Language Course From Wikibooks, the open-content textbooks collection Contents

case
, 
gender
, 
number
, 
tense
, 
person
, 
mood
, 
voice
, and 
comparison
. How words "signal" these functions is an important aspect of 
learning a new language. English speakers should know all of these functions and the signals used in 
English, but it is often the situation that you know perfectly well how to speak English, without 
understanding much about word-functions and signals. For this reason, this textbook incorporates 
considerable detail on grammar, including both English and German grammar. The reference book 
English
at 
Wikibooks
may be consulted for additional help. When we say German is more complex 
than English, what we really mean is that the signals used in German are different from and more 
numerous than those used by English.

---

Pronunciation
A guide to pronunciation of German is provided as 
Appendix 1
. You should become familiar with this 
page early on, and refer to it often. Nothing can replace learning a language from a native speaker, but 
the text is liberally sprinkled with audio files providing the student with valuable input from hearing 
spoken German. Analyze the spoken words carefully. The pronunciation guide in Appendix 1 can only 
closely, not exactly, convey how German words should be pronounced. And of course, German (like 
English) has a number of dialects distinguished by differences in pronunciation.
Help in the pronunciation of individual words can be found by accessing the sound files of either of the 
online dictionaries, links to which are given in the 
German websites
 appendix.
Layout of Lessons
This textbook is intended as a beginning course in the German language for English speakers. Early 
lessons emphasize conversational subjects and gradually introduce German grammatical concepts and 
rules. In addition, sound files accompany appropriate parts of each lesson. Although the 
basic lessons 
(
Grundlegende Lektionen
) are presented at about the (US) high school level. Beginners (including 
those attempting to learn German outside of a course structure) are expected to work through several 
basic lessons up to an indicated point, when review is suggested along with additional study. The basic 
way lessons go to other lessons is very simple and direct:
•
Lesson 1 > 2 > 3 > 4 > and on to the end of the text. 

---