Synopses & Reviews
WIE GEHT'S?, one of the most popular Introductory German programs in the country, shows students how the German language actually works, while encouraging cultural awareness and the acquisition of a functional vocabulary that effectively prepares students to continue with their study of German. In the Seventh Edition, students have even greater opportunities for communicative practice, with updated cultural material that discusses the exciting and dramatic changes in German-speaking countries during the past few years. The audio CD included with every new student copy of the book helps students improve their listening comprehension of structures and vocabulary as well as their pronunciation.
Review
"The cultural information is relevant, accurate, and interesting - and especially important for instructors who might not have had the chance to spend time in Germany during the last few years. I like the improvements and updates, especially in regard to the EU and Germans' use of EC debit cards."
Review
"The cultural information is relevant, accurate, and interesting ' and especially important for instructors who might not have had the chance to spend time in Germany during the last few years. I like the improvements and updates, especially in regard to the EU and Germans' use of EC debit cards."
Review
"I was impressed with the detailed culture sections and the way that they are incorporated into other sections in the book. I liked the grammar explanations and exercises."
Review
"In my opinion, a particular strength of this manuscript is the reading sections included in each chapter. The pre-reading, reading, and post-reading exercises are well-constructed and productively teach the students to deal with texts in the foreign language."
Review
"Outstanding: the integration of cultural material and realistic conversations, the clear and concise presentation of information"
Synopsis
Focused on building linguistic skills and comprehension through creative introductions to contemporary life and cultures in Germn-speaking countries, WIE GEHT'S? Eighth Edition is the clear choice to prepare your students to communicate in German-in and beyond your classroom! Now in its Eighth Edition, WIE GEHT'S? remains one of the most popular introductory German programs in the country. As the authors-both native Germans-show students how the German language actually works, they encourage cultural awareness and the acquisition of a functional vocabulary that effectively prepares students to continue their study of German.
About the Author
Dieter Sevin, a native of Germany, is Professor of German at Vanderbilt University. He has gone back to Europe regularly to travel, do research, and take part in an exchange program with the University in Regensburg. He has received grants from organizations such as the American Philosophical Association, American Council of Learned Societies, German Academic Exchange Service, and the Vanderbilt Research Council. He is the author of several academic books on exile literature and East German literature; he also has written numerous articles in professional journals and is a frequent speaker at professional meetings.Ingrid Sevin, a native of Germany, has been teaching German and French at the high school and college level in the United States and in Germany for more than ten years. From 1987 to 2002, she was the editor of the German audio-magazine Schau ins Land. She has also co-authored a German conversation text.
Table of Contents
