Re: German Thread
I post this here on request for a friend who's learning German. In case that the bandwidth is used up, just try again the next day. Please don't PM me to 'fix the links' until it's
really broken for some reason.
Kauderwelsch: Deutsch (
download)
This is part of a very popular book series called Kauderwelsch which is usually written in German aside from this one. The books introduce the chosen language in a highly compressed, informative and amusing way (including flirting and swearing), explaining basic grammar and pronunciation, important and casual phrases, common slang, traveler's vocabulary and lot's of interesting trivia about the country's people and culture.
They're meant for globetrotters who want a quick but not dirty start into the language of their target country, being able to communicate fast with the native people instead of hammering through long grammar lessons. It gives you a basic understanding of grammar, just enough to built simple sentences yourself and basically all important vocabulary you'll need for the first weeks. The focus of the books is 'understand and be understood', not more or less.
It's also a great piece for emergency situations because it contains some very useful 'important words and phrases' lists. The archive file contains the ebook (pdf, 13,8mb) and the audio tracks (mp3, 17mb). You don't need the book if you just want to train your hearing ability and you don't need the audio if you just want to read.
Erzähl mir was: Langzahn, das Walroß (
download)
This was a series of collector's magazines for children published in Germany from 1985 till 1987. An issue was published bi-weekly, ending with a total of 52 mags and a christmas special mag. I started elementary school in 1986 and basically learned how to read fluently with these stories.
Every issue contained around 6-9 short stories (fairytales, folk tales, famous novels, original stories,...). Most were oneshots and some were longer stories split into several parts which appeared regularly or irregularly in the magazine. The books don't contain any adds or flashy stuff, just the stories with really pretty art.
Now, how does that help me in learning German? Well, every issue came with a audio tape
The tape contained all the stories from the book, read 1:1 by German voice actors. So you basically can read the story and listen to a native speaker at the same time who's reading the text exactly by the book (but with lots of emotions, sound effects and fun). Of course, you can download a normal German 'adults' audio book and have the same effect but I find it more helpful with lots of different short stories spoken by different people, with different art and sounds. It's just more memorable and not getting tiresome in the long run. There's even a little bell ringing when you have to turn the pages ^.^
You can download the full collection (
all 53 issues as pdf including the audio tracks) on torrent. Because this download is over 5 GB, I separated one of the stories (40 MB) for you as example in the download link I posted above this text. It's the one my kids like the most
.
