Want to know how best books for learning spanish? Well you have landed on the right article
Mastering any language is no easy task. It takes a certain level of determination to even start learning when it seems to be vast and never-ending.
Every language has its own set of rules, alphabets, pronunciation, script and flow. All of these need to be conquered if you want to be fluent in a language. Mastering any language is no easy task.
It takes a certain level of determination to even start learning when it seems to be vast and never-ending.
Spanish is one of the most commonly spoken languages. Native speakers are large in number and there are a lot of learners as well who want to learn this beautiful language.
To help those who want to learn Spanish, this list has been created, compiling some of the most popular and helpful Spanish learning materials. Books as well as other mediums are included in this list.
Our Top Picks
Best Books for Learning Spanish
1. Practice Makes Perfect Spanish Series
Although the original version of the book had been published back in 1998, it has been published again since then with the editing done by Gilda Nissenberg.
There are in total five books published under his series. All are aimed at providing a comprehensive complete knowledge about the Spanish language to a complete beginner.
Instead of buying those individually, you can directly buy this combined edition which includes all the information from the other books.
With this one book in hand, a beginner can start their Spanish learning journey. This is a good book to supplement the Spanish class that you might be taking. Or, if you are learning Spanish on your own, then Complete Spanish All-in-One will be a good guide for you.
This book will help you with your vocabulary, grammar, spelling and proper sentence construction. Therefore, not only are you learning new concepts and words, but you can also use them to solve the practice questions that have been provided for you.
Detailed explanations are also included so that you can understand the material thoroughly.
It also comes with access to the study app which has additional features for you to utilize. Flashcards to help you memorize vocabulary, an audio aid to perfect your pronunciation and a tracker to keep a record of your progress.
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2. Easy Spanish Step-by-Step
If you are looking for a book to solely help you with your Spanish grammar then Easy Spanish Step-by-Step is the perfect choice for you.
This book is great if you are just starting to learn Spanish and do not have much previous knowledge about the language.
Instead of bombarding you with a large amount of information at once, this book takes you through the different aspects of the language in a concise and organized manner.
The matter in the book is separated into three chapters where each chapter focuses on a different topic. Sentence composition, objects, verbs and tenses are some of the main focuses of this book.
Adequate examples are provided in the text so that you comprehend the lesson better. With each chapter, additional exercises are provided so that you can practice what you have learnt.
Answers are also given at the end so that you can correct your answers. Although this is a Spanish grammar book, vocabulary is not completely left out of it. Here and there, you get to learn a couple of new words that you can use to build your vocabulary.
Instead of rushing through grammar or vocabulary, Easy Spanish Step-by-Step tries to guide you through the basics of the language. You can very well use this as a starting point of your journey to master Spanish.
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3. Barron’s 501 Spanish Verbs
After learning all that grammar, you need to learn your verbs as well. There is no better book for that than 501 Spanish verbs by Barrons.
This one is very much loved by all the Spanish learners around the world.
This chunky book is entirely dedicated to Spanish verbs and how they can be used. Verb usage is very important when you are hoping to achieve fluency in a language.
These words are used repeatedly in daily life and a learner is expected to know when to use which verb as well as how to use it.
501 Spanish verbs are designed so that one page is dedicated to each verb. Within the page, it highlights the different forms and tenses the verb can be used in. Additional information like synonyms and antonyms for that particular verb is also present.
55 of the most common verbs are highlighted in the text so that you can learn them first. Another 2,200 regular verbs are also in the book so that you can gradually learn them as well. All verbs in the book are arranged alphabetically.
All these are made so that you have an easier time learning them and then eventually using them to converse, read or understand the Spanish language.
Exercises at the end are there for you to check your knowledge. Supplementary digital audio is also given to the learners to correct their pronunciation.
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4. Living Language Spanish (Essential Edition)
Reading books is not the only way to learn a language. It is one of the most popular and desired methods but there are more diverse ways to learn a language.
One of them is using multimedia to our advantage.
