These are various books, tapes, and other tools that I have found most useful as I continue to learn Spanish on my own. I have broken them into the following categories:
Instructional Audio
Instructional Books
Vocabulary
Reading
Listening
Reference
Look Interesting (but haven't used them)
For background, I've also included:
A Brief History of My Spanish Learning
NOTE: I have linked to the Amazon.com pages for most of these items, since they often contain useful reviews. Also, for people in the Seattle area, I've included information on the availability of some of the items listed below at the Seattle Public Library (SPL) and the King County Library System (KCLS).
The Pimsleur method is the easiest and most painless method I have found for developing a strong foundation in a language. Several language learning experts endorse the Pimsleur approach, for example Barry Farber, author of How to Learn Any Language: Quickly, Easily, Inexpensively, Enjoyably and on Your Own.
Each lesson lasts about 30 minutes, is audio only, and you do one lesson per day. The course gradually introduces new words and phrases, which are continually reviewed and combined in new ways. The lessons seem much less boring than most other audio courses I have tried, since they are fairly interactive: you take part in Spanish conversations, being prompted in English (and later in Spanish) about what to say or how to respond to questions. After you make your response, the correct response is spoken by a native speaker once or twice, allowing you to improve your pronunciation and correct any mistakes. The comprehensive courses also include a small booklet and a recording which contain simple reading exercises to help you learn to read and pronounce the written language.
Although the amount of vocabulary you will learn in the Pimsleur method is fairly small, it is for the most part very well chosen and useful, and you will retain it and know it very well once you have finished the course. Pimsleur is a great way to build your initial foundation. Even if you've had Spanish classes in high school or college, you might find Pimsleur quite useful for improving conversational skills (Pimsleur worked wonders for my German conversation ability, after 2 years of college level German).
For more information on Pimsleur, see www.pimsleur.com, which includes a description of the Pimsleur Method, and a description of how to use the courses.
I found the Spanish Plus course (designed to be used after level III) to be less useful than the other courses, as it seemed to be developed for people working in the publishing industry. Much of the new vocabulary is pretty specific to publishing, such as "author's rights" and "publishing house", and probably not all that useful to most people. Still, if you like the Pimsleur approach, it does provide more practice.
Otherwise, the main downside to the Pimsleur approach is the cost. The courses are expensive when compared to most other audio language courses. But in my opinion, they are worth it, since they seem to be the most effective courses around. If cost is an issue, you might be able to find the full comprehensive programs at public libraries. If not, you might want to try the smaller introductory package (costs less than $20), which includes only the first 8 lessons, in order to see if you like the Pimsleur method, before making the plunge for the full comprehensive course.
Barron's
Mastering Spanish, level I (AKA: FSI Basic Spanish Course Level 1) SPL KCLS
Barron's
Mastering Spanish, level II (AKA: FSI Basic Spanish Course Level 2) SPL KCLS
These are the courses developed by the Foreign Service Institute in
the 1950's for training US diplomats. I've been working through
these, one lesson every few days, just to keep practicing my
listening and oral skills. I have found the drills a bit dull, but good
for practice and review. The lessons have also been useful for
increasing my listening comprehension, as the speakers talk more rapidly
than on most taped courses. However, I'm glad I used Pimsleur first,
since I think it is a much superior approach for initial learning.
FSI Basic
Spanish Level 3
FSI Basic
Spanish Level 4
I haven't actually used these yet, but they
are the continuation of the same FSI course used in the Barrons
Mastering Spanish series above. Also available from AudioForum. In addition, Platiquemos provides a
somewhat reformatted version of the entire FSI course series on
book/audio CD, book/MP3 audio (on CD), or electronic text (Adobe Acrobat)/MP3
audio (provided on CD). They also have a couple example
units which can be downloaded for free.
My main complaint with this book is that it completely ignores the familiar form of address until the very last chapter of the book. Also, the last 2-3 chapters are packed with information, but have very few excercises to provided examples and practice. These chapters could probably been expanded into 6 or more.
Breaking
out of Beginner's Spanish KCLS
Lots of useful information for intermediate level Spanish speakers, in
an entertaining and easy to read format. Descriptions of many of the
common verbs and points of grammar that provide difficulties for
native English speakers trying to learn Spanish. Especially useful
discussion of the use of the subjunctive, something that tends to
cause bewilderment and frustration for English speakers. Very useful
once you have some of the basics down. I just wish it had an index.
Practice
Makes Perfect: Spanish Verb Tenses
A work book that clearly describes the various Spanish verb tenses and
their usage, and provides lots of exercises.
Practice Makes Perfect: Spanish Pronouns And Prepositions
Similar to the above, but explains and drills the usage of pronouns and prepositions.
Flash cards are a good method for learning and retaining new vocabulary (at least if you use them in an intelligent way, see below). I usually carry around 50-200 to use whenever I have the time, such as on the bus, waiting in line, etc.
