Spanish Conversation (Practice Makes Perfect)

I took college Spanish and was at a *complete* loss on how to actually communicate or comprehend anything spoken. This book is excellent. It has so many conversational examples and usage of words that really help expand knowledge of the language. Many of these phrases I would have never thought to use since Spanish can be so different from English. This book helped a lot with so many excellent examples. I think if you're in the same boat I was where you can conjugate verbs all day long, but not understand the radio or Spanish TV, this book will be very helpful to you. Reading and rereading the example phrases and saying them out loud has expanded my conversational knowledge by leaps and bounds. This book is such a small expense for what you get.

We are enjoying this book in class! It's a great book to use for encouraging conversation. I like the way it has side by side Spanish/English text. My students are getting a lot out of it. I recommend it for classroom use.Students can read through a conversation, and then have their own conversation using a similiar topic. For example, in chapter 5 you read a conversation describing people, places, and things. After reading the dialogue in the text students can choose something to describe to a partner.I like the explanations at the end of each conversation, and the exercises are great for review. I'm using this in Spanish IV. Since they don't have to learn any new grammar it's great to review grammar in this way.I'll be using this book every year in class now!

I am an intermediate speaker in south florida, teaching myself speaking spanish. I have used many of the podcast and speaking courses qavailable, and now using this book is an excellent way of putting a lot of stuff into practical use. I enjoy the broad coverage in the exdrcises, using all levels of tenses and phraases and sitauations, that chat challenge. I wish it was somewhat better orgqanized...is some cases it starts talking about topic x, and in the same section winds up on topic z. The topic headlines need work. You do need a dictionary and verb book for the great exercises.I hiighly recommend this. Too bad not available as a kindle or iphone text.

I'm a French high school teacher and a Spanish language learner. This specific book in the series Practice Makes Perfect is a gem. As an intermediate student, I know that I need to see the language in context and this book provides informal conversations on numerous common topics. Afterwards, it explains the highlighted vocabulary and grammar for the student.The book focuses on spoken language, which can differ greatly from literature classes that a student takes in college. As a French teacher, this is the type of book that I would use to transition students from basic textbook language to a better understanding of natural use of the language. Often this type of language differs greatly and can even break the rules of the textbook that the students have been studying.More importantly, I recognize that I have gained a more conversationally advanced level of Spanish thanks to this book because I have been recognizing many phrases when I watch my daily telenovela. After all, communication in Spanish is my ultimate goal and if this book helps me to understand why someone is sobbing or screaming for the fifth time in one episode, it's doing its job!

This an intermediate-level book on conversational Spanish. After I completed 18 weeks of an online, college-level Spanish class, I read this book and it really helped me a lot to continue to practice my Spanish with the vocabulary and structures that are most used in conversations.I think this book would be a good supplement to other typical Spanish books. Jean Yates' book takes a different approach than most typical Spanish books by focusing on everyday Spanish conversations. Yates' book has written exercies that help you understand the material. It differs from the exercises in typical books which focuses more on building vocabulary where you are located. For example, in a typical Spanish book, you are at the airport, so you learn the airport words and the airport vocabulary, or you are eating at a restaurant, so you learn another list of words.In conclusion, I would recommend this book if you need to practice conversational Spanish. In my opinion, it's not your typical Spanish book.

This is one of the best language books I've come across after years of language study. Yates obviously has a lot of experience with English speakers trying to understand Spanish, and has put a lot of thought into clarifying the subtle difference between common words, pointing out "false friends," etc. In addition, as so nicely explained in another review (written by Andrea), it introduces lots of idioms that are needed in daily Spanish. And finally, it's a great way to expand on your vocabulary. Intermediate and (I think) advanced speakers will profit greatly from this book, as it will explain many things you have been wondering about when choosing words (just what is the difference between apoyar, sostener and mantener? why can't I use soportar instead?). A unique book. I hope to find other books by this author.

Supposed to be a beginning review/text and the first lesson came complete with future, past, past perfect and subjunctive tenses. I had to go back to my Latin and French books to even remember what they all were and how they were used. I do read the dialogues with good Spanish speakers and they are fun.

As a teacher I LOVE this book. Lots of real conversations that can essentially be memorized, subbing your own personal info.NOT for the beginner, since it presumes that you know your way around commands, past tenses, and subjunctive.It is great for adding variety and accuracy to your conversational vocabulary. And a great way to reinforce your knowledge of subjunctive!I found the explanation of "aunque" to be very confusing, and therefore the exercises of 3.8 and 3.9. A "may" or a "might" might make the situations be clearer, rather than "info known or not known to reader - (which can be taken as "listener" perhaps).

One of the most useful in this excellent series. It is set out under headings of various situations, and gives you useful words and phrases for these situations. This is indispensable book to complement the more grammatically oriented ones.

This series of books provides excellent exercises and instruction for self-teaching. Perhaps, being able to carry on very natural conversations in Spanish is one of the most difficult aspects of becoming fluent. This book helps a lot!

procrastinating

Exactly what I needed a book to help me in my conversation now I have the basic understanding of Spanish. It is just what was needed to help me further my Spanish language.

This really does fill a gap. It is laid out very clearly and drags you back to things which you thought you knew - but didn't. It really is about conversation. They should bring out a Kindle version with sound. That would be perfect!