Product Description
From 12th-century Cantar de Mío Cid to 20th-century poetry of García Lorca, Salinas and Alberti—37 poems by Spain’s greatest poets. Full Spanish texts with expert literal English translations on facing pages. Also, wealth of biographical, critical commentary. Portraits of poets where available. Introduction. 24 black-and-white illustrations.
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Customer Reviews (5)

An excellent book with an excellent selection, ideal for the beginner!
Although published way back in 1965, this book is understandably still a very good seller. There are several excellent reasons for its continued popularity. It is not a heavy book; it is well set out; the brief biographies of the poets are informative without being critical; the translations are both deft and accurate. Of course, they do miss something of the poetry in the original, although even in this aspect, the poems when read aloud in English do come across with reasonable impact. The best way to illustrate a difference in approach is to compare a few lines from "The Bells" by the superb Rosalia with my own version in A Salute To Spanish Poetry: 100 Masterpieces from Spain & Latin America rendered into English verse. Florit's opening stanza is: "I love them, I hear them, / just as I hear the sound of the wind, / the babbling of the fountain / or the bleating of a lamb." I have: "I hear them, I love them / as I hear the rumor of the wind, / the murmur of the fountain / or the bellow of a lamb." My version is actually closer to the Spanish. Rosalia's actual word for instance is "rumor" which means exactly the same in English and is certainly far more poetic than "sound".

Review of Florit's 'Spanish Poetry'
This is a great little anthology of Spanish poetry with side-by-side English translation. Each author receives a great historical introduction before their work. My one criticism is the small size of this anthology. Most poets only have one poem featured in the book. It's hard to get a feel for a poet's style (and thereby be inspired to read their wider work) without sampling a few poems. Overall, very well-done, though. Translations are great.

Perfect!

I have an extremely high standard for books, no matter the genre. I happen to enjoy reading and writing poetry, and learning language (I am learning conversational Spanish currently)so I decided to buy this one, especially knowing it was from Dover, which I have always believed to have reprinted and published only good books.

I adored this book ever since I read the first poem in here, Cantar de Mio Cid. it really builds on your vocabulary, and helps you grasp the meaning on the words as actual "poetry" and not just as some words in a technical writing.

Among my favorites are: A una estrella (To a star) by Jose de Espronceda, Libro de buen amor (Book of good love) by Juan Ruiz, Castilla (Castile) by Miguel de Unamuno, and Muertes (Deaths) by Pedro Salinas.
This book is not only wonderful for an intermediate beginner like me, but also to advanced learners/speakers to learn both Spanish and English.

A brilliant collection of poetry. This book is a must buy for anybody interested in the Spanish language.

A great (and cheap!) little book
I bought mine a few years ago during my first inklings of interest in Spanish poetry.I'm glad I did.Key poets are represented by a short biography (in English) and one or two poems in Spanish with English literal prose on the facing page.Simple!Perfect!

The book goes from El Cid to early modern poets like Alexiandre, Alberti and Cernuda.I gather it is a shorter version of a longer book by Florit, but there is no reason not to get this one.This will get you started and help you decide which poets are worth investigating.A wonderful little book!

Enjoy Learning
I bought the book in order to use it to help me learn Spanish better. I teach adult immigrants, most of whom are Spanish speaking, to speak English. I recently decided that this book could be used to help the adult students learn English as well. The book has two very enjoyable applications: 1. I learn Spanish better. 2. The adult students learn English better and we are all learning while we are having great fun.Lope de Vega's "Various Effects of Love" keeps us all laughing. The truth that he speaks is the truth that we have all experienced. Read it. Enjoy it. ... Read more

Product Description
This seventeenth-century allegorical masterpiece by one of Spain's greatest dramatists incorporates the author's superb theatrical instincts, philosophical flair, and extraordinary imagination to probe the mysteries of human destiny. Exploring the conflict between free will and predestination, Calderon's most famous play tells of Segismundo, a Polish prince, imprisoned at birth by his father, the King, to thwart the predictions of astrologers. The dual-language edition features an excellent new literal translation on pages facing the original Spanish text and also includes the translator's informative introduction and notes.
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Customer Reviews (2)

Companion piece for opera
Have used this handy bi-lingual volume of 365-year-old Spanish play as bookend for Santa Fe Opera's 2010 premiere by same name: Life is a Dream (La Vida es Sueno). Our production was so super, it dazzled, leaving future delights listening to underlying composition by Pulitzer Prize winner, Lewis Spratlan.
For now, am extracting Segismundo and Rosaura's love story embedded in its dual-language dialogue. Hint: they meet with him as Beast, she as cross-dressing 'man' with sword!
It's a treat.

Great Edition of a Classic
I did not expect to like this book.However, reading Life is a Dream in the original Spanish was a delight.With the opposing translation it is even more enjoyable as the occasional unfamiliar idiom or obscure vocabulary within the text was easily cleared up.And the translation itself is solid throughout.

