating that some sources like Pimsleur expect you to infer the grammar, so this is a great resource to let you go back and actually understand better what you were supposed to infer. I see that there are other "Everything Essential" books. I'll check them out. It would be nice if Mr. Swick, for other languages that he doesn't have expertise in, could supervise others who do to create books in this same style and format, as he obviously has the know-how for it.

This 2013 Book clearly presents the basics, such as German pronunciation, the four cases, common verb tenses, modal verbs, separable prefix verbs, adjective endings, indirect objects, word order, numbers, and subjunctive. This is a succinct first German book good for self-study. Type size and good paper are very readable. Book is 5.25 inches wide, 8.5 inches tall, and .75 inch thick, with 256 total pages. Book has Answers in the back to its exercises. Book has good coverage of basic information in a readable, fast format, using explanations, sentences, exercises, and tables where useful.

Essentially, the text of this volume is good and very helpful. Thus far (not finished yet) I would give the writing 5 stars. However, the paper quality is near to being newsprint and the the print itself is way too light. They must have been saving the ink for something else. If you get the book cheap, it is worth it but the exact same volume in hardback with readable type and good paper would be great and very useful. Too bad the author used cheap materials for his book. Three stars is the best I can do.

Excellent book in terms of context. Horrible book in terms of paper quality. Not sure what they were thinking.

Great price, fast delivery, BUT this is NOT a good textbook. Good for learning rules, but not for learning a language. I am a retired teacher who's taught Spanish and English as a Second Language.

This explains a lot of the grammar encountered in the German language in easy to understand language. The clues for determining the gender of nouns is great.

I appreciated the author's approach of comparing characteristics of the English language with that of German, so the new grammar and vocabulary did not seem so unusual. I also liked the conversational style which made for easy reading.

One of the better German books I've had to work with.

I bought this book two years ago in hopes of re-learning my high school German. I just picked it up and began to learn...and this is an exemplary book. Easy to learn, well-paced textual materials, and good exercises. It doesn't overwhelm, but progresses at a pace that keeps you engaged. German can be a difficult language with many exceptions to the rule...but this book definitely helps. Glad I bought it!

The book itself is succinct while giving really good tips on details that are unclear about the grammar, and putting it in a way that's easy to understand. Each section is peppered with small exercises. However, I first saw this in a bookstore before ordering it from amazon. The paper quality in the store was much better, thicker that would withstand writing and erasing several times. The book I received has a cheaper paper that will wear out quickly, so note that if you plan to write in the exercises rather than using separate paper.

Of the dozens of language books I've used in the past to supplement my beginning language learning of several different languages, I consider this one the absolute best I've used. It was exactly what I wanted, an explanation of basic grammar, with just the right amount of examples, for a beginner in the language. Because it is not an exhaustive grammar book, and written in an extremely readable style, it is a joy to read, and extremely helpful. My learning process of late is usually a combination of starting with Pimsleur, if available, especially if the Unlimited app is available, and later supplementing it with LingQ, italki tutors, (insert language)Pod101, JTLanguage (disclaimer--I wrote this one), TPRS books, and whatever good teachers or material I can find on YouTube. It's frustrating that some sources like Pimsleur expect you to infer the grammar, so this is a great resource to let you go back and actually understand better what you were supposed to infer. I see that there are other "Everything Essential" books. I'll check them out. It would be nice if Mr. Swick, for other languages that he doesn't have expertise in, could supervise others who do to create books in this same style and format, as he obviously has the know-how for it.

This 2013 Book clearly presents the basics, such as German pronunciation, the four cases, common verb tenses, modal verbs, separable prefix verbs, adjective endings, indirect objects, word order, numbers, and subjunctive. This is a succinct first German book good for self-study. Type size and good paper are very readable. Book is 5.25 inches wide, 8.5 inches tall, and .75 inch thick, with 256 total pages. Book has Answers in the back to its exercises. Book has good coverage of basic information in a readable, fast format, using explanations, sentences, exercises, and tables where useful.

Essentially, the text of this volume is good and very helpful. Thus far (not finished yet) I would give the writing 5 stars. However, the paper quality is near to being newsprint and the the print itself is way too light. They must have been saving the ink for something else. If you get the book cheap, it is worth it but the exact same volume in hardback with readable type and good paper would be great and very useful. Too bad the author used cheap materials for his book. Three stars is the best I can do.

Excellent book in terms of context. Horrible book in terms of paper quality. Not sure what they were thinking.

Great price, fast delivery, BUT this is NOT a good textbook. Good for learning rules, but not for learning a language. I am a retired teacher who's taught Spanish and English as a Second Language.

This explains a lot of the grammar encountered in the German language in easy to understand language. The clues for determining the gender of nouns is great.