Authors: Dietrich Eggers  Gabriele Neuf  Claudia Wiemer 

Eighteen interesting talks on a wide variety of themes, including the effects of violence on television, the declining German birthrate, the importance of exercise, modern German dialects and how to interpret a Kafka parable. Given by experts, the talks offer a genuine insight into the preoccupations, culture and way of life of the Germans and, at the same time, are of a linguistic level readily accessible to intermediate students.

The accompanying workbook contains transcripts, learning tips and a wealth of progressive exercises. Students are first introduced to the theme of the talk and invited to formulate any existing knowledge about it. They are then ready to listen to the talk and answer comprehension questions, before developing the theme further via additional exercises. Although the main purpose of "Horverstehen" is listening comprehension, considerable practice in speaking, reading, writing, grammar, pronunciation and vocabulary is also provided.