Beginner's Spanish

by Mark Stacey, Angela González Hevia

For those who find learning a new language daunting, the Teach Yourself Beginner's Language Series is just what the language teacher ordered. Each friendly and practical course introduces the new language without overwhelming the learner and . .

Genres: Spanish Literature, Language

224 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 1992

Reviews

[ᛚᚨᚱᚲᚨ × ᚠᛖᚾᚱᛁᚱ (Semi hiatus) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This course is very good, whether you already know something about Spanish language or you are a beginner.
It will explain you communication basics and grammar, but also a few about Spanish culture.
I can't precisely tell you how much you'll learn using solely this textbook, but surely it's around A2 max, not more. A lot of grammar rules have not been introduced yet, but you can cover them too using other books from the same serie, as they suggest.

[Susetyo Priyojati · Rating 3 out of 5]

Recommended for beginners, though the later chapters feel a bit hasty. Tu (informal you) is introduced rather late.
PS: The English-speaking narrator has an English accent while pronouncing Spanish words (those grating sliding vowels), although she warns early that the readers should try to avoid it. "Try to get them right, and not to substitute English sounds."

[Aathavan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I bought this book in March 2002 with the ambition of teaching myself elementary spanish. But I did not make it past Chapter 5. Numerous attempts over the next 7 years failed to even make it that far. Not that the book is bad or uninspiring. On the contrary the book is quite nicely written and very efficient in how the information is densely organized in 21 chapters over 170 small pages. However, as with any teach-yourself effort a certain sense of momentum and dedication is necessary to learn the content of this book. Now, at the end a 10 day long effort over my daily commute hours, I feel empowered with the confidence to indulge in some elementary tourist style conversations.

The book has its shortcomings, the biggest being that it does not tell you how to describe events in past tense.