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Spanish Novels for Beginners - A1 #3
Spanish Novels: Muerte en Buenos Aires
Looking for Spanish Novels?
I know how tough it is to find good books to help you learn a new language.
You usually don't have a large vocabulary.
You aren't able to read long and complex novels intended for native speakers.
You'd like to go right to the fun stuff, but maybe it's too hard for you now.
A typical beginner's Spanish reader isn't interesting or just plain boring.
Learning with is easy and straightforward. Forget about difficult long texts with English-translations. This book for Spanish learners is not like it will take you to the next level in no time! That means less effort and struggle on your way to fluency in Spanish. Improving your Spanish can be lots of fun.
An Easy Spanish Book Both Fun & Easy
is the 3rd book of the Spanish Novels Series. This Spanish reader is packed with useful expressions you need in everyday greetings, buying things, talking to friends, etc. Anyone who already knows the basics of the Spanish language is ready to read this book. I assume you have a general knowledge of personal pronouns, articles, and some common verbs/nouns in Spanish. Actually, the only verb tense you need to know is simple present.
This easy Spanish book will show you the most used grammar structures in different situations. As the difficulty level is just right you will learn and enjoy it at the same time. There's no doubt about A beginner Spanish book is the perfect place to start practicing the language.
Why Spanish Novels An elementary Spanish reader in SIMPLE Spanish.
Sample
Do you really want to learn Everyday Spanish? Scroll up and click the BUY button!
I know how tough it is to find good books to help you learn a new language.
You usually don't have a large vocabulary.
You aren't able to read long and complex novels intended for native speakers.
You'd like to go right to the fun stuff, but maybe it's too hard for you now.
A typical beginner's Spanish reader isn't interesting or just plain boring.
Learning with is easy and straightforward. Forget about difficult long texts with English-translations. This book for Spanish learners is not like it will take you to the next level in no time! That means less effort and struggle on your way to fluency in Spanish. Improving your Spanish can be lots of fun.
An Easy Spanish Book Both Fun & Easy
is the 3rd book of the Spanish Novels Series. This Spanish reader is packed with useful expressions you need in everyday greetings, buying things, talking to friends, etc. Anyone who already knows the basics of the Spanish language is ready to read this book. I assume you have a general knowledge of personal pronouns, articles, and some common verbs/nouns in Spanish. Actually, the only verb tense you need to know is simple present.
This easy Spanish book will show you the most used grammar structures in different situations. As the difficulty level is just right you will learn and enjoy it at the same time. There's no doubt about A beginner Spanish book is the perfect place to start practicing the language.
Why Spanish Novels An elementary Spanish reader in SIMPLE Spanish.
Sample
Do you really want to learn Everyday Spanish? Scroll up and click the BUY button!
102 pages, Paperback
First published July 7, 2014
332 people are currently reading
294 people want to read
About the author
Paco Ardit
33 books83 followersPaco Ardit is the author of the Spanish Novels Series. He was born in Madrid, Spain, in 1976. Since the early 1980’s he lives in Buenos Aires, Argentina. He loves learning and teaching languages, reading books, and writing fiction. His mission is to create the best materials for language learners who don't want to settle for easy and boring.
Combining his experience in learning, languages and fiction writing he comes up with fun and engaging graded readers in multiple genres: Mystery, Detective Stories, Romance, Comedy, Drama, and more.
Combining his experience in learning, languages and fiction writing he comes up with fun and engaging graded readers in multiple genres: Mystery, Detective Stories, Romance, Comedy, Drama, and more.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews
January 8, 2016
This book, particularly in the ebook version is extremely easy to read. Each little chapter is about 10 sentences. The story uses fairly common language that is useful, plus or minus a few detective specific phrases. Great for people who are trying to follow a path of learning for a second language similar to learning their first language.
July 30, 2018
I liked this book a lot. The plot was fairly interesting for an easy reader. I do think a few choice words could have been defined in English. I am interested to see how my students like it during FVR. I love the super short chapters, but I think some of the words are pretty specific for lower levels.
February 21, 2022
Good idea using a short story to teach a language. The story was interesting and the chapErs are so bit sized that it was easy to get through. I will definitely use more of these books as I learn Spanish.
November 3, 2024
Audiobook. Nie było łatwo. Przesłuchałam dwa razy. Wymowa zgłosek w wersji latino, więc nie jest łatwo przestawić się z iberyjskiego. Historyjka głupawa i naiwna, no ale to ma służyć do nauki języka. 😉
July 27, 2025
Really good for learning. Este libro es buen para aprender el espanol 🔥
January 22, 2018
Picked up this book for almost free on Amazon. It's a good approach for Spanish-speaking-wannabes such as myself. Read a story using simple Spanish sentences. My Kindle has a Spanish-English dictionary to help translate words. (Turns out that reading this book was the most extensive use of it.)
