Guides a learner who has no previous German experience to gain the ability to accurately understand formal written German prose, aided only by a comprehensive dictionary. Specific objectives include: 1) Explain enough grammatical and syntactical information about the German language to enable you to read any desired text with the aid of a dictionary. 2) Explain elements of word formation to accelerate the process of learning vocabulary. 3) Lead you through practice in small-scale translation as the necessary foundation for dealing with more complex readings.