How do I learn to speak German
 

I have about 10 months to learn a bit of German, enough to be polite when we arrive in Germany.

Does anyone know how I can access a way to do that and be sure I'm close to pronouncing the words properly?

There is a small program on line for learning enough Finn to be polite is there something the same for German?

Hi,
The "Learn in Your Car" cd course put out by Penton Overseas, Inc., which I bought at at Barnes and Noble, was very good. I also found the Rick Steves' 3 in 1Phrase Book very helpful. You can check your local high school for Adult Courses at night for a beginners German language course.

Paul

You can watch the "Fokus Deutsch" learning program (shown from time to time on PBS) for free on your computer:

http://www.learner.org/resources/browse.html

Just scroll down to Fokus Deutsch. You will have to register, but it is free to watch (and listen). This is a very good introduction to German---equivalent to the first class of college German. YOu can buy the accompanying text if you are serious about it, but just to learn to say a few things you should be fine just doing the video lessons. Tschüss!

Check if there's any Goethe Institute close to where you live. They often have a tourist conversation class. ALternatively you can google "Learn German". There are Saturday German schools throughout the US that offers those classes like Goethe Inst.

Check out the CD's from Michel Thomas. This is a very quick method without books or tapes. Listen to the CD's and you're going to get a good start to German.

You can find the Michel Thomas CD's can be bought through Amazon.

Blackduff

I admire your attitude!
I wish more people would at least attempt a few friendly phrases.
It goes a long way, I find. :)
Happy trials!
Tschuss!

Are you in the US? If so, community colleges offer foreign language classes. Sometimes there are "community education classes" that are cheaper and are not for college credit. They are generally more geared toward conversation.

I took such courses in Italian. All three of my instructors were native Italian. The classes I took were very helpful.

I think I paid about $100 per term, plus a book. I also did a set of CD-Roms that by Learn Now. They were decent.

Timlin,
One advantage to German is that there are virtually no irregularities to the pronunciations, so once you learn the basics, you can dound out almost anything! (For example, "ei" is always pronounced with a long "i" sound and "ie" is always prounced with a long "e" sound, as opposed to English where we have to memorize a whole bunch of irregular pronunciations.)

In addition to what people have already recommended, I've heard that the Barron's Foreign Service Institute set is very good. It isn't cheap, but you get a lot for your money (books and CDs) and they say it's what they use to train diplomats.

BBC (the British television network) has a great languages website, which includes a free short course in German that will teach you some of the basics regarding pronunciation of words, as well as basic vocabulary and grammar. (Check out the free Talk German short video course and somewhat more extensive Deutsch Plus video clips, as well.) You can also buy the Deutsch Plus course (textbook, DVDs etc) - and order it from Amazon. I haven't used the German course, but I have used the BBC's French and Spanish courses and found them very interesting and effective for self-learning. (I also like the short grammar books they sell.)

I also find the Rough Guide dictionary phrasebooks the most useful phrasebook available. They are easy to read, show the pronunciation beside the German words and include a very brief, easy-to-understand introduction to German grammar (not enough to scare you, just enough for you to understand how the language is put together).

Wow great suggestions everyone! I have a dear friend who was born and raised in Bavaria but he lives across the country from me.

I'll look into all your suggestions (I'm in Canada and living in the boonies so nothing is available for night classes or College classes for me.)

Thanks again everyone!

I just married a German gentleman, and I STILL can't say I love you properly!
Good luck! When we were there I admired how intelligent the children were...they could speak German (that's an old joke by the way...)

Check your local library. Ours offers free downloads of audio books, including some language courses.

SuzieC,
I honestly can't imagine having to say "Ich liebe dich!" :-)

We've lived in Germany for a year and we still can't stop marveling at all the kids and wondering how the heck they can speak this crazy language!

I also used the CDs from Michel Thomas. Check your local library for them. He has a unique way of teaching.

I had good luck with the Berlitz language CDs. I have loaned them to my inlaws who have never spoken a word of German but are going to visit some long-lost relatives in Germany later this month. They are learning pretty well. We said all of our pleasantries at Thanksgiving in German.

He smirks when I do say it. Not because of what I'm saying, but he says I have a Berlin accent. For the most part he grew up in Bavaria. (Escaped Dresden right before the allys dropped by...great story that.)

Oh great! Sounds like I have a challenge in front of me! SusieC I enjoyed a good chuckle at your posts.

Thanks for all your help. I'll follow up on the suggestions.

blackduff got there before me with the plug for michel Thomas. All his tapes are good, both for pronunciation and language construction. lots are available on e-bay.
good luck with your endeavours.