Learn Spanish the Fast and Fun Way [With DictionaryWith Flash Cards]

by Gene M. Hammitt

Book Overview

Updated with helpful facts and tips for international travelers, this new third editions of Learn Spanish the Fast and Fun Way is suitable as language teaching book for adults as well as for older children. It instructs beginners in the basics of reading, writing, understanding, and speaking Spanish. The book lightens language-learning routines with cartoon-style illustrations, language games, and puzzles. A set of vocabulary flashcards and a small...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0764125508
• ISBN13: 9780764125508
• Release Date: January 2002
• Publisher: Barron's Educational Series
• Length: 288 Pages
• Weight: 0.93 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 7.9" x 10.0"

Customer Reviews

Beginner Spanish

I've been wanting to learn Spanish for awhile, and this book seems like it's going to be really helpful.

The Fast & Fun Way to Learn Spanish by Gene Mammitt

Excellent. Easy to follow. Not confusing or boring. I would recommend it to anyone interested in learning Spanish.

Great book

I bought several books to learn Spanish and this one is by far the best. I am a total beginner and this book is perfect for me.

Learn Spanish the Fast and Fun Way with Audio CDs

It's a great starter book. Would recommend it to anybody who wants to start learning the language. It is the prescribed book at a community college, where my wife and I are taking a beginners Spanish course.

Enjoyable, useful little set.

I am very impressed with the workbook and accompanying workbook. This book was very helpful to me in acquiring everyday vocabulary. For example, this book has the words for "flat tire," "I need a tow truck," various articles of clothing, how to size clothing, etc. It has a very thorough section on foods and ordering in restaurants. I didn't expect the included flashcards to be very helpful, but I was pleasantly surprised in how much they aided me in memorizing the new vocabulary. The cartoon-like illustrations have been surprisingly helpful in memorization. I was surprised at how quickly I was able to use the tapes in my car without the book. The tapes also include various sections which focus on listening comprehension. I was not very impressed with the included dictionary. It is so limited that by the time you're able to use Spanish with non-english speakers, you will already have most of it memorized. I wouldn't recommend this series for an absolute beginner because it doesn't have the degree of practice in pronunciation, especially two-vowel combinations, which is necessary for someone learning a new language. However, once you have basic pronunciation down, the new vocabulary is given with an extremely helpful phonetic spelling (much clearer and easier to understand than the Mastering Spanish series, by the same company). It is also a little weak in grammar and sentence building. However, it does provide the most gentle introduction to verb conjugation that I have seen. I used this book after the Barron's Mastering Spanish Levels 1 and two series, but I was amazed at how much practical vocabulary I was able to acquire from this book. I think the Mastering Spanish series does a far better job teaching pronunciation and sentence structure.My only complaints about this set are that I didn't find it sooner and that there isn't more of it. I really hope they will expand this very easy-to-use format in the future. I'll be their first customer. In summary, I would recommend this set very highly for the person just past the absolute-beginner stage. You will not learn Spanish with this set, but it will help you in acquiring very useful vocabulary. The tapes are of very high technical quality, and the words are spoken very clearly, but slightly slower than I usually encounter with hispanics. If you are an absolute beginner, I would suggest the Success in Spanish CD-ROM. I found this after struggling to learn pronunciation from the Learn in Your Car Spanish tape series. After acquiring basic pronunication, I would use this series before going onto the Mastering Spanish series, which provides much further practice in sentence construction.

Great way to learn Spanish!

I've tried lots of foreign language programs and this is the best I've found so far. The program is dependent on the book and there is a lot of written exercises so if you are looking for a listen only type program this is not for you. But, if you are like me, and you need to see the language as well as hear it, this is a great program.