Did you know? Spanish is one of the most widely spoken languages in the world, with approximately 500 million native speakers worldwide. So it's up to you to get started! Whether you're planning a trip to Madrid or Barcelona, exploring Latin America, or just enjoying the challenge of speaking a foreign language, Superprof has curated a selection of the best books to help you learn Spanish.
The Assimil Method
The Assimil Method consists of a 612-page book (depending on the edition) and a CD/MP3. This method consists of 100 lessons that cover the main points of Spanish grammar, the so-called common vocabulary (the one to communicate in everyday life), and exercises such as translation tasks.
How the book approaches Spanish learning is the reason why we recommend it:
Through the Assimil Method, you study for 30 to 40 minutes a day, for approximately 4 to 5 months. Within a few months, you will be able to chat with friends and natives without difficulty. This method, which has been around for 95 years, has successfully opened the doors to foreign languages for millions of people. It remains to know if it suits you, too!
If you want to complement your Spanish study, book personalized Spanish classes in Calgary with just a few clicks.
Madrigal’s Magic Key to Spanish
Although Margarita Madrigal wrote the book "Madrigal’s Magic Key to Spanish" in the 1950s, it’s still an excellent method for learning the basics! Practical and straightforward, this 496-page practice book is built around 45 lessons. The idea is to practice your written skills and vocabulary through text-based exercises. All the exercises are built directly into the lessons.
The method is primarily intended for beginner students learning Spanish, but it is up to you to determine if it suits your own needs and study goals.
Reasons why we recommend this book:
15-Minute Spanish: Learn in Just 12 Weeks
This updated language-learning guide, featuring a complimentary audio app, provides 15-minute lessons with a different theme each. The 12 chapters are divided into 15-minute daily lessons that cover a range of themes, including socializing and business, and incorporate vocabulary and other essential concepts.
15 Minutes a Day's method includes short daily lessons to practice, dialogues, and vocabulary, as well as pronunciation tips and exercises.
Reasons why we recommend this book:
Michel Thomas Method – Spanish
This method, published by Hodder & Stoughton, was developed by Michel Thomas, a renowned Polish linguist who spent 25 years studying foreign language learning. It is a 100% audio method in 7 CDs: no book, no notes, no memorization required (it is done without you even realizing it!).
The goal of Michel Thomas is to make you learn a language as easily as if it were your first language! In just a few hours of active listening, you acquire a solid foundation in grammar and the structure of the language to form your own phrases!
The CDs are actually a private lesson with a teacher and two students. You slip into the skin of the third student and answer the teacher's questions by pausing before the students in the private course answer and provide you with the correction. Very useful to learn the basics of the Spanish language in a few hours and prepare you for your future travels and exchanges with native speakers!
Reason why we recommend this book:
If you want to supplement your learning with speaking practice, you can find a personal tutor by searching for Spanish classes in Vancouver online. By combining several learning methods, students usually achieve the best results.
Spanish for Dummies!
You have a beginner and you are lost as soon as you are asked "¿Cómo te llamas?", "¿Qué tal?" o "¿Cuántos años tienes?" The purpose of this Spanish conversation booklet is to enable students to learn Spanish by integrating everyday vocabulary, basic grammar, and pronunciation that is explained easily. Almost like learning Spanish for free.
Spanish for Dummies offers an "audio mega kit" that includes a book, five audio CDs, online exercises, and a mini-lexicon. This book, developed by Spanish teachers, is fairly well-structured into chapters (in the office, holding a conversation, at the bank, at the restaurant, in the shops, etc.) to teach the basics in various everyday life situations.
Reason why we recommend this book:
Would you like to learn Spanish through personalized lessons? Find Spanish classes near me on Superprof.
If the idea of learning a foreign language from a book discourages you, we'll have to find a more amusing way to convince you to open a book! Here is our selection of more fun books to put you back on the Spanish tracks in a fun way!
El Nuevo Compañero de Cuarto
Learning Spanish, El Nuevo Compañero de Cuarto, proposes a new method for learning the basics of the Spanish language and developing vocabulary in record time. It also helps to refine its understanding of Spanish by reading stories in English and Spanish.
It's for you if:
- You have Spanish leftovers that you want to reactivate,
- You like stories and you are interested in learning Spanish by reading stories,
- You want to expand your vocabulary by reading history in two languages at the same time,
- You like to compare the structures of sentences in English and Spanish to understand them,
- You want to acquire an intermediate proficiency in Spanish (B1–B2)
Reason why we recommend this book:
300 Chistes Españoles e Hispanoamericanos
We recommend the small collection amusing 300 chistes españoles e hispanoamericanos (300 Spanish and Spanish-American jokes) to understand some jokes, for example:
- Meterse en camisa de once varas, literally "to introduce in shirts eleven sizes too big", which is rather amusing since in English this corresponds to the expression "to put in two cents",
- Cuando las ranas crien pelos, literally "when the frogs have hairs" or in French "when pigs fly",
- Pegársele a uno las sabanas, literally "to be glued to sheets" and in English "to sleep in",
- Pájaros en la cabeza, literally "birds in the head" and in French "to have bats in the belfry", etc.
Reason why we recommend this book:
Now that you know what books to learn to learn Spanish, do not deprive yourself of free sites to learn Spanish to better master the language of Cervantes! Find more resources to learn Spanish on your own, such as some great films that can help you learn Spanish.
Tackling Spanish Literature to improve the language
The best books to learn Spanish are not only Spanish course books and exercises. Indeed, you can approach the Hispanic language through novels, a good way to take pleasure in learning. Just as one does not begin by reading Shakespeare in sixteenth-century English, you should prefer easy-to-understand literature, such as airport novels.
Here are some ideas to start smoothly:
🚤 Gabriel García Márquez - El relato de un náufrago (A2–B1)
It is a non-fiction work composed of a series of interviews conducted by the author with Luis Alejandro Velasquez, the only survivor out of 8 Colombian sailors from a warship that sank. If you like polemics, the book is surrounded by it: the government explained that the men drowned in the water during a strong storm.
👧 Carmen Martín Gaite - Caperucita in Manhattan (A2–B1)
The classic tale of Little Red Riding Hood inspires Caperucita in Manhattan. This story tells how Sara Allen, who lives in Manhattan, learns to read, write, and think initially, thanks to her grandmother's last boyfriend.
🌌 Carlos Ruiz Zafón - La sombra del viento (B2+)
In post-war Barcelona, this novel mixes suspense, love, and literature around its central character, Daniel Sempere. His life changed completely after he discovered the author Julian Carax. It is a bestseller of Spanish literature that has been translated into no less than thirty-six languages!
This is definitely a great way to start reading in Spanish without getting discouraged! If something is not clear at some point, you can always search for Spanish classes in Edmonton or any city where you live in Canada.
What is the best way to learn Spanish?
It is a safe bet that you'll find these few books helpful in improving your knowledge. Let's start with some classic Spanish books that provide a solid foundation in the Spanish alphabet, grammar, spelling, conjugation, and vocabulary. This helps you prepare for a language course, perfect for learning to pronounce complicated words correctly.
However, if you can't manage to be rigorous on your own, you can always take private lessons. You can find many specialized Spanish teachers who teach anywhere in Canada and remotely. For example, you can easily check for Spanish classes in Toronto with Superprof.
So, whether you've been speaking Spanish for a while or have just started learning it as a new language, you'll see that there are many ways for you to excel. You can even find native speakers and Spanish online with apps to practice your conversational skills, or be an autodidact and learn by reading books and methods that others have tried before.
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