501 Spanish Verbs: Fully Conjugated in All the Tenses and Moods in a New Easy-To-Learn Format

Customer Reviews

Spanish Verb Conjugation Made Easy

Whether a student or traveler, "501 Spanish Verbs" will make it easier for you to conjugate the many verbs associated with this Romance language. Just like many Romance languages, there are many tenses to memorize, however with the alphabetical, easy-to-use style author Christopher Kendris has used, conjugating Spanish verbs is as easy as 1-2-3.

Similar to "501 Portuguese Verbs," the book also contains short phrases commonly used in Spanish-speaking countries such as Spain and Mexico. The reader needs to be aware of the differences between Castilian Spanish and Latin American Spanish. Latin American usage eliminates the "vosotros" tense, and dialects among the many Spanish-speaking nations can often have words that mean one thing in one country, and something else in another. Keep an eye out for regional dialects (e.g., Castilian, Mexican, Antillean/Caribbean, Central American, etc..).

Overall, a must have for those wanting to brush up on their language skills. It's a great reference book to have in your collection.

A classic for Spanish students of all levels

(By Edward Trimnell, author of "Why You Need a Foreign Language & How to Learn One," ISBN:1591133343)

Let's face it: the verb conjugations are probably the most difficult aspect of learning Spanish.

Spanish vocabulary isn't that difficult for most native English speakers, and Spanish phonetics are mercifully forgiving when compared to French, Russian, or just about any other language. The challenge arrives when you try to master the ins and outs of the Spanish subjunctive, preterit, and compound tenses. And then there are all those irregular verbs.

This book organizes Spanish verb conjugations into a logical layout that makes them easy to learn. Although this book only covers 501 of the thousands of verbs in the Spanish language, the selection is representative, so that the knowledge you gain from this book will enable you to conjugate just about any verb you might ever encounter while speaking Spanish.

Some other useful features of this book are:

-An explanation of each tense. At the beginning of the book, the author explains the significance of the imperfect subjunctive, the pluperfect, etc.

-Related vocabulary notes for each verb. This is a nice touch. While you are learning the verb "buscar," why not also learn the words "el rebuscamiento" and "rebuscar"?

-A list of common idiomatic expressions for major verbs. This isn't an idiom book, but the author has included some useful notes in this area.

I have been studying Spanish since 1984, and I have already worn out two copies of this book. I expect to continue using this volume for another twenty years!

A little intimidating, but very helpful

The reason 501 SPANISH VERBS is a little intimidating for me is because, well, it's 501 SPANISH VERBS! That's a lot of verbs! I suppose the best way to approach this book is to see it as a reference guide; I don't think that sitting with this book and memorizing it word-by-word, tense-by-tense, is the way to go.

Another thing to keep in mind is that most native speakers break grammar rules all the time, and that, since so many countries speak Spanish, there are many different usages. 501 SPANISH VERBS seems to echo most of the books available on learning Spanish: it favors the "Castillian" (i.e., Spanish from Spain) variety, which is why it includes the obsolete-in-other-countries form of "vosotros." Unless you are planning a trip to Spain, learning the "vosotros" form is a complete waste of time. I was happy to see that the latest edition of 501 SPANISH VERBS contains a grammar check, as well as a list of idioms (expressions) used. It's the idioms, the commonly used expressions, that get a novice in trouble.

Over all, this book is really a necessity for anyone learning Spanish. But, again, I caution trying to memorize all this stuff. My approach to Spanish has always been to learn it in a more holistic way. In other words, go for the over-all meaning you are trying to communicate, and use manuals life 501 SPANISH VERBS as references, not binding language contracts.

Readers of 501 SPANISH VERBS may also be interested in THE DICTIONARY OF CHICANO SPANISH by Roberto A. Galvan, Richard Teschner. Since Mexican-Americans ("Chicano") outnumber any other Hispanic group in the USA, I think that familiarizing oneself with the Chicano usage of Spanish would be helpful.