For those not familiar with the Spanish text, don't be discouraged; this is definitely the one of the most accessible Spanish classics.I would recommend it even to less advanced Spanish learners.(It's also short!) ... Read more

Product Description
Students of English whose first language is Spanish will find this book ideal for study and test preparation. Following an introductory chapter that offers study advice and tips on correct English pronunciation, the author devotes nine chapters to the examination of English verbs in all tenses, moods, and voices. Succeeding chapters cover nouns in the nominative, possessive, and objective cases, articles, adjectives, adverbs, comparatives and superlatives, prepositions, pronouns, numbers, and interjections. The final chapters put the different parts of speech together to demonstrate sentence structure and correct English language punctuation. Each chapter is full of exercises designed for self-study. An answer key is provided to help students evaluate their understanding of the material. The bookÂ's additional features include regular and irregular verb tables and a vocabulary list. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Clarifica Conceptos Gramaticales
Este texto es de gran ayuda para quienes se encuentran en nivel intermedio de ESL, en mi caso particular, me ha ayudado ha aclarar algunos conceptos gramaticales. Sin embargo, considero que es necesario continuar documentandose para avanzar en el aprendizaje del idioma. No descuidando a su vez la práctica.

Best I Could Find
If a Spanish speaking person needed a book to learn verbs and the various parts of speech, this would be it. Easy to find on amazon.com. Coincidentally, this is where I am doing more and more of my shopping. ... Read more

Product Description
Carefully selected passages from one of the great masterpieces of world literature feature the satiric adventures of a would-be knight and his faithful squire. Excellent new literal English translations on facing pages of the original Spanish text cover carefully selected passages that capture the wonderful flavor and romance of the complete work, including the comical manner in which Don Quixote was knighted and his valiant battle with the windmills.
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Product Description

Review + Practice = Confident Communication in Spanish!

The Ultimate Spanish Review and Practice, CD-ROM Edition, will transform the way you look at Spanish grammar--from a set of easily forgotten rules into stepping stones toward accurate and confident communication. Combining concise review with extensive practice, this book provides the ultimate way to polish your Spanish language skills.

Organized into 28 lessons, The Ultimate Spanish Review and Practice offers:

• Clear, concise explanations of all the grammar topics, illustrated from examples from everyday life
• More than 400 exercises with Answer Key to help you master Spanish grammar and vocabulary
• Vocabulary boxes providing the terms and expressions that will enhance your ability to express yourself

Exclusively on the CD-ROM

• An innovative program of audio exercises that re-create authentic situations and develop listening skills
• Diagnostic and Review Tests with 180 exercises to determine your skills and monitor your progress
• 200 varied and challenging exercises that cover all aspects of grammar

System requirements: PC only: Windows 2000, XP

Customer Reviews (65)

EXCELLENT grammar book
I absolutely love this book!While learning spanish I used several books but found none taught me the fundamentals (albeit at a higher level than an introduction) like this book did.The thing I liked the most was being able to clearly understand and thus master the craziness of conjugating in past, present and future tenses.This book has clear and concise lessons and exercises that help solidify what is being learned.I guess the only con is that you have to be able to speak some spanish to start using it.You will not regret purchasing this book at all.

Like New Means Like New
Like new meant like new! They delivered this quickly and the quality of the book was great! I am buying all my textbooks through Amazon and the vendors listed there from now on.

Great Value - But some early annoyances
The book is a great value with loads of information and exercises for a fair price. My main issue with the book is the concept of "intermediate." A true intermediate wouldn't be going over the basics of conjugating simple verbs as is done in Chapter 1. However, at the same time, if I am really going over these basics, shouldn't the instructions (and contextual setup) given for the exercises be given in English? The exercises are clearly designed for a beginner, but the instructions are written in intermediate level Spanish that includes unique words and Spanish idioms that don't translate easily into English. This is not consistent. It's easy to do the exercises without reading the instructions, but I like to translate what I am working on to build vocabulary and understanding. So, as a learner I spend more time translating the instructions than the exercises. In lesson 1, I already had to give up on my pocket dictionary and switch to the full dictionary since multiple words were not in the pocket one of 30,000 words and I needed a dictionary with idioms in it. Obviously, if I can easily translate the instructions which are full of regular and irregular verbs and verb tenses not even covered in the book yet, I can handle the super easy versions in the exercises.

Sorry for the ramble, but it just doesn't line up for me. Keep the instructions in English in the early stages when the student/learner are working on the basics. Or make it truly an "intermediate" book and skip all the basics and go straight to a true intermediate level.

Anyway, I would still recommend the product since it is good material and a good value, but I think they could have probably been more consistent at what level the material being presented is at.

Anna Rivera Reviews the Ultimate Spanish Review and Practice
I am Anna Rivera editor of the Learning Spanish Products Reviews site and free Spanish lessons site. I am also the author of Anna Rivera's 1000 Plus Most Powerful Spanish Words (Spanish Edition) and Anna Rivera's 800 Plus Most Powerful Spanish Phrases (Spanish Edition). I am also a native Spanish speaker and a professional Spanish instructor. Here's my review of The Ultimate Spanish Review and Practice.

This is one of my favorite books on the topic of Spanish grammar. I have recommended it to so many of my personal students as well as my newsletter readers. What do I find so interesting about this book? Quite a few things. For example, the "Nota Cultural" (cultural notes) selections.

The "Nota Cultural" (cultural notes)selectionsareentirely in Spanish without any English translation to give the student a real challenge in reading Spanish.Some of the other sections which the authors did an excellent job with were the Prepositions section where the authors covere the following:

* basic prepositions such as a, de, en, con
* "por" and "para"
* Other simple prepositions
* Sets of prepositions and compound prepositions

The authors also did an outstanding job with the section that any native English speaker learning Spanish needs to study very thoroughly:Common Errors and Pitfalls

In this section the authors cover the following among other common errors and pitfalls:

Dejar vs. Salir
Saber vs. Conocer
Oreja vs. Oído
Meanings of Quedar
"To break" and "to Tear"
"To miss"

I strongly recommend that you add this book to your collection of learning Spanish books if you want to improve your proficiency in this language.

