Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 20
 Caveat emptor July 22, 2010
Steve Keen (Herts, UK)
Although at times a useful guide, my overall feeling regarding this book is disappointment and doubt.
Initially I just found I was dissatisfied with the nature of the exercises: too short, and with too many gap-fills; the range of conjugation is rarely out of the first person or second person familiar; and sometimes an obscure (for me) vocabulary item will be dropped in for translation with no guidance. The explanation of reciprocal actions is unclear, and the exercise following barely even touches on them.
As my Spanish gained a little more sophistication, from other sources, I started to notice the errors. On one page the meaning of venir is given as to sell (vender); poner is used as if interchangeable with llevar, and in one translation Bertha is shown as a plural. Even Big Bertha is singular! Later the present perfect, perfecto de indicativo, is translated as pretérito perfecto, past perfect. Then it deals with the pluscuamperfecto de indicativo, what I know as past perfect indicative, but in English calls it the past perfect. (I was using, for reference, Kendris and Kendris's 501 Spanish Verbs, by the way, as a checker.)
So by all means buy this - es muy barrato - but with a big caveat emptor.
 Spanish grammar July 2, 2010
gloria loring (Malaga, Spain)
A useful book to help fill those grammar gaps and clarify the tenses. It's full of exercises to consolidate the learning process.
 the best grammar book I have ever bought April 5, 2010
J. Cuthbert (Kent, England)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I think my title says it all - this book is excellent. It is on the book list for the second year of the beginners spanish part of my degree and it has been a bible for the throughout the whole year. The explanations are clear and the exercises are useful and relevant. In another review I see that a native castillano speaker from Spain has mentioned not everything is as they would say it. I am pretty sure this is because it is an american book which is influenced heavily by the latin american way. For me (after having spent 5 months in Chile) this was invaluable to have the opportunity to have examples of world spanish and not just that spoken in Spain. Great for beginners or people looking to brush up on their grammar - I have just bought a second book as I have worn my first out!!
Buy it April 5, 2010
Frank McGee
Have tried others but this is one of the best book for teaching/learning Spanish I have seen.
An Excellent Book!! March 20, 2010
K. L. Perry
This book is fantstic!!
It contains clear and simple explainations on all the grammar rules, contains THOUSANDS of excersises for you then to practise (with the answers in the back) and it also has loads of vocab which you might need for the excersises and are also great to learn and brush up on your Spanish vocabulary.
I'm studying for my GCSE and plan to study A Level.
Do not hesitate to purchase this book and the other two in the series!! :-)
Showing reviews 1-5 of 20
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