Conversando En Ingles : English Conversational Grammar for Spanish Speakers [Paperback]

Jaime Garza Bores (Author), Jaime Garza Bores (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0844271012 | ISBN-13: 978-0844271019 | Publication Date: January 11, 1993

Provides a background in English grammar and vocabulary for speakers of Spanish through pattern exercises, dialogues, and other materials.

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Ntc Pub Group (January 11, 1993)
• Language: Spanish
• ISBN-10: 0844271012
• ISBN-13: 978-0844271019
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,777,143 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A very helpful teaching tool, November 13, 2000

By 

Paula Anderson (Beaverton, Oregon) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Conversando En Ingles : English Conversational Grammar for Spanish Speakers (Paperback)

Last year I graduated with a BA in Spanish literature. As an Anglo teaching English to Spanish speakers, I find this book extremely useful. I have ordered many copies for my students, who particularly like the vocabulary with the phonetic pronunciations (I consider my students the best judge of the tools that can help them towards their goals). I like the grid layout for memorizing the verb patterns; it gives a consistent framework for conceptualization. While the book argues that it is the perfect way to master everyday conversation painlessly and efficiently, I would argue that to learn a second language is not painless. But the results that I have found using this tool have been very encouraging.

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Buen Libro, October 14, 2000

By 

"rafael_sanchez" (Austin, TX United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Conversando En Ingles : English Conversational Grammar for Spanish Speakers (Paperback)

Este es un libro que no debe faltar en si quieres hablar ingles. Te enseña de verdad como conversar en ingles. Ese era mi principal problema, podia leer y escribir pero se ma hacia muy dificil hablar. Con este libro todo fue mas facil despues. Claro siempre tienes que tener ganas de hacerlo. Es de un nivel intermedio

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Uncommon English, lots of errors, July 27, 2004

By 

Nicholas Sterling "AmigoNico" (Austin, TX USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Conversando En Ingles : English Conversational Grammar for Spanish Speakers (Paperback)

No le recomiendo este libro.

I'm disappointed in this book. I'm a native English speaker who also speaks Spanish, and I bought this book to help my wife, who is from Honduras, improve her English. The previous good reviews made it seem like a good bet, but it was not.

This book has some good points and some surprising flaws. I am nearly certain after looking through it that Bores's command of English was not all that great. Some examples:

1. The first several pages (a lot of attention!) focus on the verb "to wish", to illustrate various aspects of grammar. That's fine, but in reality nobody says "I don't wish to speak English." Any American would use "want" rather than "wish", and would think it silly to hear anyone repeatedly use "wish" in this manner. Similarly, several pages are dedicated to the word "must", but in reality many of the examples, e.g. "Where must Richard work now?" would be considered strange, at least in the U.S.

2. The book routinely omits periods in sentences. My wife has the habit of omitting punctuation, and we are trying to fix that. She doesn't need a grammar book that reinforces bad habits.

3. There are some flat-out grammatical errors. For example, on page 97 you will find the sentences "Whom did you speak?", "Whom did he give it?" and "Whom did they bring it?" Huh? Correct English would be "To whom did you speak?", etc., although "Who did you speak to?" is much more common English (few people use "whom" at all, and only some of those use it correctly). I think for a book on conversational English Bores should never have mentioned "whom" at all, and certainly should not have used it incorrectly.

Bores is generous with examples, which I like. Also, he includes phonetic spellings in vocabulary sections, which is always a plus for Spanish speakers. However, there is NO phonetic spelling in the many examples, unfortunately -- only in the vocabulary sections. There are lots of exercises given, but the answers are NOT given; I would prefer to see them on the facing page so students could check their work.

This book isn't a total loss, but I also bought Barron's "Domine lo Basico, Ingles" and am much happier with it. Unfortunately that book has no phonetic spelling at all, but there's a lot more material in that book and the presentation is excellent.