As a German language learner, I’m always using references. It’s something you just can’t get around. I thought I’d share some of the German language resources that I use on a regular basis. I don’t have a lot of physical books but I have a few that are well used. The online resources, mostly dictionaries, I use practically on a daily basis. I even have them registered in the search bar of my browser so I can jump right to the resource I want and not have to jump through too many hoops.
Reference & Work Books
- Hammer’s German Grammar and Usage – A great must-have reference book. A must for those serious about mastering German grammar — although I personally don’t like the book’s index.
- Barron’s 501 German Verbs – Another great must-have reference.
- Klipp und Klar – When I enrolled for Goethe-Institut’s correspondence course, I was sent this workbook. It’s fairly typical exercises but the explanations of different aspects of German grammar are good and clear. In addition, the book is in German providing even more language practice. There are a number of versions of this book depending on what your skill level is.
- Barron’s German/English Dictionary – This is the only big English/German dictionary I own. It’s a good basic dictionary but I’d like to get a more “advanced” dictionary.
Online References & Resources
- Dict.cc – My go-to online dictionary for English/German translations.
- TheFreeDictionary.com – their German site has some good examples and is only in German.
- Wiktionary – another great German dictionary. This site includes conjugation of a large number of verbs which can be really helpful.
Learning Tools
- Duolingo – a free online learning program similar to Rosetta Stone.
Are there any German language resources that I haven’t mentioned that you can’t live with out? Let me know.
