Best Books for Learning Spanish
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The Best Spanish Book Isn't Necessarily a Spanish 101 Textbook...
The Dicho y Hecho textbook treated me as a beginner on the one hand, yet at the same time it assumed I was advanced enough to deal with sentences and paragraphs written in untranslated Spanish. I knew if I depended on this book to get me through the class, I would fail.
So I went to the library and borrowed as many books on learning Spanish as I could carry. Later, my husband bought copies of the books that were the most helpful to me--the ones I knew I would refer to over and over again. This is a list of those Spanish books.
Easy Spanish Step-By-Step by Barbara Bregstein
Easy Spanish Step-By-Step
Amazon Price: $7.31 (as of 05/30/2012)
This is the book that's probably going to save my butt in Spanish class. What I love about it is that it doesn't waste time with fluff, yet it's easy to read. It starts you off with a solid understanding of the rules of grammar. The exercises in the book help reinforce the information you learn. Along the way, you're introduced to new Spanish words that you'll use again and again. Easy Spanish uses a building block approach I desperately wanted and simply wasn't getting from my Spanish textbook.
Easy Spanish is not a comprehensive language book by any means--it's no substitute for a Spanish dictionary, for example. But as a beginner, I depend on this book the most.
Spanish for Dummies
Spanish For Dummies
Amazon Price: $9.89 (as of 05/30/2012)
I checked out Spanish for Dummies from the library at my teacher's recommendation, but I didn't end up buying it. While it's a good introduction to the Spanish language, it uses an entertaining and sometimes "fluffy" writing style. Since I'm taking a Spanish class and want good grades, I prefer a no-nonsense yet easy to understand book that cuts straight to the point. That's why I went with Easy Spanish Step-By-Step instead.
However, if you can't stand dry books and need a writing style that's conversational and fun, you certainly can't go wrong with Spanish for Dummies.
Also, I HIGHLY recommend this book's little brother, Spanish Essentials for Dummies.
Spanish Essentials for Dummies
Spanish Essentials For Dummies (For Dummies (Language & Literature))
Amazon Price: $1.71 (as of 05/30/2012)
For a stripped-down list of the basics, Spanish Essentials for Dummies is one of the best companion books to have. Sometimes I need a quick refresher on a certain aspect of the language, such as expressing date and time, or communicating in the past and present tense, etc. Although the regular Spanish for Dummies book is good for learning Spanish, Spanish Essentials for Dummies is superior if you need a quick reference book.
Merriam-Webster's Spanish-English Dictionary
Merriam-Webster's Spanish-English Dictionary
Amazon Price: $3.39 (as of 05/30/2012)
Even if I had the perfect Spanish textbook, I would still bring a Spanish dictionary to class at minimum. We often have in-class assignments where it helps to know more than a handful of Spanish words, and that's where a Spanish-English dictionary comes in handy.
Besides, if you need a quick reminder about what a word means, it's easier to look it up in a dictionary. I hate flipping haphazardly through a textbook, trying to remember where I saw a particular word or phrase.
501 Spanish Verbs
501 Spanish Verbs with CD-ROM and Audio CD (501 Verb Series)
Amazon Price: $9.65 (as of 05/30/2012)
A basic introduction to Spanish guide will introduce you to a few important verbs, such as talking and eating, but they barely scratch the surface. Think of all the verbs we use in English every day: He ran, I tripped, she answered, I stopped, we drove, he cooked, etc. If you didn't know so many verbs, you wouldn't be able to say much.
You can't be fluent in Spanish unless you know a lot of Spanish verbs, period. 501 Spanish Verbs is the best, since it gives you a complete list of fully conjugated verbs. You can practice the verbs in all their tenses (I go, he goes, we're going, we will go, etc).
Why You Need More Than More than One Spanish Book
For me, having multiple references helps give me a better understanding of the language I'm trying to learn. If an explanation in one book is a little weak, I'll turn to another book for a better definition. If one book is an unbeatable grammar reference but doesn't list many new Spanish words, I'll turn to the Spanish-English dictionary.
More Spanish Lenses
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Phillyfreeze69
Sep 4, 2011 @ 5:44 pm | delete
- I recently purchased Pimsleur "Quick & Simple Spanish...I am a auditory learner so the the DVD is wonderfully suited for me.
Great list of books for anyone wishing to learn Spanish. I would like to try "Spanish For Dummies" this series of educational books has a very good reputation for teaching various subjects.
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Easy Spanish Step-by-Step
Easy Spanish Step-By-Step
Amazon Price: (as of 05/30/2012)
This is the Kindle edition of Easy Spanish Step-by-Step. If you need a general introduction to Spanish, I highly recommend this one; it's what I'm using to help get me through my Spanish class.
Rosetta Stone Spanish
Learning Spanish with Rosetta Stone
Rosetta Stone Spanish (Latin America) Level 1-5 Set
Amazon Price: $499.00 (as of 05/30/2012)
No, I don't own Rosetta Stone Spanish--it's a little outside my budget at the moment. However, it's supposed to be the next best thing to total immersion in the language; if you can't afford to take a language trip down to Puerto Rico or something, Rosetta Stone is a good substitute. From what I hear, RS isn't necessarily the EASIEST way to learn Spanish, but it's best for long-term learning and getting Spanish concepts lodged into your memory for instant recall.
