Showing posts with label spanish subjunctive. Show all posts
Showing posts with label spanish subjunctive. Show all posts

Thursday, June 14, 2012

Perfect Phrases in Spanish for Confident Travel to Mexico: The No Faux-Pas Phrasebook for the Perfect Trip (Perfect Phrases Series) Review

Perfect Phrases in Spanish for Confident Travel to Mexico: The No Faux-Pas Phrasebook for the Perfect Trip (Perfect Phrases Series)
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
This is one of the few books I have found that specifically addresses Spanish for Mexico and I found it entertainging and helpful.

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More than your average phrasebook, this portable title shows you how to be a well-mannered visitor and speak the local language in the correct context

Any phrasebook can give you a line listing of essential phrases. But if you use a phrase or term without knowing the correct way to use it, you can find yourself in an embarrassing situation.

Perfect Phrases in Spanish for Confident Travel to Mexico addresses this problem expertly. Yes, you get the basics but you get a lot more background and guidance on how to use these words and phrases correctly without making a faux pas. With the confidence that you are using a phrase correctly, you will enjoy a smoother adventure in Mexico.


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Friday, April 20, 2012

Practice Makes Perfect: The Spanish Subjunctive Up Close (Practice Makes Perfect Series) Review

Practice Makes Perfect: The Spanish Subjunctive Up Close (Practice Makes Perfect Series)
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
I've always thought that the Spanish subjunctive was so complicated that it could be covered in a book by itself. I've always hoped for such a book, too. Following is its table of contents:
1. When to use the subjunctive and how to form its four tenses
2. Sequence of tenses and the subjunctive
3. Subordinated noun clauses
4. Subordinated adjective clauses
5. Adverbial expressions
6. Contrary-to-fact statements
7. Comprehensive exercises
The author states early in the book that many Spanish students assume that the subjunctive is all about doubt. The author is quick to explain that this assumption is problematic. The use of the subjunctive in doubt or uncertainty is only ONE of its many uses. I'm glad there's a book on the subjunctive that addresses this issue. I used to tutor a student in Spanish who thought the subjunctive was all about doubt. And trying to get her to understand that there was more to the subjunctive than just doubt was a difficult task.
The book explains how to conjugate all four tenses in the subjunctive, then it moves on to its uses. This book explains the uses of the subjunctive in the same order as many other books. First, it explains its uses in nominal clauses, then it moves on to adjective clauses, adverbial clauses, and contrary-to-fact statements. The end of the book has exercises.
I think this book is incredible, but I personally don't think it's a good idea to explain all four tenses at once. I think it's better to start out with the present subjunctive, learn how to use it, and then move on to the other tenses. The author mentions the future subjunctive and the future perfect subjunctive, but he doesn't explain how to use them. I wish he had; it's difficult to find reference materials that explain the future subjunctive.
I highly recommend this book. 5 stars!!!
Brandon Simpson

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Get up close and master Spanish subjunctive

As you study Spanish you may see the subjunctive as an obstacle to your full understanding of the language. Learning the subjunctive can be one of the most frustrating aspects of Spanish grammar, but it is also one of the most important for being understood and understanding what others say. By adding Spanish pronouns to your range of language skills, you will open up a whole new world of communication.

With plenty of opportunities for practice, practice, practice, Practice Makes Perfect: The Spanish Subjunctive Up Close helps you better understand the nuances of this often-confusing grammar element and develop your skills and confidence as a Spanish speaker with:

Easy-to-absorb explanatory materials, examples, and exercises
Authoritative guidance on how to form the four subjunctive tenses and when to use them
A comprehensive answer key that not only gives you the correct solutions to the exercises but explains the why behind them


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Thursday, November 24, 2011

Practice Makes Perfect Basic Spanish (Practice Makes Perfect Series) Review

Practice Makes Perfect Basic Spanish (Practice Makes Perfect Series)
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
Let me first say that this book does a good job on its intended purpose. When you flip to page v (the preface), the author clearly states that this book is not intended to be the primary teaching source or that it will introduce concepts.
There's nothing wrong with that, but the title of the book is "Practice Makes Perfect: Basic Spanish." I bought it with the impression that it would introduce beginning Spanish concepts. I wanted to use this book with students or homeschooled kids who needed a good place to start. When I saw this book listed on Amazon, I was excited to see that a book for beginners had been published. But this book is not for beginners. If the title had been Basic Spanish Review, I probably wouldn't have bought it, or I might have bought it if I needed additional materials for a Spanish class.
This book is best used for maybe Spanish I in high school or Spanish 101 in college. The exercises are useful in that respect. But if you want a book that is for absolute beginners, get a copy of Getting Started with Spanish. It is one of the best, if not the best, book for absolute beginners of Spanish.
Brandon Simpson

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Learn the Spanish you need. Gain the language skills you want.

Practice Makes Perfect: Basic Spanish is a trusted companion to your Spanish-learning experience. In each bite-sized lesson, author Dorothy Richmond explains one--and only one--grammar concept and illustrates it with many clear examples. The accompanying fun and interesting exercises let you practice, practice, practice what you have learned. Although these lessons are purposely short so you can complete them in twenty minutes or less, you can go at a pace that works for you.

This guide/workbook will help you masterpresent tense verb conjugation • the ser and estar verb forms • adjectives • possessive pronouns • sentence structures • the contractions al and del• indefinite articles • tener idioms • and more

Whether you are learning on your own or taking a beginning Spanish class, Practice Makes Perfect: Basic Spanish will help you build your confidence.


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Thursday, September 29, 2011

Spanish Demystified: A Self -Teaching Guide Review

Spanish Demystified: A Self -Teaching Guide
Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)
This book is fantastic. I've been through 3 1/2 years of spanish in school and have about 12 spanish "reference" books like this one. Immediately this one was my favorite and I started working in it right away, whereas the others I would just work on half-heartedly.
The Spanish Demystified layout gives me a real sense of accomplishment - the chapters and lessons are not too long and the short quizzes give real-time feedback on how well I am understanding the material. There are a few times when I've used those other reference books (or the internet) to clarify a topic if I didn't quite "get it" from this book, but that has only been a few times.
The drawback to this book is that there are errors in it... several of them. For the most part they are pretty obvious (putting a singular in place of a plural, etc.) but it's a little unnerving at times.
Even with the errors, I still give this 5 stars because it is a thorough book that gives it to you straight, for Latin American Spanish. Another helpful part is that it has a pretty comprehensive index that I find myself using quite a bit, plus there's a spanish/english dictionary in the back that covers most of the vocab you will run across in the book.
So the bottom line is that this is a great "fast forward" spanish book. Also - with my 3 1/2 years of Spanish (a straight A student), even the intro sections have details that I never picked up in class. I was tempted to skip those first chapters, but some of the simple tips were SO worth it.


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Start speaking Spanish faster than you can say, ¿cómo se dice?

Want to learn to speak Spanish but need to consult a dictionary just to find el baño? No problema! With Spanish Demystified you'll develop language skills so quickly you'll be saying hasta la vista to your phrasebook in no time.

Beginning with everyday Spanish expressions and a review of basic Spanish pronunciation, this book covers key grammar fundamentals such as common verb tenses, nouns, pronouns, and gender. Step by step, you'll build your Spanish vocabulary with essential words, idioms, and phrases and quickly master this versatile language. Test yourself at the end of every chapter for reinforcement that you're fast on your way to speaking, writing, and understanding Spanish.

This fast and easy guide features:

Clear grammatical explanations that illustrate how the language works

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