Rating: - Not useful for building vocabulary or sentence flexibility
I bought this book because I thought it would be helpful. After taking it home and reading it, I didn't like it at all.

This book gives you full sentences, with full translation, and pronunciation guide. It doesn't break it down into translating the sentence word by word.

For example:
No, es muy facil.
No, ehs mooy fah seel.
No, it's very easy.

So in order to say the sentence, you have to remember how to say the entire sentence. They do not translate each word. So let's say you couldn't remember the whole sentence but you could only remember the one word, the word for easy. It would be helpful to know the Spanish word for 'easy' was but this book only tells you the full sentence.

See the picture above.

In addition, the sentences are NOT flexible. You should be able to use the sentence in a variety of ways and build up your vocabulary and sentence usage. For example, they could also write: No, its very ... difficult, big, small, blue, hot, etc.

I thought of keeping it and buying another one. But why keep the book if I didn't even like it. In fact, I found a better one "Rick Steves' Spanish Phrase Book and Dictionary" and was even cheaper!

Rick Steves' Spanish book, like many others I saw at the bookstore, had a brief built-in Spanish-English and English-Spanish dictionary in the back of the book. Very helpful!

This Spanish phrases for Dummies had NO dictionary in the back. As you can see from the picture above, it would only give you a short vocabulary list of maybe 5 or 10 "words to know".

Therefore, this book is NOT helpful for learning vocabulary or expanding your sentence variation. It's just that, Spanish phrases.

 

Rating: - Dummies Nothing! This is for the Smart ones!
Take this pocket sized "For Dummies" book along on your next trip below the border (or favorite Mexican Restaurant)and you won't be talking like a gringo anymore! Ok, maybe your espanol won't rollll out as fast as a native's can, but you will definitely be able to find most places you want to (like the ever important best sales shops .. and little girls rooms). You might even be able to decipher what in the world the people at the next booth are saying about you! I am sure glad the subtitle on this one is: A Reference for the Rest of Us!

 

Rating: - Spanish basics
Easy to read and learn Spanish phrases. A great complimentary guide to Spanish for Dummies.

 

Rating: - long-distance learning
My 11-year-old granddaughter and I each have this book, which we use to study Spanish together...she in another state several hundred miles from me...via e-mail. We are just beginners, and this book is ideal for looking up simple phrases to exchange. It is such a neat way to share a learning experience with a loved grandchild!

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