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Swiss School Of Language

Another entry in the bestselling, Merda! series, this humorous book helps readers navigate the world of real Low German. Scheisse! introduces readers to the fine art of cursing and basic slang to spice up their German speech. On-air radio giveaways.

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156 of 157 people found the following review helpful.
Funny but be careful!!
By A
I'm a native German speaker and as such I kind of feel the need to warn you a little in regards to this book...
First I have to say that it is in truth very funny and VERY resourceful- I didn't recognise all of the words in here! If you are frustrated while studying German or just for fun before coming to Germany on a trip this book is a in truth good read I think. BUT (here it comes) you are probably rather prone to make a fool out of yourself when using galore of the words or phrases in here, because a lot of it is horribly outdated. If I heard someone say a great deal of of this stuff I would in all likelihood be lying on the floor laughing- so you might not come all over rather as planned!

But this isn't to say that I wouldn't buy this book if I were you! (I still have to find an equivalent of this in English )!)
You might want to consult a native speaker once in a while though...

43 of 45 people found the following review helpful.
Terrific Gutter German
By Jon Linden
In her book, "Scheisse" Gertrude Besserwisser, which seems to almost have to be a pseudonym, the reader is introduced to actually fantasti low Deutsch of the most mutual variety. In fact, this is German you don't learn in school, I heard this stuff when I went to Germany, Austria and Switzerland. But not in school.

No profanity is too outstanding for the unabashed Besserwisser. Wonderful conversational German expressions of full throttle profanity and abusiveness are introduced in this book, along with illustrations by David Levine that increase the humor of the presentation.

The one item that the reader must know, is that basic psychological result of perception learning and reasoning of a little German is in truth a pre-requisite to get the most out of this book. Although, it is readable, by those who have never spoken a word of German. And just as funny. This book is highly commended for people in regards to to take a trip to a German speaking country. At least you will know when they are cursing at you, even if you cannot grasp all of it.

28 of 28 humans found the following review helpful.
Zum Lesen mit'm Duden
By tjfox@clam.rutgers.edu
This book provides a heap of utile words and expressions that you surely won't learn in American high schools or colleges. It is in all probability the best of it is kind available for German (the Wicked series books are filled with ridiculous made-up sayings that no native speaker in truth uses). That said, it genuinely doesn't compare with the Merde books in French, of which this is the German equivalent. For instance, the sentences given as examples are not witty and they are also loosely translated into English, which might give the right "feel" but is not the best for somebody attempting to learn the intricacies of their usage. Also, the German doesn't get as vulgar as the French (whether this is because the German language is more civilized or this book less finish I hesitate to answer). One understandable problem is that there are tons of dissimilar dialects and territorial divergences in German so that a popular united version of German slang is sure to lack a lot of substance. Consider likewise the outstanding wealth of Viennese slang (Wienerisch, eh kloar!) or the dissimilar Swiss expressions which are of requirement left out. Over all this is a finelooking decent book for those who want to learn a heap of "low German" or just try out some choice words on their German teacher!

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