A couple of useful methods for effectively using flash cards are described in Remembering the Hiragana/Katakana. (This is a book for learning the Japanese syllabries, which is off topic for this page. But it might be worth it to track down a copy of this book in a bookstore or library in order to read through the short descriptions of the methods). I have built a special small cardboard box with various dividers to hold my cards and help me use these methods. I carry this box in my coat pocket or backpack.
1001 Most Useful Spanish Words
A small and very inexpensive book which lists common and useful Spanish
words, gives the English equivalent, and uses the Spanish word in a
sentence. Useful for browsing, or for a list of useful words when
making your own flash cards.
Modern Spanish : Bilingual Vocabulary Cards
This is a set of 1000 flash cards. Each flash card contains a main
item, which is word or phrase, with English on one side of the card
and Spanish on the other. Many of the flash cards also contain
additional words or phrases that are closely related to the main item.
If the card contains an irregular verb, the irregularities are
summarised on the card. The words and phrases are selected to be
among the most common and useful in Spanish. The set also includes a
very handy booklet which provides Spanish and English indices of all
items contained on the cards.
As would be expected, there is a lot of overlap between the words found here and in the previously described book.
I generally keep a running list on words or phrases I don't understand while reading through a chapter or article. Many times I can guess at the meaning of the word or phrase by context, but if it isn't something I have learned before, it goes on the list, as well as the page number where it occurs (or you could mark the word in the text; I usually check these books out from the library, so I make a list). After reaching the end of the chapter or article, I find the matching flash cards (from the set described above in Vocabulary), or make my own using a dictionary or other reference tools. Then I use the flash cards to learn the new vocabulary and finish by rereading the chapter.
Easy
Spanish Reader KCLS
Starts out at a very basic level. Useful to gain confidence
in your reading ability.
Spanish for Reading: A Self-Instructional Course SPL
I recently started studying Spanish again after a break, and have been
using this book. As the title implies, it focuses only on reading
comprehension, not conversation. I like the exercises, which provide
immediate feedback, gradually introduce new vocabulary, and progress
in an incremental and logical way.
Leer en espanol SPL
This is wonderful series of books in Spanish, broken into six levels,
based on the amount of vocabulary and grammatical difficulty. It
includes adaptations of several well known Spanish works, as well as
original stories. They are very useful for improving your reading
comprehension and vocabulary. If you pick the appropriate level, they
are both a valuable learning tool and enjoyable to read, since you
won't have to spend inordinate amounts of time looking up unknown
words in the dictionary in order to understand the text. One example
of a book in this series is La Ciudad de
los Dioses. This entire series (all well as other series) can
also be found at the Continental Book
Company.
Practice and Improve Your Spanish SPL KCLS
Consists of 4 tapes, each about 1 hour in length, which follows the
main character Julio as he enters into dialogues with his co-workers,
waiters, travel agents, hotel employees, etc. Interspersed with the
dialogues are practice sections which help reinforce various useful
phrases.
This package also contains a full transcript of the tapes, and a guide
that gives a brief description of each scene (in English), provides a
vocabulary list, and provides explanations of some of the phrases and
grammar used.
The tapes are excellent for helping to improve your listening
comprehension, although I found the music somewhat annoying.
Practice and Improve Your Spanish Plus SPL KCLS
Another story, similar in layout to the above, but more advanced, and
with quicker speech. Same annoying music, but otherwise very useful.
Improve Your Spanish: the Practice and Improve Method SPL
Combines the above two items into a single package.
Puerta del Sol
An "audio magazine" on cassette or CD, completely in Spanish. Each
edition is about one hour. Contains interviews, songs, cultural
information about the Spanish speaking world. Includes printed
transcript, with a glossary and notes at the end. A study guide is
also avilable for each issue. Good for improving listening
comprehension.
Oceano Langenscheidt Diccionario Basico ISBN 84-95199-18-1
This is a pocket sized monolingual Spanish dictionary with a durable
yellow cover like the Langenscheidt dictionary above (the main reason
I bought it). It is published in Spain, and I purchased it during a
recent trip to Mexico. I haven't seen it in the US. It has simple
definitions in Spanish, with a different word coverage than the
bilingual Langenscheidt. I usually carry around both (looking in this
one first when looking up Spanish words), and between the two of them,
I can usually find the Spanish word I am looking for. A minor
complaint is that the cover is stiffer than the bilingual version,
making it a bit more awkward to use (for instance, it won't always
stay open when laid on a table).
Cassell's
Colloquial Spanish: A Handbook of Idiomatic Usage KCLS
Points out words to be cautious of ("false friends"), and describes
idiomatic usage and shades of meaning for many common Spanish words. I
usually check here first when looking up an unknown Spanish word. It
doesn't really have all that many words (at least compared to a
standard dictionary), but if it does contain the word, the entry is
much more helpful than any dictionary entry. An extremely useful
supplement to a dictionary. Unfortunately, it is currently out of
print, and difficult to find.
