German All-In-One For Dummies (with audio online!)
2nd Edition
Published on 22. January 2026
611 pages
978-1-394-39310-7 (ISBN)
Description
An easy and intuitive guide to basic German that will have you speaking Deutsch in no time
Looking for a fun, easy, and accurate guide to conversational German? German All-In-One For Dummies, 2nd Edition provides helpful guidance on German grammar, vocabulary, rules, structure, and conventions that will get you fully up-to-speed on the German language. This book gets you ready to communicate in German in a ton of everyday situations: at work, on a trip, and online.
German All-In-One For Dummies, 2nd Edition pairs perfectly with in-class German instruction, app-based language learning, and solo study-quickly and reliably improving your German. Plus, you'll get complimentary access to online audio resources that cover common German conversations!
Inside:
- A huge collection of German vocabulary, including words, common phrases, and grammar
- Practical solutions to common roadblocks and frustrations encountered by beginning German speakers
- Exercises to help you practice the German lessons in the book
German All-In-One For Dummies, 2nd Edition is perfect for anyone looking to brush up on the fundamentals before a work trip, vacation, or just for fun.
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Book
02/2026
2nd Edition
Wiley
€39.00
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Person
Wendy Foster loves languages. She spent 30 years in Munich, immersing herself in the German language and culture, intermittently bouncing to Paris to complete her MA in French. Later, she lived in Spain, where she studied Spanish. She's now a polyglot living in New England. She's the author of German For Dummies, German Workbook For Dummies, and more.
Content
- Intro
- Title Page
- Copyright Page
- Table of Contents
- Introduction
- About This Book
- Conventions Used in This Book
- Foolish Assumptions
- How This Book Is Organized
- Book 1: Getting Started with German
- Book 2: Speaking German on the Go
- Book 3: Assembling the Grammatical Foundations for Communication
- Book 4: Building Detail and Precision in Your Communication
- Book 5: The Appendixes
- Icons Used in This Book
- Where to Go from Here
- Book 1 Getting Started with German
- Chapter 1 Warming Up to German Basics
- Starting with What You Already Know
- Friendly allies: Kindergarten and more (perfect cognates)
- Kissing cousins (near cognates)
- False friends
- Lenders and borrowers
- Using Basic Expressions
- Finding Meaning through Context
- Handling Basic Pronunciation
- Understanding stress in German
- Constructing the alphabet blocks
- Pronouncing vowels
- Pronouncing ä, ö, and ü
- Pronouncing diphthongs
- Pronouncing consonants
- Pronouncing f, h, k, m, n, p, t, x, and ß
- Pronouncing the German r and l
- Pronouncing consonant combinations
- Chapter 2 Handling Numbers, Times, Dates, and Measurements
- Doing the Numbers
- Counting off with cardinal numbers
- Watching out for spelling and pronunciation changes
- Thinking grand with large numbers and punctuating properly
- Getting in line with ordinal numbers
- Telling Time
- Using the 12-hour clock
- On the hour
- Before and after the hour
- A few minutes before or after
- Using the 24-hour system
- Describing times of the day
- Expressing Dates
- Recounting the days
- Knowing the names of the months and seasons
- Writing dates the European way
- Referring to specific dates
- Celebrating holidays
- Measurements, Quantities, and Weights
- Chapter 3 Meeting and Greeting: Guten Tag!
- Getting Formal or Informal
- Saying "Hello," "Goodbye," and "How Are You?"
- Saying "Guten Tag" and "Auf Wiedersehen"
- Asking "How are you?"
- Giving a response to "How are you?"
