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Easy Spanish Step-By-Step
A proven grammar based approach that gets you communicating in Spanish with confidence, right away Easy Spanish Step by Step proves that a solid grounding in grammar basics is the key to mastering a second language. Grammatical rules and concepts are clearly explained in order of importance, and more than 300 verbs and key terms are introduced on the basis of frequency. Numerous exercises and engaging readings help learners quickly build their Spanish speaking and comprehension prowess.
322 pages, Paperback
First published November 30, 2005
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921 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 24 reviews
January 30, 2020
This is a great supplement for people pretty deep in Duolingo but frustrated by the lack of grammatical explanations.
April 1, 2017
The McGraw Hill East Spanish Step-By-Step truly was easy and one of the best books for easy grammar that I’ve found so far. The book was divided into three sections: Section I: Elements of a Sentence (9 chapters); Section II: Objects, Reflexive Verbs and Present Subjunctive (4 chapters); Section III: Preterit Tense, Imperfect Tense and Double Object Pronouns (2 chapters). I appreciated the detailed explanations and examples. The majority of the book was easy to understand and very helpful. I got a bit lost in the third section, possibly because my English grammar knowledge is not the best. I was able to complete all of it and am sure that it will all make sense with time and further study.
Here are my general impressions:
• It is very easy to understand.
• There are answers to most of the exercises in the back of the book, so you can check to see if your answers are correct.
• The explanations are clear and have good examples.
• A lot of vocabulary was introduced and used in practice exercises.
• There are plenty of practice exercises.
• Each chapter ends with a short story and related comprehension questions. (I wish that answers for these questions were included in the answer key. They are not.)
• At the end of each of the major sections, there was a long list of infinitives to be translated. These did not all relate to the exercises that had been completed. I did each list, but am not sure about the value of lists of words with no context.
Overall, this was a one of the best books I’ve found for self-study. I would recommend using it in conjunction with an online app, such as Duolingo or Rosetta Stone. I’ve found that they all support and reinforce one another.
Here are my general impressions:
• It is very easy to understand.
• There are answers to most of the exercises in the back of the book, so you can check to see if your answers are correct.
• The explanations are clear and have good examples.
• A lot of vocabulary was introduced and used in practice exercises.
• There are plenty of practice exercises.
• Each chapter ends with a short story and related comprehension questions. (I wish that answers for these questions were included in the answer key. They are not.)
• At the end of each of the major sections, there was a long list of infinitives to be translated. These did not all relate to the exercises that had been completed. I did each list, but am not sure about the value of lists of words with no context.
Overall, this was a one of the best books I’ve found for self-study. I would recommend using it in conjunction with an online app, such as Duolingo or Rosetta Stone. I’ve found that they all support and reinforce one another.
December 11, 2020
Excellent for getting comfortable with grammar concepts right away. Great for a class setting, but I found it lacking for self-study. The vocab lists are disproportionate to the exercises to help practice, so you're stuck memorizing a bunch of words with nothing to attach them to. I often didn't agree with what the most necessary vocab was to learn first, particulary with nouns, but I think that's just because the book is not trying to equip you for professional working Spanish, but base classroom Spanish.
June 2, 2018
A great intro to Spanish Grammar
I’ve read a number of books covering similar material and this one really stands out. Many times you get the sense of a teacher standing by your shoulder, anticipating a learning difficulty and walking you though it. Very impressed.
As with many books on Kindle, it’s awkward to check the answers to the quizzes and I wished they had been located on the next page rather than the end of the book
I’ve read a number of books covering similar material and this one really stands out. Many times you get the sense of a teacher standing by your shoulder, anticipating a learning difficulty and walking you though it. Very impressed.
As with many books on Kindle, it’s awkward to check the answers to the quizzes and I wished they had been located on the next page rather than the end of the book
September 11, 2017
I took 7 hrs a day to finish this... Excellent grammar book! Other books are not as concise as this... I shall be going back to this in the near future.
