# German book recommendation for a beginner **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 15, 2012, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-book-recommendation-for-a-beginner/637811 "2012-10-15T20:00:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Fear\_of\_the\_Dark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ea666f/32.png) [@Fear\_of\_the\_Dark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_of_the_Dark)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2012, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-book-recommendation-for-a-beginner/637811/1 "2012-10-15T20:00:00Z")
Greetings Exalted Ones, I am looking for a German textbook that has English descriptions. It should explain grammar structures and have exercises. Is there any book that you can recommend me? Thank you so much. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [October 15, 2012, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-book-recommendation-for-a-beginner/637811/2 "2012-10-15T20:13:30Z")
Reported for forum change. FYI, solicitations for recommendations go in IMHO. ---
**Author:** ![samclem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a9a28c/32.png) [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2012, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-book-recommendation-for-a-beginner/637811/3 "2012-10-16T01:06:45Z")
Moved to IHMO from GQ. **samclem** , moderator ---
**Author:** ![chizzuk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e36b37/32.png) [@chizzuk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chizzuk)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2012, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-book-recommendation-for-a-beginner/637811/4 "2012-10-16T01:15:28Z")
I have German Demystified, by Ed Swick. It starts extremely basic with a pronunciation guide and your standard “Mein Name ist Stefan,” teaches vocabulary as it goes through verb tenses, adjectives, syntax, etc. and has written exercises, quizzes, tests, and oral practice. I like it. But it doesn’t have a CD. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2012, 5:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-book-recommendation-for-a-beginner/637811/5 "2012-10-16T05:45:57Z")
For a good online source, you could check out [Tom’s Deutschseite](http://www.deutschseite.de/inhalt.html), originally started by a native speaker who wanted to teach the language his foreign wife-to-be. Besides a number of helpful lessons and pointers, there’s a forum community, which is useful because it’s geared mostly to those trying to learn the language. ---
**Author:** ![Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spectre_of_pithecanthropus/32/12343_2.png) [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)\ **Post date:** [October 16, 2012, 5:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-book-recommendation-for-a-beginner/637811/6 "2012-10-16T05:59:50Z")
> [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](#): > > For a good online source, you could check out [Tom’s Deutschseite](http://www.deutschseite.de/inhalt.html), originally started by a native speaker who wanted to teach the language his foreign wife-to-be. Besides a number of helpful lessons and pointers, there’s a forum community, which is useful because it’s geared mostly to those trying to learn the language. ETA: I see now they’ve redone their forums, keeping the old version along with the new. I can’t seem to log into either one now, so possibly they don’t have the kinks worked out yet. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_of\_the\_Dark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ea666f/32.png) [@Fear\_of\_the\_Dark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_of_the_Dark)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2012, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-book-recommendation-for-a-beginner/637811/7 "2012-10-21T16:33:00Z")
> [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](#): > > For a good online source, you could check out [Tom’s Deutschseite](http://www.deutschseite.de/inhalt.html), originally started by a native speaker who wanted to teach the language his foreign wife-to-be. Besides a number of helpful lessons and pointers, there’s a forum community, which is useful because it’s geared mostly to those trying to learn the language. This is awesome. I thank you so much. ---
**Author:** ![Maeglin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8baadc/32.png) [@Maeglin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maeglin)\ **Post date:** [October 21, 2012, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/german-book-recommendation-for-a-beginner/637811/8 "2012-10-21T18:09:44Z")
I really like Jannach’s German for Reading Knowledge by Richard Korb.