Painless Spanish (Painless Series)

by Carlos B. Vega

Middle and senior high school students who dread the idea of having to learn a second language are likely to change their minds when they open this book. Each of its 17 lessons teaches an important and interesting aspect of the Spanish culture even as it presents a lesson in Spanish vocabulary and grammar. All lessons have Spanish titles with English translations, followed by a brief passage written entirely in Spanish. Immediately following the short essay is a vocabulary list with English equivalents covering all key words in the essay. Brief exercises that follow cover grammar, more vocabulary, pronunciation, idioms, and cognates--words that are written alike in English and Spanish, but are pronounced differently.Written passages in English discuss various aspects of Spanish culture and history. Structured in a workbook format, with exercises to test comprehension of the subject matter, Painless Spanish is a language immersion course, but with this important difference: it immerses students gently and painlessly into the Spanish language.

Genres: Spanish Literature, Language, Reference, Nonfiction, Education

278 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 2006

Reviews

[Wendy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Should be called Painful Spanish. Lots of emphasis on grammar, etc...definitely not for the beginner or someone interested in conversational Spanish. I would recommend it for someone who is studying the language.

[Mikhael De vera · Rating 2 out of 5]

Painful for beginners... More of a supplement to already taken classes :/.

[Meg · Rating 1 out of 5]

There is nothing painless about this book. And definitely not a good choice for self-study.

[Mark Meiss · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book assumes a fairly extensive vocabulary already and does not contain a dictionary of the words used. The author comes off as snide and condescending -- and, frankly, "dull and boring".

[Nev Kelly]

Very nice resource for learning Spanish. Recommended to be added to any Spanish learner's collection of resources.

[Emily D · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great companion to your beginner Spanish classes especially if you are studying in an institution whose policy is to teach Spanish in Spanish. While I believe (and prefer) that style of teaching, it helps to do some extra reading at home to confirm what you learned and clarify what you were confused about.

This book has a good mix of grammar, vocabulary, reading exercises and cultural trivia that indeed makes learning Spanish fun.

[Jessica Buike · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was NOT painless for someone trying to learn Spanish on their own, and was too frustrating for me to even get past a couple of chapters! Definitely not recommended if you are trying to teach yourself Spanish, but maybe if you had a Spanish teacher going through this book with you it would be better.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book does have some very helpful exercises.