Spanish Grammar for Independent Learners by Arie Vicente, Avigail Azoulay
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Book Reviews of Spanish Grammar for Independent Learners
Book Review: Spanish Grammar for Independent Learners review by James
Summary: 5 Stars
This is James from James Spanish (the learning Spanish blog). Studying Spanish under a native speaking tutor or a trained teacher is great, but this is a luxury that many people cannot afford. Many Spanish students are trying to learn the language while working full time, juggling responsibilities of work and family while squeezing in a few hours of study each week. Having a tutor may not always be a possibility.
This book is specifically designed for students who are trying to learn Spanish on their own and takes into account the particular challenges that independent learners face.
Part exercise manual, part reference tool this book is an indispensable part of any Spanish student's library, regardless of level of ability. All of the information is printed in a clear, easy to read format, and the tidy organization makes looking up verbs or other elements fast and efficient.
Lots of verbs are listed, along with their conjugations and most common uses. Each verb comes with examples to help you understand just how each one can be used. The examples are given in both Spanish and English, allowing you to see how the verb tense works in both languages.
There are also summary charts which neatly contain an overview of the most important points to take away from each topic. These are a great introduction as well as a revision tool, and give you an idea of what will be covered before you dive in.
The book uses a unique technique of asking students to correct themselves. This interactive method is great for getting independent learners to really interact with the subject matter, rather than just repeating verb lists by rote and completing exercises without the revision of a tutor. Analyzing your errors is just as useful as acknowledging when you are getting something right, helping you to understand your own learning process as well as the language elements.
From general verb tenses to smaller details that are typically overlooked by non-native Spanish speakers, this book will equip you with plenty of useful knowledge to help you to speak and understand Spanish.
The book focuses on grammar and sentence structure rather than set phrases, so that you learn the bare bones of Spanish and how to put them all together to say exactly what you want. Coupled with a vocabulary product, and CDs to give you aural training this book is a great way to teach yourself Spanish.
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 is actually 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 definitions entirely in Spanish. I use this one mainly because it was highly-recommended by a friend from Spain who teaches Spanish. According to him, this is the "standard" among university level Spanish professors.
Book Review: A keeper!
Summary: 5 Stars
This review is for Spanish Grammar for Independent Learners (SGIL).
This book is a keeper! Please do not let anyone borrow it or you might not get it back.
This is a great book for those trying to "LEARN" Spanish grammar.
This is an excellent book for those trying to "TEACH" Spanish grammar.
SGIL starts out explaining the different parts of speech (nouns, adjectives, verbs....). Next, each section in the book covers, in detail, the those parts of speech giving Spanish examples with English translations. The book does come with an Index (page 407) but it is not at the very end of the book, it is before the verbs that are located at the end of the book. I suspect the verbs were added (appended to the end) in the second edition. This book also comes with a Table of Contents on page "ix".
The book contains a Self-Correction section that is very interesting. This section does exactly as its name implies - it helps you correct your own mistakes.
What I like the most about this book is the verb complements section. When you learn a verb you need to know what complement is required to give the verb its intended meaning.
Some complements for "hablar" can be:
con, uno____to speak with someone/something
contra uno___to speak against someone/something
de uno/alg___to speak about someone/something
and so on.
The book also covers nouns that change their meaning in the masculine and feminine.
el frente - in front
la frente - forehead
el corte - short
la corte - law court
Verbs, verbs, verbs! This book covers verbs extensively, including conjugating them and their complements.
This book will teach you the "HOWs" and the "WHYs" of Spanish grammar. By the time you finish this book, you will learn the same thing a person will learn in college grammar, yet you will learn it with ease, and have more of a solid foundation. I have only covered the surface of what is in this book as it offers so much.
The best advice I can give anyone is to peek inside the book. If you like what you see then you will like the book. In the picture section I included some photos comparing the size of this book to 501 French verbs. The images also show the books binding.
Advanced Spanish students who need only a "reference" book may want to look at A New Reference Grammar of Modern Spanish. SGIL can also be used as a backup reference book.
