A decent starting point for Beginners in Spanish
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This product is fine. It has 21 chapters in the book (all with different themes) and an accompanying CD which is clear, well presented and well structured.
Don't bother getting the book or CD on their own. They go hand-in-hand, so splash out the few extra quid and do it properly.
I hammered out listening to this while driving in the car to work over a period of 3 weeks or so (about 50 minutes per day each time) and it made a big difference to my understanding of Beginners Spanish.
Note that this isn't quite a 'hand-holding' product. It does go quite fast in certain places, so you'll need to get used to the idea of hearing something over and over again.
I'm trying out other products now (as beginners should have always a range of sources) but I do continue to go back to this one as I always pick up something new each time.
To give you a sense of scale here, I had a look online at the Scottish Qualification Authority's Intermediate 1 Spanish exam and after absorbing this product over a 3 week period (along with a few other beginners products) I feel quite confident that I could pass the exam for this level without attending a single class.
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Good for vocab, not so hot on the grammar
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This is a strange little book... There is no colour, so it's not the most inspiring to work through, however as each chapter is relatively short, it's not hard going. Each chapter is arranged around a theme, listed below: who's who
where are you from?
More about yourself
how are you?
our families
moving around
arrivals and departures
wishes and requests
tastes and preferences
personal matters
between friends
make yourself known
at home
free time
travelling in Spain
I don't feel well
let's go shopping
eating and drinking
some practical matters
talking about the weather
accents and dialects/signs and notices/grammar Each chapter is between 4 and 8 pages, so you can easily read a chapter in one sitting, or in my case, before going to bed. As each chapter is based around a theme, gramatical constructs and verb conjugations are presented in a rather ad hoc manner, which makes this book no good as a reference. However I do find it useful for picking up vocabularly around the themes mentioned above. The 2 CDs nicely complement each chapter and provide useful pronounciation guidance. Do note though, that this book only covers the present and present progressive tenses for the most part, although it does cover the useful "Quisiera" - "I would like" I do feel that this book falls somewhat short - it doesn't really know what it is trying to be, or who it is trying to appeal to. It is neither a quick fix to basic spanish or a more comprehensive introduction to the language. It seems to fall between the two stools of Elisabeth Smith's "Teach yourself Instant Spanish" and Juan Kattan-Ibarra's "Teach yourself Spanish". I read the former in under two hours, it's really for those who want the very basics for a week long holiday on the beach. The latter to me looks like it could offer a more robust introduction to the language. In summary, good for vocabulary building and an easy introduction, but you will be left wanting more and it is useless as a reference to grammar constructs. 3 stars.
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A great introduction to Spanish
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This book is a great introduction to the Spanish language. Having a basic knowledge of a native language can add another dimension to your holiday is good option if you would like to know the basics. When buying a language book, think carefully about what you want to achieve. Make sure you buy the CD which accompanies this book, as you want to speak and here the language, not just write and read it! When learning a foreign language it is important not to go to fast, as you may end up frustrated and give up. Choose this book if you have no prior knowledge of Spanish.
This is the one if you want to study at steady pace and want to get to grips with key phrases and basic grammar.It is ideal for holidays and basic conversation. The book is split up into 21 sections. I recommend that you study one chapter for three or four days every week, as well as listening to the two preceding chapters on CD. This means that you won't forget what you have learnt. This process takes about an hour. At the end of each chapter is a self-evaluation. After 21 weeks you will have a good knowledge of basic Spanish.
Using this method you should be able to introduce yourself and your family, to talk about travelling, time and dates, preferences, hobbies, home, eating and drinking, shopping etc.
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Only deals with 'fish and chips please' spanish!
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I bought this book because I wanted to learn Spanish at home, rather than fork out on expensive lessons. To begin with I was impressed, until I noticed how the book only skimmed the surface of the language and taught me no verbs or ANY grammar beyond a basic level. This book should not have been named begginners Spanish, 'Basic Spanish' would have been more suitable. Nevertheless, i have learned a lot from this book and anyone wishing to learn only day to day spanish will be delighted!
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Quite easy to follow and has a logic sequence.
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I found each chapter easily explained and easy to follow. It gives you recommended studying techniques (little and often) and each chapter is on a different subject e.g Greeting people. You should follow each chapter in turn up until chapter 11. After this you can pick and choose what you want to learn e.g shopping, restaurants. End up with a wide range of topics to learn.
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