# Rosetta Stone German Course



## Jersey_Mark

Hello all,

Has anyone studied German using the Rosetta Stone course? How was it?

Also, would the dialect used on that course be easily understood in Munich and other cities in the south?

I have 6 months to study German before I move there, so any recommendations would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!


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## Bevdeforges

German as spoken in Munich is a difficult dialect, even for other Germans. If you speak Hochdeutsch (standard German - usually considered to be a Northern German accent), you can be understood just about anywhere German is spoken, even in Bavaria, Schwaben or Switzerland. Most people will realize they'll need to reply in Hochdeutsch and not in the local dialect.

Rosetta Stone or any standard German course will teach you Hochdeutsch and not one of the dialects.
Cheers,
Bev


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## Jersey_Mark

Thanks Bev!

Looking at other courses too, I think I'm gonna go with German pod 101. It looks like it may be a more fun way of learning than RS...and cheaper!


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## patrichek

I've used RS, Pimsleur, Assimil, intensive courses and regular courses. What i've found that works the best for me outside going to an intensive course (or being immersed in country) is Pimsleur and a grammar book.

If you can teach yourself the rules of the language using a book, Pimsleur is a good way to learn basic phrases and by doing this you'll understand sentence construction while speaking/practicing.

I also think reading and writing what you hear and say from Pimsleur is very beneficial.

The absolute most important thing you can do is set aside time for practicing once a day if possible.
best of luck!


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## Jersey_Mark

patrichek said:


> The absolute most important thing you can do is set aside time for practicing once a day if possible.
> best of luck!


Thanks for your reply! I think this is the most important thing too.

It probably doesn't matter which course you follow. It's more a matter of making the commitment to doing it and doing it regularly.

That's what I'm trying to do at the moment. I move to Munich in August/Sept. and I'm currently taking one lesson a day and doing it for 30 mins in the morning and then repeating it at the gym in the afternoon to get it to sink in.

Turning this into a habit that I'll keep doing for the next 6 months is gonna be the hard part!


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## snowdog

Good you are practicing everyday. 

Another 2 tools to consider:

Practice books from ED Swick, Grammar, Vocabulary, and Pronouns. Stock items at Barnes and Noble.

Look at your DVD's when you watch one switch the language from English to Deutsch. Do this everyday.

ORF from Austria streams in the US. Listen to Wienerisch Duetsch. Very similar to Munich.

If you end up in the Vorarlberg or Switzerland, look for the subtitles in Hochdeutsch.

Good Luck


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## Jersey_Mark

Thanks for the tips Snowdog, that's really good advice!

I'll have a look at those books. I'm currently doing both Rosetta Stone and Pimsleur courses and studying for around two hours every day. I read that the two courses kinda reinforce each other, so I'm hoping it'll help!

I'm also listening to German music and trying to read children's books, but even those are a bit too advanced for me at the moment!

I'll get there though!


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## snowdog

Jersey_Mark said:


> Thanks for the tips Snowdog, that's really good advice!
> 
> I'll have a look at those books. I'm currently doing both Rosetta Stone and Pimsleur courses and studying for around two hours every day. I read that the two courses kinda reinforce each other, so I'm hoping it'll help!
> 
> I'm also listening to German music and trying to read children's books, but even those are a bit too advanced for me at the moment!
> 
> I'll get there though!


One item I forgot to mention, the difference between Rosetta and Southern Germany. a few examples:

Rosetta: Gerngeshehen
Sothern Germany, Austria: Bitte schön

Apricot:
Rosetta: Aprikose
SGA: Marille

And the differences drag on, listen, mimic adapt


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## RaisingExpats

Personally, I thought Rosetta Stone was a waste of time and money. After asking around, I found that Deutsch Akadamie is the best quality for the value, but I don't know if they have them in other countries. I also liked Pimsleur and DeutschKompakt for self-study. Good luck.


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## Jersey_Mark

Thanks for replying! I've kinda ditched the R Stone course because I just found it so mind-numbingly boring and it got to the point where I'd start yawning uncontrollably whenever my mouse pointer hovered anywhere near the icon on my desktop!

That said, I am so into the Pimsleur course and that method is really working well for me! I'm currently on lesson 36 of 90, so I still have a fair way to go, but it's all sinking in and making sense and I am loving the language!!


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## skysavvysarah

Jersey_Mark said:


> That's what I'm trying to do at the moment. I move to Munich in August/Sept. and I'm currently taking one lesson a day and doing it for 30 mins in the morning and then repeating it at the gym in the afternoon to get it to sink in.
> 
> Turning this into a habit that I'll keep doing for the next 6 months is gonna be the hard part!


What an awesome idea! I will definitely be incorporating this into my gym routine. Are the 30 minute lessons online or taught by an instructor in person?

Great idea!

Sarah


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## Jersey_Mark

Hi Sarah,

I ended up following the Pimsleur course, which are just audio lessons you can listen to at your own convenience. I must admit I wasn't that disciplined with them though and would skip days and then I gave up in the end.

Once I moved to Germany I signed up at my local Volkshochschule and now do lessons there 4 days a week. I think I'm the kind of person that really needs a "school" environment with other students and a proper teacher!


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