A New
Reference Grammar of Modern Spanish SPL KCLS
I wouldn't
recommend this for intial learning of grammar, but it is a wonderfully
detailed reference source, which includes examples of the grammatical
points gathered from contemporary literature and articles. It focuses
more on how the language is actually used throughout the Spanish
speaking world, rather than dictates of the Spanish Academy.
Spanish Verbs And Essentials of Grammar
A smallish reference book, which has good reviews on Amazon.
Guide to Spanish Suffixes
I actually own a copy of this, and it looks useful for helping to
expand ones vocabulary, but I haven't made much use of it so far. It
describes each of the common Spanish suffixes, describes the meaning
of the suffix and how it is used, and provides examples of several
Spanish words using the suffix and their English meanings.
The Oxford
Spanish Dictionary
Supposed to be one of the best of the large bilingual dictionaries. I
recently purchased a used copy of this, but haven't used it enough yet
to give much of a review.
Buscalo
Quick reference grammar guide.
The Ultimate Spanish Review and Practice KCLS
I have a copy of this that I found at a used book store, but haven't
made use of it yet. However, it appears like it should be quite
useful. Seems to have many fairly short and focused chapters with
various exercises. Apparently, Repaso is
essentially the same book in a larger format, with some added
reference materials, although the answers are not included, and a
separate answer
key must be purchased. The same publisher also has Repaso:
College Edition, which includes 3 cassettes, but I'm not sure how
similar this book is to the others.
Spanish Verb Manual
A reference manual for correct conjugation of Spanish verbs. I've
heard it is more useful than the more common 501 Spanish
Verbs.
Using
Spanish : A Guide to Contemporary Usage
I've browsed through this. Appears to contain a lot of the same
information found in Breaking out of Beginner's Spanish (see
above), plus more, in a more handy reference format (with index).
Doesn't look like as much fun to read though.
Using
Spanish Synonyms
Specifically designed for non-native
speakers, includes information about the "register", or level of
formality, for the various synonyms.
Diccionario Larousse del espa�ol moderno
A small Spanish only dictionary.
Diccionario Esencial De La Lengua Espanola
Another small (but thicker than the previous) Spanish only dictionary.
In 2001, I came across a copy of The People's Guide to Mexico, and was persuaded to travel in that country. I decided I needed to learn some Spanish. I had forgotten pretty much everything I had learned in high school many years ago, other than how to count to 100, a few simple phrases, and a handful of not so useful vocabulary.
Having used and been impressed with the Pimsleur courses for German and French, I decided to use the Pimsleur Spanish courses. I studied about 1 hour per day (repeating a single 30 minute lesson twice each day, usually once at lunch, and once before bed), and over the course of about 3 months, I finished levels 1-3 of Pimsleur. I supplemented this with a small Spanish phrasebook, and headed to Mexico for about 2 and a half weeks, traveling around the country by bus.
My Pimsleur Spanish education served me well in Mexico. With occasional help from the phrase book to fill in important vocabulary, I was able to communicate pretty well in Spanish with most of the Mexicans I met. I was able to engage in small talk, and deal with the necessities of travel. In general I was able to express myself, and it seemed people had few problems understanding me. I often had more difficulty in understanding them, and frequently had to ask people to speak more slowly, repeat a sentence, or ask the meaning of various words. I think much of this was due to the relatively small amount of vocabulary introduced in the Pimsleur courses. Despite these difficulties, I was quite happy with the progress I had made in only 3 months of study, at only 1 hour per day.
Although I was very pleased with how much Spanish I had learned with Pimsleur, the trip highlighted how much more there was still to learn before becoming anywhere close to truly fluent. This provided motivation for further study upon my return, and I began researching and gathering Spanish langauge resources in bookstores, libraries, and on the internet. The list above includes those that I have found most useful in my continuing efforts to learn Spanish.
For about 3 months after returning from Mexico, I studied Spanish about 1.5 hours per day, mostly on the bus to and from work. I focused on increasing my vocabulary through reading and flash cards, worked on listening comprehension, and started going through the FSI Basic course for additional speaking practice.
I then got distracted, and didn't study much for 7 or 8 months. In October 2002, I decided to start studying again, and began working through the Pimsleur courses for review (this time doing 2 or 3 lessons per day), reviewing Madrigal's book and my flash cards, and started working through the Barron's Spanish for Reading book.
In November 2002, I had an oppurtunity to return to Mexico for a week and a half. This time, I found my listening and reading abilities were greatly improved, and I was more frustrated with not being able to express myself as well as I would have liked. Largely, I think this was due to not having spoken much Spanish for many months, and not having had time to work through much of the Pimsleur course to get back up to speed. But also, I think it was partly because I got involved in much more in depth conversations, since I was much better able to understand what (most) people were saying to me this time around. Occasionally, I would run into people that I had a very difficult time understanding.
I will probably finish reviewing Pimsleur and some other materials in the next couple of weeks, and then plan to take up the FSI course again, supplementing it with Practice Makes Perfect books, and some of the other materials located on this page, as well as looking for other people to practice speaking with.