A proven grammar-based approach that gets you communicating in Spanish with confidence, right away
- This was what I was looking for to supplement Rosetta Stone Spanish. My 9th grade daughter was using RS but was not really retaining much or getting solid in the grammar. To her, RS is too vague. Plus she was constantly using Google Translate to figure out what they wanted for the worksheet instructions. So I looked into finding a textbook type approach with English instructions and grammar exercises. This fit the bill. Check out the pictures I attached of lesson, exercises and answer key.
- As someone who has worked hard to achieve fluency in a second language as an adult, I feel I have some insights into what is required. The first priority, especially if you have limited study time, is how to structure your learning. This is where this book shines, and why I would recommend it. It divides the task into logical, sequential steps that build upon each other, in the order you would learn them if it was your first language, saving verb tenses for later. The reading exercises at the end of each chapter are a useful and motivating tool, but ideally they would have reinforced vocabulary already learned, rather than requiring footnotes! The insertion of long summary lists of verbs and nouns is not by itself very conducive to learning. An appended dictionary of selected words would have been better. Finally, no book is as useful for verbal learning as audio material, but this one is a good companion. Personally I have found the Pimsleur recordings most helpful - I have no vested interest, just saying.
Overall, if you had time or space for only one introductory Spanish text, this would be a good choice. It will make it easier, but not easy! - After searching through no less than 50 books, I chose this to supplement my 7th grader's Duolingo Spanish Lessons (we homeschool). I love this. We have tried three other textbook versions of Spanish to help supplement the Rosetta Stone and Duolingo. This is by far the best. It is well-written, well-organized, and has very efficient practice exercises. It is very easy for my 12yo son to write the answers to the exercises in a notebook, and just challenging enough to really help him grow.
- Love this book. In a fairly concise format, and cheap too!, it clearly presents what you need to know to get started in the language. I've been using it to teach my children, ages 7-14. I have a fair amount of high school Spanish myself, so the occasions where a word shows up without having been defined yet did not throw me too much. The grammar presentation is excellent. You need to make your own vocabulary flashcards because there is no comprehensive list of vocabulary words. They are often just defined in the grammar examples when they translate the grammar examples. The one thing I wish this book had is a comprehensive list of all new vocabulary at the end of each chapter. But compared to all the other Spanish texts I have looked at, this one is delightfully simple and easy to use. There is a lot of vocabulary... more than I ever remember learning at once in school Spanish classes, but I think that a lot of vocabulary is necessary to get a real start in a language.
- Ain't gonna be easy... but I'm working through it. Rapidly escalates. Many quizzes (just found the answer keys in the back of the book - Yippee!). I combine this with "SpanishDict", an on-line service that helps me with pronunciations and examples of word-usage. My hearing isn't good, so the audio-only-based instruction programs are useless. This is better. Will need to start watching Spanish language TV news and listening to the Spanish language radio stations.
- Using with my teacher during private lessons. Very instructive but sometimes the exercises go too fast where more practise on subjects are needed before starting something new.