April 2, 2022
I got this book to explain the grammar to me when I had questions, not to work straight through it, as I don't think that's an effective way to learn a language. I sat down and just read through it to familiarize myself with the concepts, and it was interesting and helpful. I'll be going back to it for specifics as they arise.
I like this book because it's concise in its explanations, with enough examples to get the point across. I also appreciate that it claims to use the 300 most common verbs in Spanish, and verbs are really important for communicating. I enjoy not having to wade through verbs like "theorizing" or "propagate" when I'm wrestling with foreign grammar.
I like this book because it's concise in its explanations, with enough examples to get the point across. I also appreciate that it claims to use the 300 most common verbs in Spanish, and verbs are really important for communicating. I enjoy not having to wade through verbs like "theorizing" or "propagate" when I'm wrestling with foreign grammar.
November 23, 2019
I remember once hearing a linguist assert that in order to speak another language well enough to get by, one only needs to learn about one-hundred and fifty words. It's not surprising if you think about it; there are technically only seven notes in music but an endless number of songs have been created with these seven bedrock notes. Learn your "Who?" "What?" "How much?" and "When?" questions and you can navigate a foreign country well enough to get by.
But that's not really speaking; that's parroting. And speaking alone doesn't really mean that you understand the language, its rules or grammar or idioms. A lot of native English speakers, for instance, don't understand the rules of English grammar, explicitly; they've just been doing it since birth and so know instinctively when something sounds right or wrong. Learning a language from scratch as an adult when our brains are already formed means we don't have the advantages of a child born to a language, so to speak.
"Easy Step-by-Step Spanish" is a book that understands the difference between speaking a language and understanding it, and it does a good job of both teaching basic vocabulary and explaining the way cases and tenses operate in Spanish. It's not as hard as German, I've found, but it is harder than some people seem to suggest with the sort of patronizing way they dismiss Spanish as easy (I don't think it is).
The book's exercises, short readings, and graduated approach might require more time and effort than something like Rosetta Stone, but it's a better method, in my opinion. It's also much more cost-effective, which no doubt matters quite a bit to the cash-strapped student or immigrant.
I'm far from fluent in Spanish after having worked on this book, one exercise per day, over the course of ten months. But fluency usually requires immersion in the foreign country or at least being surrounded by people constantly speaking the language, and to expect to be crafting Federico Garcia Lorca-caliber poetry after a beginner book like this would be ridiculous. But by doing "Easy Spanish's" exercises repeatedly and supplementing that with watching videos on YouTube each day, I'm getting closer to my goal of fluency. And that's well worth $7.99.
I'd wish you luck in your own efforts with the book, but, as world-champion boxer Canelo Alvarez once said, "Suerte es para los mediocres." Highest recommendation.
But that's not really speaking; that's parroting. And speaking alone doesn't really mean that you understand the language, its rules or grammar or idioms. A lot of native English speakers, for instance, don't understand the rules of English grammar, explicitly; they've just been doing it since birth and so know instinctively when something sounds right or wrong. Learning a language from scratch as an adult when our brains are already formed means we don't have the advantages of a child born to a language, so to speak.
"Easy Step-by-Step Spanish" is a book that understands the difference between speaking a language and understanding it, and it does a good job of both teaching basic vocabulary and explaining the way cases and tenses operate in Spanish. It's not as hard as German, I've found, but it is harder than some people seem to suggest with the sort of patronizing way they dismiss Spanish as easy (I don't think it is).
The book's exercises, short readings, and graduated approach might require more time and effort than something like Rosetta Stone, but it's a better method, in my opinion. It's also much more cost-effective, which no doubt matters quite a bit to the cash-strapped student or immigrant.