- Introducing Yourself and Your Friends
- Introducing your friends
- Making introductions for special occasions
- Introducing yourself
- Discussing Cities, Countries, and Nationalities
- Saying where you come from
- Asking people where they come from
- Discovering nationalities
- Chatting about languages you speak
- Making Small Talk about the Weather and Sports
- Noting what it's like out there
- Discussing the temperature
- Describing the day's weather
- Playing Sports
- Playing around with the verb "spielen"
- Inviting someone to play
- Chapter 4 Talking about Home and Family
- Living in an Apartment or House
- Describing life within four walls
- Asking the right questions
- The bathroom/toilet issue
- At the dinner table
- Talking About Family and People You Know
- Naming your relatives
- Discussing friends, acquaintances, and neighbors
- Chapter 5 Taking Care of Business and Telecommunications
- Phoning Made Simple
- Asking for your party
- Making the connection
- Making Appointments
- Sending Written Correspondence
- Sending a letter or postcard
- Buying stamps
- Putting your mail in the mailbox
- Asking for special services
- Emailing
- Sending a fax
- Getting to Know the Office
- Mastering your desk and supplies
- Grasping Anglicisms
- Doing business in German
- Tuning in to Current Events
- Newspapers in print and online
- Television and radio
- Chapter 6 Shopping Made Easy
- Places to Shop around Town
- Finding Out about Opening Hours
- Navigating Your Way around a Store
- Just browsing: Taking a look at merchandise
- Getting assistance as you shop
- Shopping for Clothes
- Familiarizing yourself with the colors available
- Knowing your size
- Trying on the items you find
- Paying for Your Shopping Items
- Chapter 7 Guten Appetit! Dining Out and Going to the Market
- Hast du Hunger? Hast du Durst?
- All about Meals
- Setting the Table for a Meal
- Dining Out: Visiting a Restaurant
- Deciding where to eat
- Making reservations
- Arriving and being seated
- Deciphering the Menu
- Placing Your Order
- Ordering politely
- Using modals to modify what you say
- Ordering something special
- Finishing Your Meal and Getting the Check
- Replying to "How did you like the food?"
- Asking for the check
- Shopping for Food
- Knowing where to shop
- Finding what you need
- Book 2 Speaking German on the Go
- Chapter 1 Asking for Directions
- "Wo?" - Asking Where Something Is
- "Wie weit?" How far is it?
- Going here and there
- Asking "How Do I Get There?"
- Using "in" to get into a location
- Using "nach" to get to a city or country
- Using "zu" to get to institutions
- Describing a Position or Location in Relation to Some Other Place
- Getting Your Bearings Straight with Left, Right, North, and South
- Left, right, straight ahead
- The cardinal points
- Taking This or That Street
- Using Ordinal Numbers: First, Second, Third, and More
- Chapter 2 Going Out on the Town
- Taking in the Sights
- Deciding what to see
- Taking a sightseeing tour
- Heading to the Movies
- Getting to the show
- Buying tickets
- Going to the Museum
- Going Out for Entertainment
- Deciding where to go
- Going to a concert
- Going to a Party
- Getting an invitation
- Declining
- Accepting
- Chapter 3 Planning a Trip: Gute Reise!
- Getting Help from a Travel Agent
- Exploring the Outdoors
- Getting out and going
- Things to see along the way
- Going to the mountains
- Going to the country
- Going to the sea
- Dealing with Passports and Visas
- The all-important passport
- Managing visas
- Handling Money
- Heading to the ATM
- Changing currency
- Understanding the euro and other currencies
- Chapter 4 Finding a Place to Stay: Gute Nacht!