0. SCHRITTE: BEGINNEN WIR! Vorschau: The German Language. Gespr?ch: Guten Tag! Lerntipp: Using Wie geht's? Greetings and Leave-taking. Lerntipp: Experiencing a New Language. Gespr?ch: Was und wie ist das? Lerntipp: Techniques for Building New Vocabulary. What's in a Name? Gespr?ch: Im Kaufhaus. Trendsetters of the Fashion World. Gespr?ch: Das Wetter im April. The German Climate. The Benefits of Learning German. Gespr?ch: Wie sp?t ist es? Descendants of German-speaking Immigrants in North America. 1. FAMILIE, L?NDER, SPRACHEN. Vorschau: Spotlight on Germany. Gespr?che: Am Goethe-Institut / Sp?ter. The Goethe Institute. Du or Sie? Lerntipp: Developing Listening Comprehension Skills. Present tense of regular verbs. Lerntipp: Studying Grammar. Nominative case. German in Europe. Sentence structure. Compound nouns. Frankfurt am Main. Germany and the European Union. Lerntipp: Reading German Texts. Einblicke: Deutschland in Europa. Schreibtipp: Writing a Summary. German Throughout the World. 2. LEBENSMITTEL UND GESCH?FTE. Vorschau: Shopping and Store Hours. Gespr?che: Im Lebensmittelgesch?ft / In der B?ckerei. Weights and Measures. Breads, Sausages, and Cheeses. Flower Power. The present tense of sein and haben. The Euro. The accusative case and n-nouns. Sentence structure (continued). Pedestrian Areas. Lesetipp: Understanding Spoken Language. Einblicke: Gesch?fte und Einkaufen. Regensburg. Schreibtipp: Writing a Dialogue. 3. IM RESTAURANT. Vorschau: Eating In and Out. Gespr?che: Im Restaurant / Sp?ter. Deciding Where to Eat. Verbs with vowel changes. The dative case. Caf?s and Coffee Houses. Regional Specialities. Lerntipp: Reviewing for Tests. Friends and Acquaintances. Lesetipp: Identifying the Topic of a Passage. Einblicke: Man ist, was man isst. Wines from Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. Table Manners. Schreibtipp: Writing a Composition and Choosing Word Order. 4. FEIERTAGE UND FESTE. Vorschau: Holidays and Vacations. Gespr?che: Am Telefon / Erik klingelt bei Nadja. Congratulations. The Christmas Season. Diversity in Religious Traditions. The present perfect with haben. Tourist Destinations. The present perfect with sein. Subordinating conjunctions. Lerntipp: Having the Last Word. Traditional Folk Celebrations. Einblicke: Deutsche Feste. Lesetipp: Understanding a Text Through Images. Schreibtipp: Writing a Postcard. 5. IN DER STADT. Vorschau: Spotlight on Austria. Gespr?che; Entschuldigen Sie, wo ist ...? / Da dr?ben! Viennese Landmarks. Personal pronouns. Viennese Landmarks (continued). Modal auxililary verbs. The Sezessionsstil Movement. Sondern vs. aber. The Gateway City. Einblicke: Gr??e aus Wien. Lesetipp: Reading a Personal Letter. Heurigen Wine. Schreibtipp: Writing a Letter. 6. WOHNEN. Vorschau: Housing. Gespr?che: Wohnung zu vermieten / In der WG. Shared Living Arrangements. Homes and Houses. Two-way prepositions. Friedensreich Hundertwasser. Imperatives. Wissen vs. kennen. Public Transportation and City Life. Lesetipp: Analyzing Comparisons and Constrasts. Einblicke: Schaffen, sparen, H?uschen bauen. High German and Dialects. Schreibtipp: Responding to an Ad. 7. AUF DER BANK UND IM HOTEL. Vorschau: History of German Currency. Gespr?che: Auf der Bank / An der Rezeption im Hotel. Currency Exchange and Credit Cards. Der- and ein-words. Hotel Names. Separable-prefix verbs. Flavoring particles. Accommodations and Tourist Information. Youth Hostels. Lesetipp: Looking for Conjunctions. Einblicke: ?bernachtungsm?glichkeiten. Schreibtipp: Doing Free Writing in German. Luxembourg. 8. POST UND REISEN. Vorschau: Spotlight on Switzerland. Gespr?che: Auf der Post am Bahnhof / Am Fahrkartenschalter in Z?rich. Phoning and Postal Services. Car Travel. Train Travel. The genitive case. Time expressions. Switzerland's Mountain World. Sentence structure (continued). Switzerland and its Languages. William Tell. Einblicke: Touristen in der Schweiz. Lesetipp: Looking for Genitives. Schreibtipp: Choosing Subject Pronouns. Literatur. Biographisches: Hermann Hesse. Gedicht: ?Im Nebel" (Hermann Hesse). 9. FREIZEIT UND GESUNDHEIT. Vorschau: Sports and Clubs in the German-Speaking Countries. Gespr?che: Am Telefon / Bis gleich! Telephone Etiquette. Some Idiomatic Expressions. Endings of adjectives preceded by der-words and ein-words. The German Pop Scene. Reflexive verbs. Infinitive with zu. Vacationing. Lesetipp: The Importance of Adjectives. Einblicke: Freizeit -- Lust oder Frust? Schreibtipp: Describing Pictures. Literatur. Biographisches: Johann Wolfgang von Goethe and Rose Ausl?nder. Gedicht: ?Erinnerung" (Johann Wolfgang von Goethe). Gedicht: ?Noch bist du da" (Rose Ausl?nder). 