The story itself consists of 80 chapters. Each chapter consists of about 6 Spanish sentences that describe how Miguel, our protagonist, solves the murder of Eva. In the course of the story, we learn about Miguel's lifestyle, routines, friends, etc. This narrative reinforces sentences involving everyday activities (eating, sleeping, etc.). It's a good approach.
It would've been even better if this book was written as an English-Spanish parallel. Sometimes interpreting a word does not help with the overall context. Some of these sentences do not lend itself to a word-by-word interpretation. (Thank you Microsoft Translate for filling in these gaps.) I would not recommend a hard-copy of this book! This approach works best with a Kindle containing a Spanish dictionary.
Overall I would give this 3.5 stars. I'm seriously considering parallel works to work on my Spanish. This short story has motivated me to pursue that end.
The story itself consists of 80 chapters. Each chapter consists of about 6 Spanish sentences that describe how Miguel, our protagonist, solves the murder of Eva. In the course of the story, we learn about Miguel's lifestyle, routines, friends, etc. This narrative reinforces sentences involving everyday activities (eating, sleeping, etc.). It's a good approach.
It would've been even better if this book was written as an English-Spanish parallel. Sometimes interpreting a word does not help with the overall context. Some of these sentences do not lend itself to a word-by-word interpretation. (Thank you Microsoft Translate for filling in these gaps.) I would not recommend a hard-copy of this book! This approach works best with a Kindle containing a Spanish dictionary.
Overall I would give this 3.5 stars. I'm seriously considering parallel works to work on my Spanish. This short story has motivated me to pursue that end.
October 29, 2015
Long book title -- "Spanish Novels: Muerte en Buenos Aires (Spanish Novels for Beginners - A1)" -- for a cute short book. The book has 80 bite-sized "chapters" in Spanish, where each "chapter" contains only 5-6 sentences -- perfect for beginners in reading Spanish (like me). There is no English translation, but an easy download of a free Spanish-English dictionary lets you highlight any word and get the definition, as long as you have an eBook version. I did a LOT of highlight-lookup operations, but the process gets the job done. Note that some of the Spanish involved is specific to South America, meaning that not all of the words were found in the dictionary, which is geared more toward Spain and Mexico (I think).
The book story itself is about a murder in Buenos Aires and the police detective assigned to the case and how he goes about solving it (and going to bars with friends, and dancing and drinking, etc.). Not great literature, naturally, but good enough for the purpose.
Now if only I could retain the vocabulary I "learned".
The book story itself is about a murder in Buenos Aires and the police detective assigned to the case and how he goes about solving it (and going to bars with friends, and dancing and drinking, etc.). Not great literature, naturally, but good enough for the purpose.
Now if only I could retain the vocabulary I "learned".
January 5, 2015
Interesting little "Easy Spanish" book I found while on Amazon.
80 chapters. But each chapter is only 1 page. But each page is only 6 short sentences.
Because of the lack of flow due to the short chapters and what appears to be an uncontrolled vocabulary, I had a harder time following the story line than I have had in much longer books.
80 chapters. But each chapter is only 1 page. But each page is only 6 short sentences.
Because of the lack of flow due to the short chapters and what appears to be an uncontrolled vocabulary, I had a harder time following the story line than I have had in much longer books.
May 2, 2015
Good, But Could Have Been Better
The story was good and timely, and it was hard to read. However, it could have used a glossary for the words that a beginner might not know. Also, the use of the vos forms could confuse a beginner.
The story was good and timely, and it was hard to read. However, it could have used a glossary for the words that a beginner might not know. Also, the use of the vos forms could confuse a beginner.
December 11, 2015
For someone learning to read Spanish this was great to read without having to look every second word up. Simple in language but also unfortunately in plot. But it does what it is intended to do. First ever end to end book I've read in Spanish :)
October 7, 2018
Fun read for novice Spanish language students.
Love to have read a full novel length story though. There some "Spanlish" unexpected like "living" instead of "la sala" to describe the living room.
Love to have read a full novel length story though. There some "Spanlish" unexpected like "living" instead of "la sala" to describe the living room.
May 31, 2015
Great for beginners. Easy, fast read. It's like reading a children's book with more substance and adult content.
November 21, 2019
Mi primera novela corta en español!
Lo disfruté mucho y me ayudó. Gracias. Ahora la próxima novela - vamos.
Lo disfruté mucho y me ayudó. Gracias. Ahora la próxima novela - vamos.
October 5, 2024
Shit I'm so smart. 👀
.
A really good graded reader. Perfect for A1. Taught me some slang too.