- Finding a Hotel
- Reserving Rooms
- Saying when and how long you want to stay
- Specifying the kind of room you want
- Asking about the price
- Finalizing the reservation
- Checking In
- Stating how long you're staying
- Filling out the registration form
- Getting keyed in
- Asking about amenities and facilities
- Your room
- The hotel
- Checking Out and Paying the Bill
- Asking for your bill
- Asking small favors
- Chapter 5 Getting Around: Planes, Trains, Taxis, and Buses
- Using German at the Airport
- Getting your ticket and boarding pass
- Checking in
- Going through immigration
- Going through customs
- Traveling by Car
- Renting a car
- Making sense of maps
- Wrapping your brain around road signs
- Going by car or other vehicle
- Taking a Train
- Interpreting train schedules
- Getting information
- Buying tickets
- The basics
- Extras
- Navigating Buses, Subways, and Taxis
- Catching the bus
- Taking a taxi
- Chapter 6 Handling Emergencies
- Requesting Help
- Shouting for help
- Reporting a problem
- Asking for English-speaking help
- Getting Medical Attention
- Describing what ails you
- Telling about any special conditions
- Getting an examination
- Specifying parts of the body
- Getting the diagnosis
- Getting treatment
- Talking to the Police
- Describing what was stolen
- Answering questions from the police
- Getting legal help
- Book 3 Assembling the Grammatical Foundations for Communication
- Chapter 1 Laying Out the Basics to Build Sentences
- Identifying the Parts of Speech
- Nouns
- Understanding a noun's gender
- Making singular nouns plural
- Pronouns
- Articles
- The definite articles ("der," "die," and "das")
- The indefinite articles ("ein," "eine," and "ein")
- Adjectives
- Verbs
- Adverbs
- Conjunctions
- Prepositions
- Understanding Grammar Terms
- Conjugating verbs and understanding tenses
- Familiarizing yourself with gender, number, and case
- Grammar terms that describe words, parts of words, and word groupings
- Understanding Word Order
- Arranging words in the right order
- Putting the verb in second place
- Pushing the verb to the end
- Forming questions
- Checking Out the Tenses: Present, Past, and Future
- Looking at the present
- Talking about the past
- Forming the past participle of a weak verb
- Forming the past participle of a strong verb
- Writing about the past
- Talking about the future
- Chapter 2 Sorting Out Word Gender and Case
- Classifying Nouns and Pronouns with Gender
- Identifying German genders
- Figuring out which gender to use
- Pinning Down Plurals
- Mastering the Art of Articles
- Identifying singular nouns with indefinite articles
- Knowing when not to use articles
- Calling All Cases: The Roles Nouns Play
- Identifying the four cases
- Definite articles by case
- Understanding nouns with case endings
- Putting Pronouns in Place
- Getting personal with personal pronouns
- Relating to relative pronouns
- Demonstrating demonstrative pronouns
- Discovering Dative Verbs
- Considering How Case Affects Adjectives
- How possessives change
- How adjective endings change
- Chapter 3 Dealing with the Here and Now: The Present Tense
- Grasping the Specifics of Subject Pronouns
- Assigning person and number to subject pronouns
- Distinguishing among the three forms of "you"
- Using Sie
- Using du and ihr
- Distinguishing among "she," "they," and the formal "you"
- Getting Your Verbs in Shape
- Agreeing with the regulars
- Conjugating verbs with spelling changes
- Conjugating the irregulars haben and sein: To have and to be
- Haben: Let me have it
- Sein: To be or not to be
- Using the Very Versatile Present Tense
- Stating Information with the Passive
- Forming the passive
- Using the passive
- Chapter 4 Asking and Answering Questions
- Knowing How to Formulate Questions
- Inverting word order for yes/no questions
- Gathering information with question words: Who, what, why, and more
- Checking information: Tag! You're it, aren't you?