Regardless of your level of Spanish, I also recommend Verbarrator because as SGIL states, "verbs are the heart of spanish."
Note: I think Avigail Azoulay married Arie Vicente. I found Avigail Vicente's web site and purchased the workbook that accompanies the SGIL. I could not find the workbook on Amazon's web site.
Book Review: The Most Useful Spanish Grammar Reference I Own
Summary: 5 Stars
I bought this grammar reference as part of the TOPT study set by the same author. During my study, I found myself increasingly relying on this little red book as the fastest and easiest place to double-check my Spanish grammar. The whys and hows of Spanish grammar aren't buried in between long lists of vocabulary and workbook exercises. I can quickly and easily locate what I need to know, which is precisely what one needs in a reference book.
As a secondary Spanish teacher, I've found myself using this reference to augment and sometimes replace the grammar explanations found in the textbook. The clear and simple breakdown of Spanish grammar found in Spanish Grammar for Independent Learners works well with both my Spanish I and Spanish II students. With my beginning level students, the simple and clear explanation of the most basic parts of the language (usage of nouns, articles, adjectives etc.) has helped to clear up the confusion that the textbook explanation often leaves behind. With my second year students, I completely discarded the textbook for teaching preterite and imperfect and have used the explanations and ideas in SGIL to teach my students how to tell a story in the past. For myself, I've found that the section at the back of the book that lists verbs with all of their complements is something I don't want to be without.
From my beginning first year Spanish students to my own post-graduate study, I've found Spanish Grammar for Independent Learners to be the best grammar reference out there for all levels. It sits on my desk right beside my Oxford Spanish dictionary.
Book Review: Who Needs an Instructor?
Summary: 5 Stars
As a person that is primarily an independent learner of Spanish, I have found this book to be an absolute-must-have tool. But what I found most helpful were the conjugation charts. Although I have been studying Spanish for quite some time now, at times, I still find myself at a loss for words especailly when trying to think of the proper verb tense to use. Spanish Grammar for Independent Learners fills that gap by providing comprehensive verb conjugation charts that enable the reader to quickly find the proper verb tense. Not only does the book allow the reader to find the proper verb tense, the book's independent learning style commits the proper verb usage to memory.
The author accomplishes this by incorporating a very unique method that allows the student to correct herself, eliminating the need for a Spanish instructor. I have found this correction method very helpful because it requires me to "think" not just memorize and repeat. By thinking about my mistakes and why my mistakes are in fact wrong the grammar lessons are committed to memory.
The book is not intended to be an end in itself -- but a very valuable tool. You will still need an excellent indenpendent learning course to use with the book. For more formal Spanish I recommend Pimsleur Spanish to use with this book. If you prefer the less formal or more casual Spanish, you may wish to try Learning Spanish Like Crazy. I have made excellent results using either course with Spanish Grammar for Independent Learners.
Book Review: Develop self-confidence
Summary: 5 Stars
I had purchased other books on Spanish Grammar but was never totally satisfied until I found this gem. It presents Spanish Grammar in a simple, comprehensive style with clear explanations throughout, and because of its layout it can be used as a reference book, making it a reliable companion that students of any level would be happy to possess as they proceed through their language study programme.Nouns, adjectives, prepositions, - all the elements that form the backbone of a language are explained in depth by means of several examples and illustrations so that it becomes easy to absorb each concept effortlessly. `Por' and `para', the preterite and imperfect tenses plus other areas of difficulty are made clear.
The book also contains a list of about 34 fully conjugated verbs and a section that indicates which preposition should follow each verb as a complement, in addition to explaining whether the indicative or subjective form should be used, based on the context. Also included is an area that focuses on self-correction techniques that allow the student to trace and diagnose their own errors and correct them, gaining self- confidence and becoming more self-reliant in the process.
"Spanish Grammar for Independent Learners" is therefore like having 3 volumes in 1 and can be used by all students and lovers of Spanish, whether a beginner or advanced user.