Fantastic!
I agree with the positive reviews already posted here.This is precisely what I was looking for, as an intermediate Spanish speaker who got a minor in Spanish back in college (10+ years ago), and needed a systematic way to get back up to speed.What a great resource! ... Read more

Product Description
Our best-selling language series just went Beyond the Basics!

Now there’s a fantastic new way for language learners to take their Spanish to the next level and go Beyond the Basics! Ideal for people who already have some introductory knowledge, the brand-new Beyond the Basics courses take students further in key areas, including vocabulary, grammar, culture, and natural-sounding conversational skills. Each course includes twenty lessons that feature more challenging dialogues as well as numerous examples, explanations, and practice exercises. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Learning Spanish
Most programs of this type "speak" only a single word, after which a pause lets you repeat it. To improve your ear, this program provides dialogs at full speed and then breaks it down sentence-by-sentence followed by a pause. An English translation is provided in the accompanying workbook. It would be better suited to learning while driving if the English translation was also provided on the CD. The workbook is very helpful.

Start to get the hang of speaking and understanding Spanish
After listening to the CDs over and over, I began to understand the cadences of the language. I could also repeat the phrases pretty well.

Some of the chunks were too long without a break, and I just couldn't get them all at once, even after I'd listened many times. My CD player wouldn't go back a few seconds, so I couldn't listen to bits over and over the way I wanted to. I plan to transfer the CDs to MP3s so I can put them on my audio player and will be able to go back a few seconds at a time.

Overall, I liked these CDs and the workbook. The course didn't seem too advanced for me, but I've had quite a bit of Spanish (six semesters college level), and can read pretty well. I just never got the hang of understanding and speaking much, so these CDs help.

Good listening practice
As mentioned in another criticism, this unit might be a bit too advanced for someone who has only had a beginners course.Of the three component language skills - reading, speaking, listening - I have found "listening" (with comprehension)to be the most challenging.This course is one of the best for practicing listening at conversational speed. At first I had some difficulty comprehending the CD dialogs while driving the car. However, I found that using the detailed transcriptions in the textbook helped with understanding, and repeated listenings did the trick. A wide range of useful vocabulary is covered.

Spanish Beyond the Basics Living Language
The cover on this product says "For anyone who has completed a Beginner Course". I finished the Spanish Living Language Beginner CD package and thougth this would be the next step. Do not be fooled this is noway an intermediate level course. There is not a word of English on these CD's and the grammer and dialogue is WAY over my head without any explanation. It is probably an excellent advanced course but I give it one star because it was advertised as "Intermediate" and I spent 27.95 for something that I cannot use.
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Product Description
Presents pictures labeled in both Spanish and English under such headings as "Going to school," "Weather," and "At the supermarket." ... Read more

Customer Reviews (37)

Great
This is a great book for any toddler. The pictures are awesome and wide ranging. As they get older they/you can also say the item in
Spanish.

Great photos for a 2 year old...or even for adults learning spanish.
My 2 year old nephew loves this book. Even though he only knows spanish colors right now, and we aren't really working on other vocab, he loves looking at the pictures and trying to find things... I say "point to the.........." and he loves it....

It's nice having REAL photos as opposed to drawings. My nephew tends to like that much better. This is a hardback book with lots of pages... I was even thinking it would be good for adults tryin to learn spanish!

Great first start
I bought this book for my 1 year old who is currently learning English and Spanish.The book is filled with colorful pictures that help her identify with the words.It's a great first start to becoming fluent in two languages.

Great Book!!
I bought this book for my grandchildren so they could learn spanish, and we all loved it!.It has a little of everything in it. Alphabet, numbers, days & months of the year, foods, things in the house, animals, just to many to name them all here. Great price for such an informative book!!! Would highly recommend.

FAB BOOK
SUPER BOOK FOR THE BEGINNER IN SPANISH (CHILD AND PARENT)!IT HAS BEEN A GREAT REFERENCE TOOL FOR MYSELF AND MY 2 YR OLD LOVES FLIPPING IT OPEN ON RANDOM PAGES AND ASKING WHAT IS WHAT.A GREAT BUY! ... Read more

Product Description
Spanish is spoken in many countries around the world, and like all languages, different forms of Spanish express different levels of formality. Taking these variations in Spanish into account, this books describes the most important linguistic features of the language. The book is an ideal resource for teachers and students of Spanish, and no prior linguistic knowledge is assumed. ... Read more

Product Description
Learn Spanish while running errands, commuting or even while working out!This Spanish language course is easy and convenient in an all-audio format.

Drive Time Spanishis the easiest way to learn Spanish vocabulary, to learn Spanish grammar, to learn Spanish pronunciation, conversation and even Spanish culture — all without a book. The experts at Living Language have created a course that includes four hours of language lessons on four CDs that you can use anywhere and anytime. Learn Spanish while you’re driving to work, taking a trip with the family, or even while jogging! Drive Time Spanish is a simple and convenient Spanish language course that includes:

•4 compact discs with conversational lessons — practice listening and speaking Spanish naturally
•Plenty of pronunciation exercises, simple explanations, examples, and real conversational practice
•A 64-page student handbook with Spanish vocabulary lists, dialogue scripts, and a grammar summary for reference ... Read more

Customer Reviews (18)

Failure by All New Books to Deliver
My order with All New Books was placed on 2 December 2009Two months later (4 Feb 2010) I am still awaiting delivery of the CD "Drive Time: Spanish (CD): Learn Spanish While You Drive"

I cannot recommend the service received from All New Books.