- Answering with Yes
- Emphasizing yes
- Variations on yes
- Responding with No: The Difference between Kein and Nicht
- Negating with nicht
- Negating with kein
- Avoiding blunt negative replies
- Sounding Diplomatic: Using Maybe, Suggesting, and Refusing Politely
- Chapter 5 Describing and Comparing with Adjectives and Adverbs
- Organizing Adjectives: Opposites and Cognates
- Letting opposites attract
- Describing appearance and personal traits
- Describing the weather
- A family resemblance: Describing with cognates
- Helping Adjectives Meet a Satisfying End
- Forming endings on adjectives not preceded by der- or ein- words
- Adding endings for preceded adjectives
- Using the right endings with possessive adjectives
- Understanding Types of Adverbs
- Describing time with adverbs
- Using adverbs to indicate place
- Looking at adverbs of manner and degree
- Eyeing adverbs that describe cause
- Adverbs that modify adjectives
- Putting Adverbs and Adverbial Expressions in Their Proper Place
- Comparing with Regular Adjectives and Adverbs: Fast, Faster, Fastest
- Comparing two things
- Absolutely the most! Discussing superlatives
- Considering common comparisons
- Adding the umlaut in regular comparisons
- Using Irregular Comparison Forms
- Chapter 6 Modifying Verbs with Helpers: The Modal Auxiliaries
- Grasping the Basics of Modal Verbs
- Identifying modals: Assistants with attitude
- Understanding word order and modals
- May I? Dürfen, the Permission Verb
- Forming dürfen
- Using dürfen
- You Can Do It! Können, the Ability Verb
- Forming können
- Using können
- I Like That: Mögen, the Likeable Verb
- Forming mögen
- Using mögen
- What Would You Like? Möchten, the Preference Verb
- Forming möchten
- Using möchten
- Do I Have To? Müssen, the Verb of Necessity
- Forming müssen
- Using müssen
- Should I or Shouldn't I? Sollen, the Duty Verb
- Forming sollen
- Using sollen
- I Want to Be Famous: Wollen, the Intention Verb
- Forming wollen
- Using wollen
- Chapter 7 Instructing and Commanding: The Imperative
- Using the Imperative: Do It!
- Grasping the three imperative forms
- Punctuating commands
- Commanding with regular verbs
- Commanding with irregular verbs
- Grasping Formal Commands
- Using the formal "you" form: Sie
- Understanding signs
- Reading instructions
- Giving Informal Directives
- Using the singular "you" form: du
- Using the plural informal "you" form: ihr
- Giving Directives Politely and Making Suggestions
- Chapter 8 Sorting Out Separable- and Inseparable-Prefix Verbs
- Looking at the Prefix
- Parting Ways: Simplifying Separable-Prefix Verbs
- Getting the hang of separable prefixes
- Using separable-prefix verbs in the present tense
- Together Forever: Investigating Inseparable-Prefix Verbs
- Understanding inseparable-prefix combinations
- Putting inseparable-prefix verbs into the present tense
- Book 4 Building Detail and Precision in Your Communication
- Chapter 1 Tying Ideas Together with Conjunctions and Relative Pronouns
- Conjunctions and Clauses: Reviewing the Terminology
- Connecting with Coordinating Conjunctions
- Using coordinating conjunctions
- Working on word order
- Getting Support from Subordinating Conjunctions
- Using subordinating conjunctions
- Putting words in the proper order
- Joining with Relative Pronouns
- Knowing how to make the connection with relative pronouns
- Forming sentences with relative clauses
- Chapter 2 Specifying Relationships with Prepositions
- Prepping for Prepositions with a Few Basic Guidelines
- Grasping the importance of case
- Understanding where meaning fits in
- Accusative, Dative, and Genitive Cases: How the Rest of the Phrase Shapes Up
- No finger pointing: Accusative prepositions
- Dative prepositions
- Genitive prepositions
- Tackling Two-Way Prepositions: Accusative/Dative
- Chapter 3 Using Reflexives and Other Verb Combinations
- Identifying Types of Idiomatic Verb Expressions
- In the Looking Glass: Reflecting on Reflexive Verbs
- Self-ish concerns: Meeting the reflexive pronouns
- On the case! Choosing the right form of reflexive pronoun
- Putting the pronoun in the proper place
- Identifying which verbs need to be reflexive
- Combining Verbs with Prepositions
- Seeing how prepositions transform verbs
