The following suggestions may be helpful to you in building your vocabulary:
1. Study words and word lists that answer real and preferably immediate personal needs. If you are planning to travel in the near future your motivation and orientation is clear cut and Listen and Learn German or a good travel phrase book will give you the material you need. Select material according to your personal interests and requirements. If you don’t plan to motor, don’t spend time studying parts of the car. If you like foreign foods, study the supplementary foreign food list in Say It In German. Even if you do not plan to travel in the near future, you will probably learn more quickly by imagining a travel or real life situation.
2. Use the association technique for memorization. For the most part, Listen and Learn German or travel phrase books give you associated word lists. If you continue to build your vocabulary by memorization, don’t use a dictionary for this purpose. Select such grammars or books that have lists of word families.
3. Study the specialized vocabulary of your profession, business, or hobby. If you are interested in real estate, learn the many terms associated with property, buying, selling, leasing, etc. An interest in mathematics should lead you to a wide vocabulary in this science. Words in your specialty will be learned quickly and a surprising amount will be applicable or transferable to other areas. Although these specialized vocabularies may not always be readily available, an active interest and a good dictionary will help you get started.
Abbreviations Used in Essential German Grammar
| MASC. | Masculine |
| FEM. | Feminine |
| NEUT. | Neuter |
| SING. | Singular |
| PL. | Plural |
| LIT. | Literally |
| NOM. | Nominative |
| GEN. | Genitive |
| DAT. | Dative |
| ACC. | Accusative |
| INFIN. | Infinitive |
| PART. | Participle |
Note: Whenever the German construction is basically different from the construction in English, a literal. translation enclosed in brackets is given to help you analyze and understand the German syntax. This literal translation is immediately followed by a translation into idiomatic English.