Drive Time Spanish Review by James
This is James from James Spanish (the learning Spanish blog). Using audio courses while you drive is a great way to learn a language. The Drive Time series is presented completely on audio, with no accompanying textbook exercises to complete, so you can learn completely while behind the wheel. There is a handy reference book, however, which provides a written guide to everything covered in the audio course.As well as conversation, the CDs also cover some basic grammar, giving an all round understanding of the language.

The CD audio course breaks in beginners gently, with easy and simple exercises to introduce new learners to the language and pronunciation before moving on to more complete lessons. In fact, the first CD in the course is called an "on ramp" and is specifically tailored to easing students into the learning experience before really moving on to the core material.This is a nice inclusion, and great for beginners or learners who have found themselves a bit intimidated by other courses that demand a high level of understanding from the get go.That said,the conversations are not translated every time, and a certain level of basic Spanish is expected in order for you to understand what is being said.

The speed of speaking increases throughout the course too, naturally encouraging you to tune in to native speakers. For this reasons, this course is ideal for any student wanting to improve their conversational skills and comprehension.The course lessons steer clear of the repetition model used by many other courses, focusing instead on teaching you as you listen.One of the main complaints from Spanish students is that while they can understand the clearly spoken Spanish in their lessons, when they hear native speakers talking they get lost and cannot understand.This course deliberately avoids artificial speech patterns, making your ear tune in carefully to what is being said.The narrator speaks in a natural way,not pausing between words or over enunciating, so you can get used to listening to how native speakers talk.

While you may want to pair this course with study materials that teach more vocabulary and grammar, this set of CDs is a great way to build on your conversational skills.
In closing my review of this product, I'd like to share with you the three Amazon products that I have found most helpful in my pursuit to learn Spanish. If you are truly serious about achieving fluency, I'd recommend getting all 3 of them if you can afford it.

1.Lights, Camera, Spanish (Book + DVD): Learn Conversational Spanish by Watching a Romantic Adventure This isactually a 90 minute movie for Spanish-language learners. It gives the option to watch the movie with subtitles but I'd recommend not using them to improve your Spanish. This "movie" also includes a workbook so that you can reinforce the Spanish vocabulary words and phrases from the film.The workbook also has lots of exercises to keep you engaged in the film. But be prepared to hear Chilean accents. Although pleasent to the ear, the accents from Chile are very different from most Latin American accents.

2. Verbarrator Version 1.1 (Windows Version) This software replaces the traditional verb conjugation books and makes learning how to conjugate Spanish verbs an interactive and fun activity. This should be a required resource for anyone who wants to improve their ability to conjugate Spanish verbs. Especially anyone who is challenged by the drudgery of learning how to conjugate Spanish verbs and who is looking for a new way to make learning how to conjugate Spanish verbs an easy and fun activity

3. Diccionario esencial de la lengua espanola de la Real Academia Espanola (Spanish Edition) If you are really serious about speaking the language fluently, then at some point you will need to replace your Spanish-English dictionary and get a pure Spanish dictionary with both the vocabulary words and the definitionsentirely in Spanish. I use this one only because it was highly-recommended by a friend from Spain who teaches Spanish. According to him, in academic circles in Spain as well as Latin America this Spanish dictionary is the standard.

Great way to make use of commuting time
Definitely great for people on the go or who just don't have time at home to devote to learning Spanish or taking a class.It can get a little fast sometimes and tends to throw a LOT of information at you in short amounts of time, so it's extremely important to have a native speaker with whom to practice what you learn to solidify it in memory.The only downside is the fact that many phrases, when they were recorded, were cut off just slightly at the beginning, so it's sometimes difficult to hear what the native speakers on the CD really said.This can make it extra challenging for someone with no Spanish background or who just wants to hear clearly what was said to be able to imitate.This is the main reason why it's so important to have a native speaker in real life to practice with.Overall very good product, though.I've learned a lot with it so far in just the first few weeks of owning it.

Not bad for Intermediates trying to remember and brush up on their Spanish from an absence.
I found this is a good starter to restart your spanish practicing. It's not for beginners. They touch the very basics very quickly and well if you don't know how to play with the inflections and all the good differences between the languages, I could see someone getting lost easily. It's not a bad product. Only thing is the pauses to repeat or to think about what you have to say is too short and usually you're saying it as they repeat the answer you just said. Other than that, I am very happy with the purchase and I like how it's easy to use in the car. Beginners in the language beware!

slow and easy good beginners lessons
perhaps not advanced enough for someone who has some spanish but for the raw beginner this is a good one - drive listen and learn! ... Read more

Product Description
For more than a century, Mexican American journalists used their presses to voice socio-historical concerns and to represent themselves as a determinant group of communities in Nuevo México, a particularly resilient corner of the Chicano homeland. This book draws on exhaustive archival research to review the history of newspapers in these communities, from the arrival of the first press in the region to publication of the last edition of Santa Fe's El Nuevo Mexicano. ... Read more

Product Description

Product Description
The Everything Intermediate Spanish Book with CD is the perfect guide to take your Spanish speaking, writing, and reading to the next level. Whether you're planning a trip to españa or simply brushing up on what you already know for personal or professional interest, this valuable book and CD will help you reach your goals. Grammar and vocabulary lessons are presented through entertaining and practical real-world situations. The lighthearted tone and familiar scenarios will encourage you to overcome the "fear factor" and have fun while communicating effectively in Spanish!

