Sharing Your Favorite (learning material)...en español

Question

I'm one of those people who learns best by reading (can't remember the proper name for that). Often, I'll stop by the Half-Priced Book Store in my area to pick up a Spanish learning book. I just got in from one of those trips and found the book ¡Buscalo! (Look It Up!) A Quick Reference Guide to Spanish Grammar and Usage. I also have No Fear Spanish...Just The Basics. As well as Spanish Step by Step and a few more.

I always learn something new to use from each of them and I always carry at least one to study during "wait-time" (mostly while waiting for my son to find his way out of GameStop!).

I was just wondering what Spanish learning material (reading and/or audio) some of you own that you've found helpful....other than our Wonderful SpanishDict!, of course!

Thanks for sharing!

P.S. I don't want to leave out Spanish Is Fun (Book 1 & 2), which are the fantastic books that started me on my Spanish-speaking journey!

Answer 1

I like two podcasts: Notes In Spanish and Coffee Break Spanish. NIS is a married couple. The woman is a native speaker, and the man is not--he's from the US, I believe. It's pretty much half in Spanish and half in English. The same is true with CBS. Both of these podcasts offer good explanations of everyday topics.

Thanks Ross~~I like the sound of both of these titles! Casual/informal is Always good practice! :-) - Dee914, Jan 10, 2010

Ben is actually from the UK: You can read about his move from England to Spain in Errant in Iberia. - steve51, Jan 10, 2010

Thanks, Ben! I'll be sure to check it out :-) - Dee914, Jan 10, 2010

Answer 2

I love books!

Here are some of the books that I use:

Barron's Spanish Now

Practice Makes Perfect Series ( McGraw Hill):

Spanish Verb Tenses

Complete Spanish Grammar

Spanish Pronouns and Prepositions

Barrons 501 Spanish Verbs

Océano Ilustrado Diccionario Enciclopédico

Oops...my comment to you is below in a separate post. Thanks again! :-) - Dee914, Jan 9, 2010

Answer 3

Hi Dee,

I have found the "Everything Spanish" book to be very helpful, along with "E-Z Spanish" by Baron. I fought the idea of doing a workbook with fill in the blanks for such a long time. However, it is amazing how much I have learned through the repetition of having to write the answers in the blanks. Also, "601 Spanish Verbs" by Berlitz is great, especially the chapters in the beginning of the book, which really break down each of the moods and tenses.

Oh, by the way the description you were looking for was "visual learner" That is someone who learns best by seeing something, versus others who learn through hearing or kinesthetically (hands on).

Anyway, I have also found "LoMas TV" to be very helpful, although for financial reasons, I haven't been a member for a few months. I hope to join again soon.

It is so great to have a site like this which is free!!

Thanks Nicole!! You are so right about the fill-in-the-blank workbooks! The 'Spanish Is Fun' books I mentioned above are workbooks and were Priceless in helping me get off to a Great start! Yep, SpanishDict, by far, is my Favorite website! ;-) - Dee914, Jan 9, 2010

Oh yes...Thank You for the "visual learner" info. That's exactly what I was wanting to say. Gee...you'd think that with all the Spanish I'm learning that I'd remember something as simple as 'visual learner'. jejeje :-) - Dee914, Jan 9, 2010

Answer 4

Hola! I have the perfect dictionary, which I use EVERYDAY as I am learning Spanish.

It is the computer CD version of the GIGANTIC Oxford Spanish Dictionary.

The book probably weighs 10 pounds! The CD has everything the book has and more.

You install the program and you instantly have a great reference. It translates both ways, English to Spanish, Spanish to English.

You can easily get the pronunciation of a word by simply right-clicking on it.

It gives definitions and example sentences. It has part of the program called "Real Speak" where you can type in a sentence or paragraph, and a very pleasing female voice recites your words so that you can hear the proper pronunciation.

I could not learn this language without it!!!!! It is the Oxford Spanish Dictionary on CD-ROM. ISBN: 978-0-19-860683-3.

And best of all, the book version is about $55.00; the CD version is $31.17 at Bn.com if you are a member, or $34.64 if you are not a member. Buy this one. You will be very pleased.

Thanks Rolest!!! I'm always hesitant to exceed a certain amount for my language materials, unless they come highly recommended. Sounds like this one is well worth the investment! I'll look into it, for sure, and send you a PM follow-up!! ;-) - Dee914, Jan 9, 2010

You will very happy with this. It is much easier than "Flipping Pages" in a book! Plus, you can "Hear" the words! - Rolest, Jan 9, 2010

"You can "Hear" the words!"...that's the part that intrigues me! Especially, the "Real Speak" portion. See, I can read & understand 'written' Spanish all day long, but to understand while being 'spoken to' is what throws me off. :-( - Dee914, Jan 9, 2010

Using something like Real Speak would allow me to insert parts of normal conversations that I have versus a pre-determined conversation that some of the Speaking sites offer! - Dee914, Jan 9, 2010

Very True! - Rolest, Jan 9, 2010

Answer 5

Wow, Thanks Susan!

I also have the 501 Spanish Verbs (it's Fantastic) and Practice Makes Perfect (though I wasn't aware it was a series...that's Great news). The one I have is the 'Advanced' copy (which I'm not quite ready for), so I'll see if I can find it at an Intermediate level.

Thanks again for sharing!