Spanish Workbook For Dummies

¿Habla español? Improve your Spanish with Dummies

Spanish Workbook For Dummies is full of clear explanations and hundreds of practice activities for beginning Spanish learners. You'll learn how to express yourself, ask questions, talk about the past, and construct simple sentences—en español. As you work through the book, complete practice exercises, get lots of writing opportunities, and have tons of fun. Then check your work, with answers and explanations at the end of every chapter. Plus, you'll have access to handy verb charts, a thematic vocabulary list, and mini-dictionaries, right inside this very book.

• Learn the fundamentals of Spanish with integrated grammar that advances as you go
• Work through practice exercises and activities as you read through each chapter
• Improve and activate your Spanish with explanations of each workbook answer
• Avoid common mistakes made by Spanish learners and get ready to travel, chat with friends, or interact with colleagues

This friendly Dummies workbook is perfect for beginners of all ages. If you're looking to get started with Spanish, step right in—we've got the practice, practice, practice you need to succeed.

Introduction 1

Part 1: Getting Started with the Basics 5

Chapter 1: Getting a Jump Start in Spanish 7

Chapter 2: Selecting the Proper Part of Speech 33

Part 2: The Here and Now 49

Chapter 3: Sorting Out Word Gender 51

Chapter 4: Coloring Your Sentences with Adjectives 73

Chapter 5: Expressing Yourself in the Present 91

Chapter 6: Expressing Yourself with Subjunctive Feeling 121

Chapter 7: Enriching Your Sentences with Adverbs and Comparisons 149

Part 3: Giving and Obtaining Information 163

Chapter 8: Getting Answers with the Right Questions 165

Chapter 9: Being Clear and Concise with Object Pronouns 185

Chapter 10: Reflecting on Reflexive Pronouns and Verbs 205

Chapter 11: Getting Attention with Commands 217

Chapter 12: Preparing to Connect with Prepositions 239

Part 4: Reminiscing about the Past and Seeing into the Future 253

Chapter 13: Leaving It Completely in the Past 255

Chapter 14: Looking Back with the Imperfect 269

Chapter 15: Seeing into the Future 283

Part 5: The Part of Tens 293

Chapter 16: Ten Most Common Mistakes in Spanish 295

Chapter 17: Ten Important Verb Distinctions 301

Part 6: Appendixes 307

Appendix A: Verb Charts 309

Appendix B: Thematic Vocabulary 319

Appendix C: English-Spanish Dictionary 331

Appendix D: Spanish-English Dictionary 335

Index 341

Gail Stein is a retired foreign language instructor who taught in New York City public junior and senior high schools for more than 30 years. She is the author of several Dummies books, including Spanish Essentials For Dummies and Intermediate Spanish For Dummies.

¡Más práctica, por favor!

Language learning is all about the practice. Spanish Workbook For Dummies is the perfect resource for getting a grip on basic Spanish, the hands-on way. You’ll work through exercises to successfully learn Spanish vocabulary, grammar, and authentic expressions. Start from the very, very beginning, and work your way toward expressing yourself in the language of Latin America, Spain, and beyond. You’ll also get access to verb charts, mini-dictionaries, and other handy resources, right in the book. Sí, tú puedes hacerlo—yes, you can do it.

Inside…

• Basic Spanish grammar
• Introductions and small talk
• Asking & answering questions
• Conjugating irregular verbs
• Pronouns and adverbs
• Past, imperfect, and future
• Writing and reading practice
• Common mistakes to avoid