The Everything Intermediate Spanish Book with CDfeatures:

• Pronunciation review
• Equivalents of the verb to be
• Reflexive and transitive verbs
• Casual and formal etiquette
• Conditional and commands

With this book and audio practice CD, you will soon be able to move with ease throughout the Spanish-speaking world! ... Read more

Product Description

Product Description
Our best-selling audio language-learning program provides comprehensive grammar and vocabulary to beginners and advanced students, offering guidance in pronunciation in addition to language fundamentals. Updated for the 21st century and re-recorded with fresh voiceovers, Learn In Your Car includes terminology for cell phones, computers and the Internet, as well as contemporary currencies and usages. Listeners learn pronunciation, vocabulary, and grammar of a new language without the need of a textbook: Level 1: Key words and phrases, basic grammar skills, emphasizes travel needs; Level 2: Expands vocabulary, new grammar concepts, more day-to-day activities; Level 3: Broadens vocabulary base, more advanced grammar skills, enriches conversational ability. 3 hours of audio on 3 compact discs, 1 Listening Guide with recorded text for reference and grammar notes.Amazon.com Review
Look ma, no textbooks! The Learn in Your Car series treats youlike a child--in the best possible way--starting with one-word phrases("please," "good-by"), counting exercises, and simple nouns ("bus,""train") designed to imitate a child's learning process. First youhear the words in English, then they are repeated slowly in clear,unaccented pronunciations. The method is extremely effective for thosewho don't know a thing, or for those who want to brush up by testingthemselves when the English words are spoken. The tapes emphasize thebuilding blocks of communicating in a foreign country rather than rotephrases that only apply on the tape and not in real-lifeexchanges. Level 1 painlessly covers basic verb forms, essentialprepositions, near future and past tenses, as well as shopping, hotelreservations, and other travel-related situations.The seriesincludes French, German, Italian, Russian, Japanese, and Spanish inthree levels that can be purchased individually or in boxed sets. Eachlevel contains two 90-minute cassettes (or CDs) and an accompanyingbooklet (not for use behind the wheel) with helpful explanations andscripts for the lessons. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (18)

Inexpensive but very boring.
As a background, I have listenned to Rossetta Stone, Pimsleur, Michel Thomas, FSI, and Assimil language series audio.Learn in Your Car is the worst.A series of English phrases along with their Spanish equivalents were repeated.Sometimes the grammar terms for the words were included.I found the grammatical terms to be distracting.

Due to the low price your best alternatives are Assimil, Pimsleur Conversational series, and FSI.Assimil not designed to be used behind the wheel so that leaves FSI.FSI, which can be downloaded free, is an excellent course but I do not recommend it for beginners due to the fast pace of both the course and the audio lessons.That leaves Pimsleur Conversational as your best alternative and if you have a cassette player in the car, tape versions of the *full* course are available for cheap on auction sites.

Pretty much as expected
The course is as expected. Not perfect, but a good value for the money. And since I have a very long commute each day it's nice to put the time to good use. The only lack so far is that there are no 'quiz' type sections so that one can test comprehension and retention in a controlled manner. I don't know if I'll be able to hold my own in the language when this is all done, but I suspect that if not it will be my own fault, not the fault of this product.

Learn in Your Car Spanish Level One Review by James
This is James from James Spanish (the learning Spanish blog). Studying Spanish from textbooks alone can be dry and frustrating.Often you feel that you know plenty of vocabulary and grammar only to find that you don't recognize what someone is saying when you hear Spanish speakers talk.This is the beauty of audio courses, which let you get used to hearing Spanish spoken.

The Learn in Your Car Spanish is a highly praised course designed to teach you Spanish during the time you spend on your commute to work or any other time when you are in the car.

The lessons are well structured, and follow on in a logical sequence, building on the information given in earlier chapters so that you are constantly reviewing and reinforcing what you have already learned.The subjects of the lessons are everyday situations that most people come across, so you can put your Spanish to good use almost immediately.

The course follows a traditional format of giving you a phrase in English and then providing the way to say it in Spanish.The Spanish translation is said twice to help you listen to pronunciation and get a good feeling for the words before repeating them.

The lessons are duplicated in the accompanying book, so you can see how they are spelled as well as hear how they are spoken.This is great for improving your reading and comprehension of Spanish and also provides a handy reference for vocabulary.

Chock full of useful words and phrases, these CDs are a great way to learn a large amount of vocabulary quickly yet with little effort.The lessons are quite short, allowing you to complete them as you drive to work or run errands.The fact that you don't feel like you are starting and stopping mid-lesson helps with motivation.

As you progress through the CDs you will find that you are able to combine some of the phrases in the lessons to create your own sentences independently.This is one of the best features of this course, as it encourages and allows for you to use the vocabulary in a flexible way.

Repetition is key to learning using an audio course, so be sure to practice these lessons over and over again.They are great for refreshing your Spanish is you haven't used it in a while too.
In closing my review of this product, I'd like to share with you the three Amazon products that I have found most helpful in my pursuit to learn Spanish. If you are truly serious about achieving fluency, I'd recommend getting all 3 of them if you can afford it.


1.Lights, Camera, Spanish (Book + DVD): Learn Conversational Spanish by Watching a Romantic Adventure This isactually a 90 minute movie for Spanish-language learners. It gives the option to watch the movie with subtitles but I'd recommend not using them to improve your Spanish. This "movie" also includes a workbook so that you can reinforce the Spanish vocabulary words and phrases from the film.The workbook also has lots of exercises to keep you engaged in the film. But be prepared to hear Chilean accents. Although pleasent to the ear, the accents from Chile are very different from most Latin American accents.