- Knowing common combos in the accusative case
- Eyeing common combos in the dative case
- Chapter 4 Conversing about the Past: The Present Perfect and Past Perfect
- Forming the Present Perfect with Haben
- Forming the present perfect with regular weak verbs
- Forming the present perfect with irregular weak verbs
- Forming the present perfect with strong verbs
- Forming the present perfect with verbs ending in -ieren
- Forming the Present Perfect with Sein
- Eyeing the Present Perfect: German versus English
- One for all: Representing three English tenses
- Opting for the German present
- Using Modal Auxiliary Verbs in Present Perfect
- Forming modal verbs in present perfect
- Understanding word order with modal verbs
- Using Separable- and Inseparable-Prefix Verbs in Present Perfect
- Separable-prefix verbs
- Inseparable-prefix verbs
- Describing with Past Perfect
- Chapter 5 Narrating the (Simple) Past: Fact and Fiction
- Conjugating the Simple Past
- Forming regular (weak) verbs in simple past
- Forming irregular (strong) verbs in simple past
- Forming haben and sein in simple past
- Forming modals in simple past
- Contrasting Tenses
- Chapter 6 Looking to the Future (And Avoiding It)
- The Future Is Now: Using the Present Tense Instead
- Seeing when German present works perfectly
- Saying when: Using future time expressions with the present tense
- Peering into the Future with Werden
- Forming the future: Werden + infinitive verb
- Using the future: Assuming, hoping, and emphasizing intentions
- Using the future to express probability
- Talking about What Will Have Happened: The Future Perfect
- Forming the future perfect
- Using the future perfect
- Chapter 7 Describing Your Mood: Summing Up the Subjunctive
- Comparing Subjunctive Types and the Conditional
- The Present Subjunctive II: Knowing How and When to Use It
- Creating the present Subjunctive II with würde
- Forming the Subjunctive II of haben, sein, and modal verbs
- Haben and sein
- Modal verbs and other special verbs
- Using the present Subjunctive II
- Describing a hypothetical situation or a wish
- Describing a condition
- Politely making a request
- Expressing your feelings and/or opinion
- Forming and Using the Past Subjunctive II
- Forming the past Subjunctive II
- Using the past Subjunctive II
- Two-timing the past subjunctive: Using double infinitives
- Subjunctive I: Using It in Indirect Discourse
- Recognizing the present Subjunctive I
- Recognizing the past Subjunctive I
- Book 5 The Appendixes
- Appendix A Verb Tables and Case Charts
- Verb Conjugation Basics
- Present and simple past tenses
- Present perfect tense
- Future tense
- Subjunctive mood
- Conjugations of Weak Verbs
- Regular verbs (no stem change in the simple past)
- wohnen (to live, to reside)
- Regular verbs (with stem ending in -d, -t, -fn, or -gn)
- arbeiten (to work)
- Irregular weak verbs (stem change in the simple past)
- denken (to think)
- Conjugations of Strong Verbs
- Verbs with auxiliary haben
- trinken (to drink)
- Verbs with auxiliary sein
- kommen (to come)
- Verbs with present-tense vowel change in second- and third-person singular
- lesen (to read)
- Conjugations of Separable-Prefix Verbs
- Conjugations of Inseparable-Prefix Verbs
- Verbs with a past participle ending in -t
- bezahlen (to pay)
- Verbs with a past participle ending in -en
- gefallen (to like)
- Conjugations of Auxiliary Verbs Haben, Sein, and Werden
- Conjugations of Modal Auxiliary Verbs
- Principal Parts of Strong and Irregular Weak Verbs
- Case Charts
- Articles
- Definite articles (the)
- Indefinite articles (a, an) and ein- words
- Pronouns
- Personal pronouns
- Relative and demonstrative pronouns
- Der- words
- Reflexive pronouns
- Interrogative pronoun who
- Adjectives
- Adjectives without der- or ein- words (not preceded)
- Preceded adjectives
- Irregular comparison (adjectives and adverbs)
- Prepositions
- Accusative, dative, and genitive prepositions
- Two-way prepositions: Accusative/dative
- Appendix B German-English Mini-Dictionary
- Appendix C English-German Mini-Dictionary
- Appendix D Fun & Games
- Book 1, Chapter 1: Warming Up to German Basics
- Book 1, Chapter 2: Handling Numbers, Times, Dates, and Measurements
- Book 1, Chapter 3: Meeting and Greeting: Guten Tag!
