Unlocking German with Paul Noble: Your key to language success with the bestselling language coach

Copyright

Published by Collins

An imprint of HarperCollins Publishers

Westerhill Road

Bishopbriggs

Glasgow G64 2QT

First edition 2018

© Paul Noble 2018

eBook Edition © November 2017 ISBN 9780008218744

Version: 2017-11-29

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Acknowledgements

Images from Shutterstock.

MANAGING EDITOR

Maree Airlie

CONTRIBUTORS

Val McNulty

Silke Zimmermann

FOR THE PUBLISHER

Gerry Breslin

Kevin Robbins

Vaila Donnachie

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People who know no German at all.

People who know some German already.

People who studied German at school.

People who didn’t study German at school.

People who didn’t like how languages were taught at school.

People who are amazed by just how closely grammar books resemble furniture assembly instructions.

Who is this book for?

People who think they can’t learn a foreign language.

People who’ve listened to one of Paul Noble’s audio courses.

People who haven’t listened to one of Paul Noble’s audio courses.

People learning German for the first time.

People coming back to the language after a break.

People curious about whether they can learn a language.

People who feel confused by the way languages are normally taught.

Contents

Cover

Title Page

Copyright

Footnotes

About the Publisher

Did you know you already speak German?

Did you know you already speak German?

Did you know you already speak German? That you speak it every day? That you read and write it every day? That you use it with your friends, with your family, at work, down the post office – even in the shower when you read the label on the shampoo bottle?

Were you aware of that fact?

Well, even if you weren’t, it’s nevertheless true.

Of course, you might not have realised at the time that what you were reading / saying / writing was actually German but I can prove to you that it was. Just take a look at these words below:

Have you read through them? Yes? Good.

Now, answer me this, are they:

A: English words

B: German words

C: Both

Well, if you’re reading this book then you’re clearly already a highly intelligent person with good judgement, so you will have correctly chosen “C”.

Yes, these are words that we have in English but they also exist in German, having originally come into English from Germanic languages. And these are by no means isolated examples of words that exist in both German and English but rather they are merely the tip of a truly enormous iceberg.

In fact, around half of all English words have close equivalents in German.Yes, that’s right, half!

If we begin using these words, together with an extremely subtle method that shows you how to put them into sentences in a way that’s almost effortless, then becoming a competent German speaker becomes really quite easy.

The only thing that you will need to do to make this happen is to follow the three simple rules printed on the following pages. These rules will explain to you how to use this book so that you can begin unlocking the German language for yourself in a matter of hours.

Well, what are you waiting for? Turn the page!

Rule Number 1:

Don’t skip anything!

Using this book is extremely simple – and highly effective – if you follow its three simple rules.

If you don’t want to follow them then I recommend that, instead of reading the book, you use it to prop up a wobbly coffee table, as it won’t work if you don’t follow the rules. Now get ready – because here’s the first one!

Each and every little thing in this book has been put where it is, in a very particular order, for a very particular reason. So, if the book asks you to read or do something, then do it!Who’s the teacher after all, you or me, eh?

Also, each part of the book builds on and reinforces what came before it. So, if you start skipping sections, you will end up confused and lost! Instead, you should just take your time and gently work your way through the book at your own pace – but without skipping anything!

Step by Step

Rule Number 2:

Don’t try to memorise anything!

Trying to jam things into your head is boring and it doesn’t work. People often cram for tests and then forget everything the moment they walk out of the exam. Clearly, we don’t want that happening here.

Instead, I have designed this book so that any word or idea taught in it will come up multiple times. You don’t need to worry about trying to remember or memorise anything because the necessary repetition is actually already built in. In fact, trying to memorise what you’re learning is likely to hinder rather than help your progress.

So, just work your way through the book in a relaxed way and, if you happen to forget something, don’t worry because, as I say, you will be reminded of it again, multiple times, later on.

Rule Number 3:

Cover up!

No, I’m not being a puritan grandmother and telling you to put on a long-sleeved cardigan. Instead, I’m asking you to take a bookmark or piece of paper and use it to cover up any red text that you come across as you work your way through the book.

These red bits are the answers to the various riddles, challenges and questions that I will pose as I lead you into the German language. If you read these answers without at least trying to work out the solutions to the various riddles and challenges first, then the book simply won’t work for you.

So make sure to use something to cover up the bits of red text in the book while you have a go at trying to work out the answers. It doesn’t matter if you sometimes get them wrong because it is by trying to think out the answers that you will learn how to use the language.

Trust me on this, you will see that it works from the very next page of this book.

Take a look at the page on the right to see how to use your bookmark or piece of paper to cover up correctly.

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