2. Verbarrator Version 1.1 (Windows Version) This software replaces the traditional verb conjugation books and makes learning how to conjugate Spanish verbs an interactive and fun activity. This should be a required resource for anyone who wants to improve their ability to conjugate Spanish verbs. Especially anyone who is challenged by the drudgery of learning how to conjugate Spanish verbs and who is looking for a new way to make learning how to conjugate Spanish verbs an easy and fun activity

3. Diccionario esencial de la lengua espanola de la Real Academia Espanola (Spanish Edition) If you are really serious about speaking the language fluently, then at some point you will need to replace your Spanish-English dictionary and get a pure Spanish dictionary with both the vocabulary words and the definitionsentirely in Spanish. I use this one only because it was highly-recommended by a friend from Spain who teaches Spanish.

Learn in your car Spanish
Very boring, listen to spanish words and repeat. If it wasn't for environmental concerns I'd sail this CD out the car window.

Mike

Best program I've tried
I purchased this program last September (7 months ago) and have been playing it in my car to and from work each day (30 minutes each way).I am thrilled that I finished the complete 3 CD set this week!It's the first program I've ever gotten through, I've learned it completely, and it was EASY!I begin by listening to each track and I simply repeat that track over and over again until I'm comfortable that I've learned it. After listening a time or two and getting used to the words, I take a minute before I go into the office to read through the lesson that is reprinted in the book. This has been really helpful in helping me to distinguish small sounds in some words, and it also allows me to visualize the word in my mind the next time I hear it which helped me to learn them even faster and also improved my reading skills.I have enough skill now to form sentences on my own, even those that weren't taught on the discs, just by putting new words from a spanish-english dictionary together with what I already know.Today I will be buying level 2! ... Read more

Product Description
Idiomatic speech undergoes constant change in all languages. Updated to reflect current informal written and spoken expressions in Spanish, this pocket-size book presents approximately 2,000 idiomatic Spanish expressions, followed up with their English translations and meanings. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Spanish Idioms
Excellent small book! Easy to find phrases and an absolute must for the serious spanish student. Barron's is a trusted resource.

Great reference book!
This is a very good reference book and will serve just about anyone in an academic setting. The downside of this guide is that it tends to shy away from vulgar idiomatic expressions, so don't look to this guide to help you through your day to day conversations overseas...

Cream of the Crop: Spanish Idioms
This book is THE BOOK to consult when it comes to Spanish idioms.It is the best among all others.The book is very well organized; alphabetically, guide words appear at the top of the page and for eachword, there is an English translation and after that appear idioms thatcontain that word.There is an English translation for each idiom, andeach idiom is used in a Spanish sentence, which is also then translated inEnglish. At the end there is a list of common English idioms, with aSpanish equivalent and the page where it is found.It is a steal! ... Read more

Product Description
Based on the Natural Approach, Dos mundos stresses the use of engaging activities and interesting readings in a natural and spontaneous classroom atmosphere. In this comprehension-based approach to learning language, the development of communicative language skills is the central goal, with formal grammar presentation and grammar practice at the service of communication.The text is designed so that class time can be devoted to exposing students to Spanish through creative activities and readings, allowing grammar explanations and exercises to be studied outside the classroom. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (16)

Okay book, annoying online workbook
I'm enjoying the workbook, though I agree with those who would prefer more organized chapters with lengthier explanations of grammar.But the workbook require exact word order, so you can easily get marked wrong when your answer was right.

Excellent Purchase
As promised, this book came in excellent condition. I have no complaints, and urge anyone buying from this seller not to hesitate. If you are trying to find a good Spanish textbook in general, then look no further - this is one of the better ones available.

This text had me speaking/loving Spanish
I'm an adult student and used this text and supporting materials for 2 semesters. I did all the textbook and workbook homework and listened to the audio, Spanish radio, and watched a little Spanish tv. My teacher was dynamic and motivated and her classes were centered solely on this text. We were speaking Spanish (like 3 to 4 year olds) by the end of the semester. The emphasis is communication and grammar is a secondary, although a well thought out, component.
My son is about to begin this course as a high school student in a community college class. I have full confidence that he'll enjoy the work and will be speaking Spanish soon.

Good deal
I was very happy the book arrived in a very short time but the book is in worst condition than it said in the description. In the description it said that it was in good condition inside, but with slight damage in the outside. It turned out that inside it had some written stuff and wasn't in such good contidion.

Book in rougher shape tha advertised
Listed as good; there was a lot of wear and damage to the spine, etc. But it was delivered on time, and still in so so shape.. OK ... Read more

Product Description
This Conversational program contains 8 hours of interactive audio-only instruction, effective language learning with real-life spoken practice sessions.

The Pimsleur Method provides the most effective language-learning program ever developed. The Pimsleur Method gives you quick command of Spanish structure without tedious drills. Learning to speak Spanish can actually be enjoyable and rewarding.

The key reason most people struggle with new languages is that they aren't given proper instruction, only bits and pieces of a language. Other language programs sell only these pieces -- dictionaries; grammar books and instructions; lists of hundreds or thousands words and definitions; audios containing useless drills. They leave it to you to assemble these pieces as you try to speak. Pimsleur enables you to spend your time learning to speak the language rather than just studying its parts.