- Book 1, Chapter 4: Talking about Home and Family
- Book 1, Chapter 5: Taking Care of Business and Telecommunications
- Book 1, Chapter 6: Shopping Made Easy
- Book 1, Chapter 7: Guten Appetit! Dining Out and Going to the Market
- Book 2, Chapter 1: Asking for Directions
- Book 2, Chapter 2: Going Out on the Town
- Book 2, Chapter 3: Planning a Trip: Gute Reise!
- Book 2, Chapter 4: Finding a Place to Stay: Gute Nacht!
- Book 2, Chapter 5: Getting Around: Planes, Trains, Taxis, and Buses
- Book 2, Chapter 6: Handling Emergencies
- Book 3, Chapter 1: Laying Out the Basics to Build Sentences
- Book 3, Chapter 2: Sorting Out Word Gender and Case
- Book 3, Chapter 3: Dealing with the Here and Now: The Present Tense
- Book 3, Chapter 4: Asking and Answering Questions
- Book 3, Chapter 5: Describing and Comparing with Adjectives and Adverbs
- Book 3, Chapter 6: Modifying Verbs with Helpers: The Modal Auxiliaries
- Book 3, Chapter 7: Instructing and Commanding: The Imperative
- Book 3, Chapter 8: Sorting Out Separable- and Inseparable-Prefix Verbs
- Book 4, Chapter 1: Tying Ideas Together with Conjunctions and Relative Pronouns
- Book 4, Chapter 2: Specifying Relationships with Prepositions
- Book 4, Chapter 3: Using Reflexives and Other Verb Combinations
- Book 4, Chapter 4: Conversing about the Past: The Present Perfect and Past Perfect
- Book 4, Chapter 5: Narrating the (Simple) Past: Fact and Fiction
- Book 4, Chapter 6: Looking to the Future (and Avoiding It)
- Book 4, Chapter 7: Describing Your Mood: Summing Up the Subjunctive
- Answer Key
- Book 1, Chapter 1: Warming Up to German Basics
- Book 1, Chapter 2: Handling Numbers, Times, Dates, and Measurements
- Book 1, Chapter 3: Meeting and Greeting: Guten Tag!
- Book 1, Chapter 4: Talking about Home and Family
- Book 1, Chapter 5: Taking Care of Business and Telecommunications
- Book 1, Chapter 6: Shopping Made Easy
- Book 1, Chapter 7: Guten Appetit! Dining Out and Going to the Market
- Book 2, Chapter 1: Asking for Directions
- Book 2, Chapter 2: Going Out on the Town
- Book 2, Chapter 3: Planning a Trip: Gute Reise!
- Book 2, Chapter 4: Finding a Place to Stay: Gute Nacht!
- Book 2, Chapter 5: Getting Around: Planes, Trains, Taxis, and Buses
- Book 2, Chapter 6: Handling Emergencies
- Book 3, Chapter 1: Laying Out the Basics to Build Sentences
- Book 3, Chapter 2: Sorting Out Word Gender and Case
- Book 3, Chapter 3: Dealing with the Here and Now: The Present Tense
- Book 3, Chapter 4: Asking and Answering Questions
- Book 3, Chapter 5: Describing and Comparing with Adjectives and Adverbs
- Book 3, Chapter 6: Modifying Verbs with Helpers: The Modal Auxiliaries
- Book 3, Chapter 7: Instructing and Commanding: The Imperative
- Book 3, Chapter 8: Sorting Out Separable- and Inseparable-Prefix Verbs
- Book 4, Chapter 1: Tying Ideas Together with Conjunctions and Relative Pronouns
- Book 4, Chapter 2: Specifying Relationships with Prepositions
- Book 4, Chapter 3: Using Reflexives and Other Verb Combinations
- Book 4, Chapter 4: Conversing about the Past: The Present Perfect and Past Perfect
- Book 4, Chapter 5: Narrating the (Simple) Past: Fact and Fiction
- Book 4, Chapter 6: Looking to the Future (And Avoiding It)
- Book 4, Chapter 7: Describing Your Mood: Summing Up the Subjunctive
- Index
- EULA