If you are someone who does not enjoy reading books and would prefer to do something more dynamic or interesting, Living Language Spanish can cater to your needs.
Their essential edition of this series is specially curated for beginners. It contains a coursebook, audio lectures and access to online learning on their website.
Instead of being stuck with only one medium to learn Spanish, you now have the choice to rotate between these to keep the whole process active and motivating.
The book includes several lessons that will give you the theoretical knowledge you require while the audio lessons will be providing the vocal aspect of the course.
Your speaking and listening skills will greatly improve when you use auditory tools to supplement your learning process. Apart from these, online learning will give you more tools to develop your skills.
Flashcards, simple games and quizzes are all ways to train your brain to retain the information better. Living Language is a well-reputed company in the language learning industry.
It has over sixty-five years of experience in this field and continues to help people learn a new language. The people working for them are aware of the difficulties that beginners often face while starting to learn a new language and they have created these courses keeping that in mind.
Living Language has other books and courses for you to check out if you are looking for an advanced course.
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5. See It and Say It in Spanish
Kids have always preferred to learn new things by exploring or seeing or hearing them.
It helps them to retain the new information better and they are able to recall the same information accurately later on.
If the same theory is applied to adults, visual or auditory stimulation is bound to work better than just reading about something.
With this idea in mind, world-famous author and language teacher Margarita Madrigal had created this innovative way of teaching someone Spanish vocabulary.
Although it was published in the year 1961, this particular book can still be used by children as well as adults. It is a fun way to start learning or revising Spanish words.
See it and Say it in Spanish uses visual stimulation to appeal to the learners. Each word or phrase is accompanied by a line drawing that summarizes it.
So, when you are trying to learn a new word, you are getting an idea of what the object or idea is along with the spelling of the word. It is usually easier to remember words or phrases when you are associating them with something else.
And, in this case, it is the little stick drawing that comes with it. This book also includes sentences so that your learning experience is not one dimensional. You should be able to carry on a conversation in Spanish in no time at all.
Through this book, you are mostly familiarized with the most common Spanish words. You can also compare them to their English equivalents which are given along with it.
The book also contains a word list for travellers, a pronunciation guide and a grammar lesson to help you with your Spanish learning process.
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6. Conquer Basic Spanish
Not all language books are heavy and dense. Conquer Basic Spanish by Linda Plummer is proof of that.
With only 33 pages in the book, it is no doubt the shortest book on this list.
But that does not mean that it is not worth getting your hands on. Despite its small size, the book can pack a lot of material within it.
The author has managed to fill this book with all the fundamental knowledge of Spanish that a beginner would require to grasp a basic understanding of the language..
She uses simple and easy to understand language to get her message across. The data is presented concisely so that the reader does not experience any difficulty going through the book.
The basics that are covered in this book include – numbers, pronouns, nouns, verbs, articles and commonly used vocabulary.
Since this book is so short, it does not go into the details or depth of each topic. Instead, it brushes over them to familiarize you with them.
You can use Conquer Basic Spanish as an introduction to the Spanish language where you are getting to know all the parts of the language. After studying this book, you have to move on to other books if you want to be fluent in the language.
Conquer Basic Spanish can also act as a revision book. If you advance to higher levels in Spanish, going through this book will be a form of revision for you since you should already know what it is in the book.
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7. Short Stories in Spanish for Beginners
Instead of learning all the grammar and vocabulary directly and often without any context, you can try to pick up a language by reading or listening to stories in that language.
As a beginner, you are not expected to read large and heavy books right from the beginning. You should start with short stories which will give you the space to learn without being too overwhelming.
Short stories in Spanish for beginners by Olly Richards will give you just that. Stories have always been popular and you can learn a lot from one.
Language learning is made a little more fun and interactive when you incorporate stories in your learning method. Through this, you are not just having fun but also remembering words and sentences unconsciously.
It will be difficult in the beginning because you are reading something completely new to you. But with time you will be able to associate Spanish phrases and words with their English counterparts.
This book is a collection of 8 short stories but it has been modified to cater to the needs of beginner learners. The stories use the most common words and dialects. Different genres can be found within these stories.