When you were learning English, could you speak before you knew how to conjugate verbs? Of course you could. That learning process is what Pimsleur replicates. Pimsleur presents the whole language as one integrated piece so you can succeed.

With Pimsleur you get:

• Grammar and vocabulary taught together in everyday conversation,
• Interactive audio-only instruction that teaches spoken language organically,
• The flexibility to learn anytime, anywhere,
• 30-minute lessons designed to optimize the amount of language you can learn in one sitting.

Millions of people have used Pimsleur to gain real conversational skills in new languages quickly and easily, wherever and whenever -- without textbooks, written exercises, or drills.

Conversational Spanish includes the 10 lessons from Pimsleur's Basic Spanish plus an additional 6 lessons.

The 16 lessons in Conversational Spanish are the same first 16 lessons in the Pimsleur Comprehensive Spanish Level 1. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (39)

Beer & a sanwich?!
The method is excellent.The content not always helpful!Repeated conversations about liking, ordering, buying, paying for, and otherwise interacting with beer.Also, there is the minimally useful discussion about "un sandwich frio."A cold sandwich?!Give me a break!At least make it an enchillada and some beans!

Hablo Espanlo
You cannot help but speak spanish after using this program.I think it is the basis for Rosetta Stone without the high price.The method leads you to understand as you learn to speak.I am really enjoying this program...it has cut down on the road rage!!

Good resource but a bit easy for those with some experience.
This audio set is a great resource for picking up Spanish after not speaking or studying it since high school. I already have a pretty good grasp on the language and just need to be able to converse while traveling in South America. I think this set will do a good job of putting me back on track, but it's still a bit too basic for me. I've had 5 years of advanced Spanish education so I need something a bit more advanced, but for those with little experience who want to pick up some lingo, this is a great resource!

Very Helpful
My husband and I are learning spanish and the class we are taking recommended this program.It is very helpful in teaching correct pronunciation.It is great for beginners but not too simple.You will learn phrases and basic communication after the first lesson.I highly recommend it.

Learning made easy!
I've been wanting to learn to speak Spanish and this has been a wonderful help.Listening to how the phrases are pronounced by a native speaker and then repeating it back has really helped me.Best yet is that I can use my driving time to & from work for these lessons! ... Read more

Product Description
BERLITZ DELUXE LANGUAGE PACK SPANISH

The comprehensive Spanish language-learning course


Enjoy studying independently--Deluxe Language Pack is a comprehensive course designed to develop language skills at your own pace. Deluxe Language Pack immerses you completely in Spanish; you ll gain listening, speaking, reading and writing skills. Go from beginner to the intermediate level in the comfort of your own home no teacher, schedule or rules to follow!


Everything you need to succeed in Spanish:

*6 audio CDs with native speakers to engage you in real-life conversations (5 hours total)

*2 fully illustrated course books

*100 quiz cards

*Bilingual dictionary

*Go online for free additional materials--easy to read audio script and learner s guide for those who like to read along with the audio

*Save up to $100 on Berlitz language classes


How Does the Course Work?1. Start with the Basic course book and audio CDs build confidence learning the basics

2. When you re ready, take your skills to the next level with the Intermediate course book and audio CDs

3. Test your newly acquired skills with 100 quiz cards

4. Use your bilingual dictionary for extra reference

5. Get additional support online--go to berlitzpublishing.com for a downloadable audio script and learner s guide

6. Compatible with your iPod® or MP3 devices
... Read more

Product Description
This revised and expanded edition of Ralph Penny's authoritative text includes new material on the nature of linguistic history, the concept of World Spanish, processes of convergence and divergence in Spanish and the English/Spanish interface. This edition also contains a glossary of technical terms, guidance on further reading and suggested topics for discussion. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (9)

A History of the Spanish Language
This is a college textbook so it's not easy reading. If you are already familiar with Latin, it will help to show you how Spanish evolved from it. It's filled with very specific grammatical and pronunciation symbols and terms. Because I learned Italian and Portuguese before learning Spanish, it's helping me understand why and how these Romance languages differ. This is a book that will make you wish to do more reading and research. One technical observation: the copy I received has a defective cover so I think it's actually a reject. The word "Language" is omitted on the covertitle. But all pages seem intact.

Excellent resource
An excellent book and if you are interested in where words come from besides Latin (pre-Roman languages, Greek, French, Arabic) etc.) and how they have changed, the extremely interesting history and development of Spain and the languages therein,and the historical romance of it all, you want this book. John Lipski's books are equally interesting and informative.

Excellent book
This is an excellent book that discusses the evolution of the Spanish language from its Latin and Iberian origins until its present state. It contains the following chapters:

1. Introduction
2. Phonology
3. Morpho-syntax
4. Lexis
5. Semantics
6. Past, Present & Future

You must be warned that this book is very detailed. It uses very technical and linguistic terminology. To read a less technical book about the history of the Spanish language, I recommend "El Espanol y su evolucion."

Brandon Simpson

A History of the Spanish Language - Ralph Penny
Magnificent book. Absolutely wonderful. Well researched and fascinating for anyone who speaks the Spanish language and is interested in linguistics and its history. Having spent some time in Spain and many years in South America, I developed a strong interest in the Romance languages but Spanish has such a geographic expansion that accents, regions, epochs are as interesting as its origins, its borrowings, its Amerindianisms, Latinisms, Arabisms et cetera, et cetera, et cetera.
This book provided me with many answers and fascinating explanations to the so many questions I had regarding sounds and accents and different usage of the same language in different regions of the wide Spanish speaking world. I loved it and I consult it often.