10. UNTERHALTUNG. Vorschau: German Film. Gespr?che: Blick in die Zeitung / An der Theaterkasse / W?hrend der Pause. The Magic of the Theater. Classical Music, Yesterday and Today. Verbs with prepositional objects. The Art Scene. Da- and wo-compounds. German Language Broadcasters Abroad. Endings of unpreceded adjectives. German Television. Lesetipp: Learning Vocabulary (continued). Einblicke: Wer die Wahl hat, hat die Qual. Schreibtipp: Writing an Essay. Literatur Biographisches: Bertolt Brecht. Gedicht: ?Vergn?gungen" (Bertolt Brecht). 11. BEZIEHUNGEN. Vorschau: Women and Society. Gespr?ch: Jedem Tierchen sein Pl?sierchen! Love and Marriage. Beloved Pets. Schreibtipp: Describing People or Animals. The simple past (imperfect, narrative past). Liechtenstein. Conjunctions als, wann, wenn. Equal Access under the Law. The past perfect. The Brothers Grimm and Their Fairy Tales. Einblicke: Rumpelstilzchen. Lesetipp: Recognizing Elements in Fairy Tales. Erz?hltipp: Beginning a Story and Encouraging the Storyteller. Literatur. Biographisches: Gotthold Ephraim Lessing and Reinhardt Jung. Fabel: ?Der Esel in Begleitung" (Gotthold Ephraim Lessing). Gedicht: ?Reifezeugnis" (Reinhardt Jung). 12. WEGE ZUM BERUF. Vorschau: German Schools and Vocational Training. Gespr?ch: Wei?t du, was du einmal werden willst? Gender Bias and Language. Women in Business and Industry. Comparison of adjectives and adverbs. The future tense. Foreign Workers in Germany. Predicate nouns and adjectival nouns. Hard Times and Social Policy. Lesetipp: Identifying the Speaker's Main Point. Einblicke: Die Berufswahl. Schreibtipp: Writing a R?sum?. Literatur. Biographisches: Aysel ?zakin. Kurzgeschichte: ?Die dunkelhaarigen Kinder von Berlin" (Aysel ?zakin). 13. DAS STUDIUM. Vorschau: German Universities. Gespr?che: Bei der Immatrikulation / Etwas sp?ter. German Bureaucracy. The subjunctive mood. The present-time general subjunctive. U.S. and German Companies Doing Business Abroad. The past-time general subjunctive. Studying in Germany. Lesetipp: Brainstorming Contextual Knowledge. Einblicke: Ein Jahr dr?ben w?re super! Schreibtipp: Applying for a Job. Literatur. Biographisches: Christine N?stlinger. Kurzgeschichte: ?Ohne Vorurteile" (Christine N?stlinger). 14. BERLIN: DAMALS UND HEUTE. Vorschau: Chronicle of German History since World War II. Gespr?ch: In Berlin ist immer etwas los. The Colorful Names of Berlin's Landmarks. Relative clauses. A Multicultural Melting Pot. Indirect speech. Berlin Today. Berlin's Past. Lesetipp: Anticipating Content. Einblicke: Berlin, ein Tor zur Welt. Schreibtipp: Interview Synopsis. Literatur. Biographisches: Wolfgang Borchert. Kurzgeschichte: ?Das Brot" (Wolfgang Borchert). 15. DEUTSCHLAND, EUROPA UND DIE UMWELT. Vorschau: The Path to a United Europe. Gespr?che: Zu Besuch in Weimar / In der Altstadt. Weimar, a European Cultural Capital. The passive voice. Review of the uses of werden. The special subjunctive. In Search of an Identity. Lesetipp: Anticipating Content (continued). Einblicke: Der Wind kennt keine Grenzen. Schreibtipp: Writing a Report. Literatur. Biographisches: Franz Kafka and Erich K?stner. Parabel: ?Der Aufbruch" (Franz Kafka).Gedicht: ?Das Eisenbahngleichnis" (Erich K?stner). Appendix. Predicting the gender of certain nouns. Summary chart of the four cases. Adjective endings. Endings of nouns. Pronouns. Comparison of irregular adjectives and adverbs. N-verbs and irregular t-verbs. Sample forms of the subjunctive. Verb forms in different tenses. Translation of the Gespr?che. Supplementary charts for Hoppla, hier fehlt was! Answers for English-to-German practice in the annos. Vocabularies / German-English. English-German.