I'm far from fluent in Spanish after having worked on this book, one exercise per day, over the course of ten months. But fluency usually requires immersion in the foreign country or at least being surrounded by people constantly speaking the language, and to expect to be crafting Federico Garcia Lorca-caliber poetry after a beginner book like this would be ridiculous. But by doing "Easy Spanish's" exercises repeatedly and supplementing that with watching videos on YouTube each day, I'm getting closer to my goal of fluency. And that's well worth $7.99.
I'd wish you luck in your own efforts with the book, but, as world-champion boxer Canelo Alvarez once said, "Suerte es para los mediocres." Highest recommendation.
October 5, 2019
Buen libro para novatos al español o para aquellos que buscan un repaso
Good for beginners or as a refresher
Good for beginners or as a refresher
September 29, 2015
I found this to be an effective book for beginners. It was a great learning tool in helping with grasping a new language. And still using it as an ongoing vehicle.
October 11, 2025
I used this book when I started learning Spanish in my 20s. I had it when I was in elementary school and middle school, but I did not learn much Spanish at all. Easy Spanish was a great resource, and helped explained how the language functions. Definitely useful for understanding conjugation in Spanish because that is one aspect I find challenging. I still use this book as a reference.
Don't make it your sole resource for learning Spanish.
Don't make it your sole resource for learning Spanish.
March 18, 2018
¡este libro es estupendo! I've learnt so much in such a short time with this book. A great buy for anyone learning Spanish
July 21, 2019
A great book. Teaches very well.
Read
April 10, 2022Not as easy as the title implies! I'm working on another book now that I won't list here and taking private lessons, but I'm a slow learner of languages! Mi español es malo, pero lo intento. :-)
May 17, 2022
Studying this book can be really addictive, and therein lies el problema. Hence joining my new beloved imaginary group, LA, Languages Anonymous.
June 15, 2022
clear and concise introduction to all the most common Spanish vocab, grammar with excellent pacing and structure.
December 31, 2023
Just reread this book; great practice to refresh my Spanish.
October 18, 2024
Okay definitely better than duo and for sure more useful.
October 24, 2025
a great resource for anyone wanting to learn spanish
June 21, 2021
As a self-taught Spanish speaker, this book was excellent for me. I’ve known many things intrinsically, and while we don’t questions those things we know in our native language, I feel extra curious about them in my second language. This book explains so much to me.
So much that native Spanish speakers have been unable to do for me.
It’s filled in a lot of little holes, clarified things that were previously murky, and now makes me much more confident in using language and vocab that much ve heard others use but feel unsure of how to use myself.
Fantastic.
5 stars.
So much that native Spanish speakers have been unable to do for me.
It’s filled in a lot of little holes, clarified things that were previously murky, and now makes me much more confident in using language and vocab that much ve heard others use but feel unsure of how to use myself.
Fantastic.
5 stars.
March 10, 2020
I’d been doing Assimil without any prior knowledge until I felt stuck and started doing this book.
It’s been helpful for me to build an everyday Spanish learning habit and to get more used to how Spanish works in general.
It was easy to understand but I started to get lost around the last one third being bombarded by much new information all at once.
It was disappointing that there were few mistakes in the answers for the exercises at the end of the book.
Now I’m going back to Assimil.
It’s been helpful for me to build an everyday Spanish learning habit and to get more used to how Spanish works in general.
It was easy to understand but I started to get lost around the last one third being bombarded by much new information all at once.
It was disappointing that there were few mistakes in the answers for the exercises at the end of the book.
Now I’m going back to Assimil.
March 8, 2016
Very concise with a LOT of great exercises
This book was very helpful. It was right to the point in general. Not too much fluff. There are tons of exercises to help learn the lessons.
This book was very helpful. It was right to the point in general. Not too much fluff. There are tons of exercises to help learn the lessons.
March 6, 2015
Easy overview.
December 22, 2019
A truly fantastic and comprehensive tool for Spanish learning. Well organised, thoughtful and challenging. Loved it.
Displaying 1 - 23 of 24 reviews