.
A really good graded reader. Perfect for A1. Taught me some slang too.
October 14, 2025
A good enough resource for learning spanish at an a1 level. is mildly entertaining but follows a very basic format and honestly, as the plot progresses, even with the very little information we even have to work with, it becomes entirely unbelievable. I have nothing against the absurd, but this book goes from realistic to absurd in a heart beat. As a novel, I can't say this is good... but as a learning resource its certainly good enough as it was still enjoyable and I did learn from it.
3.2 stars
3.2 stars
March 22, 2023
Interesting story.
Although this is an "A1" reader, any level learner can learn something in here. I am a B2 level, but was not familiar with, for example, "lo tira al suelo," or "engañarlo," and a few others. The story is a simple murder mystery, which enhanced the experience. Overall, if you like reading Spanish stories and are not fluent, this book will help pass a half hour pleasantly.
Although this is an "A1" reader, any level learner can learn something in here. I am a B2 level, but was not familiar with, for example, "lo tira al suelo," or "engañarlo," and a few others. The story is a simple murder mystery, which enhanced the experience. Overall, if you like reading Spanish stories and are not fluent, this book will help pass a half hour pleasantly.
October 24, 2019
This was the first book I read in Spanish. It is an easy reader, level A1, so you have to take that into account. Was it a suspenseful mystery? Not really. But was it a good book for learning Spanish? Definitely! I liked the main character, Miguel, and the fact that it took place in Buenos Aires.
June 17, 2021
It was ok
The story was engaging given its short length and dialogue. I liked it, though I was hoping for more to read. It’s a beginner book, so I can’t be too hard on it. It was cool to read the voseo form. If you’re looking for a short read in Spanish for you and your kids, this’s for you.
The story was engaging given its short length and dialogue. I liked it, though I was hoping for more to read. It’s a beginner book, so I can’t be too hard on it. It was cool to read the voseo form. If you’re looking for a short read in Spanish for you and your kids, this’s for you.
October 24, 2016
Nice easy light reading but not remotely for beginning Spanish readers.
Be sure to have translator on hand to read this. No new Spanish reader will have the vocabulary needed to understand most of the conjugations and nouns used. But for intermediates its a good read.
Be sure to have translator on hand to read this. No new Spanish reader will have the vocabulary needed to understand most of the conjugations and nouns used. But for intermediates its a good read.
May 17, 2018
The story is obviously not riveting nor should it be. It a story for picking up simple Spanish and it works. The story flows naturally enough and the sentences are short and comprehensible. If youre just trying to improve your Spanish this is the short novel for you.
January 23, 2019
How disappointing! The book in fact does not have a true story line (character arc, inciting incident) as promised by the use of the word "novel." It also consists of 80 extremely short (approximately 6 ines) of basic Spanish. Even for a beginner this was not very helpful, or challenging.
March 1, 2020
Easy to read and engaging
Easy to read story in Spanish. The plot is engaging enough to keep an adult interested. It's funny, too, with a few surprises. The chapters are very short, making the text easy to follow. I'll be reading Paco Ardit's other books.
Easy to read story in Spanish. The plot is engaging enough to keep an adult interested. It's funny, too, with a few surprises. The chapters are very short, making the text easy to follow. I'll be reading Paco Ardit's other books.
March 22, 2020
Great for a beginner Spanish learner!
This book is great for reading at a beginner level. It's engaging enough to keep you reading. It may seem a little dry for more advanced learners as it uses very basic spanish . But if you are a beginner, this is a great choice!
This book is great for reading at a beginner level. It's engaging enough to keep you reading. It may seem a little dry for more advanced learners as it uses very basic spanish . But if you are a beginner, this is a great choice!
August 20, 2025
Einfach zu lesen und eine nette Geschichte, die Sprachanfängern eine geeignete Möglichkeit bietet, zu lesen, ohne sich überfordert zu fühlen. Das wird ermöglicht, durch kurze Abschnitte und Sätze und eine einfache Sprache.
December 22, 2017
Another excellent beginner's book by Paco Ardit.
July 6, 2020
Mi novio y yo lo leímos juntos, lo odiamos el fin. Mi español no es muy bien, y disfruto para la escritura es fácil de leer. Pero, no es una buena novela policíaca.
November 7, 2020
Basically, this was a repeat of the exact same book set in Madrid. That was disappointing.
November 12, 2020
Easy to read and helps you comprehend Spanish easily. There are some vocabulary builders and very helpful.
May 20, 2021
I understood approximately 50% of the words, and understood approximately 80% of the story. Better than 0%?
January 9, 2022
El segundo libro en español que yo he leído, está un libro ridículo, pero muy facil para mi a entender
Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews