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Language Learning Resources: German

Language Learning Resources at Willamette University

Guten Tag! (/ˌɡutn̩ ˈtaːk/)

Looking for language learning help? You have come to the right place!

Regardless of your language level, we have something for you! Come by with your questions and our knowledgeable and enthusiastic staff will find a resource that caters to your need.

Join My German Space on WISE for resources and help documents provided by the DLS. You can sign up for tutoring through WISE. For a step-by-step on joining WISE sites and signing up for tutoring, check out the document on the first home page of this guide.

The DLS offers various software programs such as TellMeMore and Rosetta Stone for your independent language learning.

Planning on studying abroad? The DLS has put together a list of helpful resources and ideas of things you can be doing now to prepare you for your perspective country (below).

Bring some friends and come over to the Digital Learning Studio (Ford 101) to check out our new German board games!

German Resources

Art

  • German Art and Architecture at Infoplease - A website that lays out the different periods in German art and architecture and also offers several links to other websites in the same field.

  • German Culture - A website with a lot of German cultural links.

  • German Museums - The Most Important Museums in Germany - An index with the most important museums in Germany.

  • Artcyclopedia - A great fine art search engine with the ability to search by artist
    and title names or by art museums.

Culture

  • WordReference.com - An excellent online dictionary that has both traditional dictionary definitions and extensive discussions of regional variations, idiomatic expressions, and common phrases. You are able to pose a vocabulary question and receive responses from around the globe.
  • Beolingus - A dictionary, as well as a place to create and store vocabulary lists!! The site also has native audio for the vocabulary, as well as a unit conversion page.
  • LEO Deutsch-Englisches Wörterbuch - LEO's German-English dictionary.
  • Quizlet.com - Quizlet is a flashcard website where users may either create their own flashcards or choose from millions of other sets already created. There are several ways to study your flashcards, including multiple-choice tests or study games. You can even add images or listen to audio files for individual words. It is easy to create and share material and Quizlet is good for studying almost any subject!
  • Vokabel - This site allows students to create their own vocabulary lists, and then tests them on verb conjugation. In addition, the site also has pre-made lists based on subject.
  • You Know The Drill - An interactive dictionary that allows users to study a lot of different languages using vocabulary lists.
  • Web German - This resource has extensive tools such as audio, video, animations, and web exercises.

Verbformen - A website where you can write a verb in German and it will conjugate the verb in all tenses.

  • Das Projekt Gutenberg - A large archive of literary texts by German and non-German authors (in German translation).
  • Der Spiegel - German weekly news magazine published in Hamburg.
  • Stern - The German glossy magazine online.
  • Süddeutsche Zeitung - Online version of the Munich-based daily broadsheet.
  • Tagesthemen - German TV news in RealVideo, with bulletins throughout the day and a searchable news archive.
  • Die Tageszeitung - The online version of the radical left German newspaper, including dedicated local sections for Berlin, Bremen, and Hamburg. There's also an online forum and chat room.
  • Die Welt - The German daily newspaper online.
  • Die Zeit - The German weekly newspaper online.
  • Nürnberger Nachrichten - The Nuremburg local newspaper online.
  • NZZ Online - Online version of the Swiss daily newspaper.
  • JETZT-ONLINE - An online magazine in German for young people.
  • Express Online - Online version of the Cologne-based newspaper.
  • FAZ.net - Online presence of the daily newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine.
  • Tutoring - Get essay help, ask grammar questions and practice your language skills with native German speakers! Click “Sign-up” on the left side of WISE to schedule an appointment with your language assistant.
  • LiveMocha - LiveMocha offers structured lessons in your language of choice. Users 'enroll' in courses based on their current skill level, and can also opt for private language instruction by other users. The site also offers chatting capabilities, flashcards, writing and speaking exercises.
  • Mixxer: Through Skype, you can be matched up with a native speaker, who is also interested in learning English. Don’t stress, you’re both sharing and learning!
  • Busuu.com - Busuu.com offers much the same services as Livemocha but with a different format. Try them both see which one floats your boat!

German word processing in the DLS

The Digital Learning Studio at Willamette University, in Ford 101, is a Mac lab with 7 Macs.
Each computer also has Quelle v.1.00a, a writing assistance program for German.


Microsoft Word
English (United States) Keyboard

1. Typing special characters: to type special characters in Microsoft Word, you must do it in two steps. The first step involves pressing the control key plus other keys simultaneously. The second step is typing the letter you want. Here is a chart that explains how to type the various characters:

PC Windows XP Keyboard

  • ä - control key + shift + ; , then a
  • ö - control key + shift + ; , then o
  • ü - control key + shift + ; , then u
  • ß - control key + shift + 7 , then s

Mac OS Keyboard

  • ä - option + u; , then a
  • ö - option + u; , then o
  • ü - option + u; , then u
  • ß - option + s

If you are having technical difficulties, this is a good site to use for accents: notengoenie.com - when you click the letter with the accent you want, it automatically copies it for you!

Willamette University

Willamette University Libraries

Mark O. Hatfield Library
900 State Street.
Salem Oregon 97301
503-370-6018
library@willamette.edu
Pacific Northwest College of Art Library
511 NW Broadway.
Portland Oregon 97209
503-821-8966
pnca-library@willamette.edu