This is a good reference!
As a High School Spanish instructor with half a master's degree in linguistics and a full master's in educational administration I must say that this book is one of the best references I've seen in a long time!It gives a good detailed background of where the Spanish language came from as well as all of the linguistic aspects of the language historically. Highly recommended to be used as a reference. It really helps to put the "why" into what we teach. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (26)

a handly little book excellent for quick review/study.
This book could be used by both beginner and intermediate, as well as advanced.like most books it starts simple and builds in complexity.It offers pictures along with targeted word. Another very good spanish book by Margarita Madrigal, would be, Madrigal's magic key to spanish which builds a good guide into understanding all parts of spanish so one can see the complete operatings of the language."Say it in Spanish" is less description and more vocab building then the previously mentioned.Both are good books and neither will be disappointing.

See it and say it in Spanish is excellent
Margarita Madrigal's book "See it and say it in Spanish" is a great way to learn Spanish. I only gave the Madrigal book four stars because Margarita Madrigal or her publisher should offer companion DVDs and/or CDs to give the proper pronunciation of Spanish words.

If you buy Rosetta Stone language-learning software, the Madrigal book is still a great complement to it. It is also a wonderful reference source for vocabulary and grammar and would be a handy phrase book to bring with you when you travel to Spain or Mexico. At a purchase price of $6.99, the book is a steal. I suggest you buy an extra copy to lend to your traveling companion(s) when you go to Spain or Mexico.

Great Book!
I loved this book.I am a person that needs to see it in order to remember it.I am taking beginning Spanish this fall and wanted to get a jump on learning some basic terms and words and this did the trick.

Review of See It and Say It in Spanish by James
This is James from James Spanish (the learning Spanish blog).
Written by the same author as the highly recommended `Magic Key to Spanish', this book has Margarita Madrigal's typical friendly and entertaining feel. See It and Say It in Spanish makes learning Spanish fun and painless with none of the boring rules or dry technical explanations that are found in most textbooks.

The book teaches useful concepts without being boring or confusing, and all of the information is ideal for everyday situations.Phrases are short and simple, making them easy to master in a short amount of time, and will provide you with a strong framework of Spanish vocabulary that you can use straight away and build on as you continue your studies.

The lessons steer clear of the clichéd tourist phrases found in so many second language books, and instead teaches you useful core words and phrases that you can use in many different situations.

If you are a visual learner you will appreciate the cute line drawings in the book, which are a fantastic aide to remembering words.

Rather than try to teach you Spanish grammatical rules from scratch, the book uses your existing understanding of English grammar to help you form sentences and understand how words interact and change depending on tense.This way of learning is highly intuitive so that you feel like you are making progress almost effortlessly.

This book uses a nice approach for beginner learners, but the book doesn't stop there.With verb conjugations in the back and a unique way of presenting some concepts that many Spanish students struggle with, the book is an ideal study aid for different ability levels.It is also a good tool to review and refresh your knowledge.

Although no book can really teach you how to pronounce Spanish words properly, there is a sound chart included in this book to give you an idea of how each word should be said.Another useful tool included is the Spanish-English glossary at the back.While this is in no way a comprehensive dictionary it provides a good stable of handy words, many of which are used in the lessons.

If you find textbooks dull, are daunted by learning the rules of grammar and hate trying to memorize lists of verb conjugations then this is an ideal book for you.


In closing my review of this product, I'd like to share with you the three Amazon products that I have found most helpful in my pursuit to learn Spanish. If you are truly serious about achieving fluency, I'd recommend getting all 3 of them if you can afford it.

1.Lights, Camera, Spanish (Book + DVD): Learn Conversational Spanish by Watching a Romantic Adventure This isactually a 90 minute movie for Spanish-language learners. It gives the option to watch the movie with subtitles but I'd recommend not using them to improve your Spanish. This "movie" also includes a workbook so that you can reinforce the Spanish vocabulary words and phrases from the film.The workbook also has lots of exercises to keep you engaged in the film. But be prepared to hear Chilean accents. Although pleasent to the ear, the accents from Chile are very different from most Latin American accents.

2. Verbarrator Version 1.1 (Windows Version) This software replaces the traditional verb conjugation books and makes learning how to conjugate Spanish verbs an interactive and fun activity. This should be a required resource for anyone who wants to improve their ability to conjugate Spanish verbs. Especially anyone who is challenged by the drudgery of learning how to conjugate Spanish verbs and who is looking for a new way to make learning how to conjugate Spanish verbs an easy and fun activity

3. Diccionario esencial de la lengua espanola de la Real Academia Espanola (Spanish Edition) If you are really serious about speaking the language fluently, then at some point you will need to replace your Spanish-English dictionary and get a pure Spanish dictionary with both the vocabulary words and the definitionsentirely in Spanish. I use this one only because it was highly-recommended by a friend from Spain who teaches Spanish.

Good book for a beginner/traveler
This book was written by the same woman who wrote "Magic Key to Spanish". I read this one first and knew Magic Key had to be really good. This book (See it & Say it) focuses on vocabulary and simple sentences, which is nice because at the start, you don't want to be presented with anything too complex, or too much stuff. I'd say if you want to travel to a Spanish-speaking country or something, get this book. If you are really serious about learning a lot of the Spanish language, Magic Key is where you should start (or read both books) Margarita Madrigal is great at presenting information! If you want some excellent review for grammar specifically, check out Dorothy Richmond's books: her Spanish Verb Tenses book and Pronouns and Prepositions book are awesome. ... Read more