A few grammar sections are also included so that you are not completely lost while reading the book. In the end, a bilingual glossary has been added for the reader’s benefit.
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8. Mastering Spanish Vocabulary
It is not correct or advised to spend all your time poring over and studying beginner books. At some point, you have to make the jump to bigger and more complex books
This jump can be a tough one like jumping to a higher-level grammar and sentence construction. Or, you can start with a safer jump like that in vocabulary.
Once you have mastered the basic words that are commonly used in the Spanish language, you can consider learning more complex words and phrases.
Instead of attempting to conquer this when you have just started learning Spanish, keep this for later.
After you have got the basics of the language down, you can move on to this book. This book contains more than 3,000 words which are systematically organized under different themes.
Each theme contains related words within it. This makes it easier for the learner to associate one word with another and remember it for a longer time.
The categories or themes used in this book are food, clothing and unit of measurement to more complex topics such as medical terms, scientific terms, art and culture.
There are 24 such topics in Mastering Spanish Vocabulary. It also comes with an online audio aide that will be supplementary to the physical book. The audio lessons span over 10 hours and cover almost all of the words mentioned in the book.
Through the audio lessons, the learner will be able to get an understanding of the pronunciation and improve theirs at the same time.
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9. Lonely Planet Spanish Phrasebook & Dictionary
Unlike the previous books on this list, this book is not specialized for learners. Lonely Planet Spanish Phrasebook & Dictionary is a Spanish phrasebook for travelling.
Lonely Planet is one of the leading companies in the travel media industry. For years, it has been producing materials for travellers.
Their products have always promoted travelling and introduced new and exciting places for the people to visit.
With this particular book, Lonely Planet wanted to reach out to travellers in Spanish speaking countries.
It is often difficult for travellers to find their way around in a foreign country. This is especially so when they do not speak the language of the locals
These people are not planning to migrate to that particular country, so learning the entire language feels unnecessary. Also, it is not an easy task to learn a language.
Alternatively, they can use Lonely Planet Spanish Phrasebook & Dictionary to make contact with the locals. This book is equipped with over 3500 bilingual words to refer to. Numerous phrases so that you are never at a loss for words or unable to explain yourself.
Typical travel scenarios are discussed in the book along with the words or phrases that you would need to use in those cases. It will focus on conversing with the local people for necessities such as ordering food at a restaurant, asking for directions, accommodations, emergencies like theft or medical ones and so on.
This book will act as a reference book when you have to communicate with a Spanish speaking person who does not know the language that you speak.
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Final Overview
These are just some of the materials that you can use as a guide. Alternatively, you can invest in some classes that will assign highly skilled tutors to teach you Spanish.
Even then you might need to take the help of these materials as additional materials for your class. Investing in good study materials is important for a class.
Otherwise, if you are studying Spanish on your own then you will undoubtedly need to have some good quality Spanish learning materials. This will make the learning process considerably easier and faster for you.
I hope you liked our article on best books for learning spanish, if you have any comments or suggestions do share them in the comments below.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. Which is the best book to learn Spanish for Beginners?
The type of Spanish book that is best suited for you will depend on your learning style. If you are more comfortable with the traditional method of learning, you should go for text-heavy books. These books are filled with information that is just meant to be consumed by you.
If you are a visual learner then books like ‘See it and Say it in Spanish’ will be more like your style. If you like a bit of both, Living Language’s Spanish course for beginners can be the one for you.It is the best spanish books for beginners.
2. What books should I read to improve my Spanish?
If you have gotten hold of the basics of Spanish then you can consider shifting to reading books like novels or short stories to improve your understanding of the language.
If you are a beginner with limited Spanish vocabulary then you should begin with short stories or children’s stories. These are short, simple and easy to understand. You will be able to read stories in Spanish without feeling frustrated or overwhelmed.
After you have become somewhat accustomed to the language then you can move on to longer stories or novels. These will probably use more advanced vocabulary and language so you should be prepared.
Here are the best books for books for learning spanish:
