Countdown to Spanish : Learn to Communicate in 24 Hours [Paperback]

Gail Stein (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0071414231 | ISBN-13: 978-0071414234 | Publication Date: August 29, 2003 | Edition: 1

Master Spanish in just one day

When time is of the essence, trust Countdown to Spanish to help readers master the language quickly and effectively. Organized into 24 units--each of which is designed to take no more than one hour to study--this self-instruction book presents material in a "countdown" fashion, from Hour 24 all the way down to 0, allowing learners to gauge their progress along the way.

Beginning with a basic introduction of grammar and vocabulary fundamentals, the units move quickly to practical conversational skills for both vacation and business travelers. Upon completion of the guide--the equivalent of just one day--readers eager to apply their newly honed language skills will be able to communicate in a variety of everyday, real-world situations.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Converse in Spanish like a native speaker in only 24 hours

So you're leaving for Spain or Latin America in a few days and you don't speak a word of the language? What will you do if you get lost in Seville and have to ask for directions? Or you're in the mood for paella and want to make a restaurant reservation? Or you fall ill in Buenos Aires and need to see a doctor? Believe it or not, it isn't too late! With Countdown to Spanish, in just 24 hours you'll learn to speak like a native in all sorts of everyday situations.

This unique and efficient countdown self-instruction is organized into 24 units, each designed to take no more than one hour to study. Beginning with an introduction to basic pronunciation, grammar, and vocabulary, the units advance quickly to practical conversational skills for both vacation and business travelers. By the time you count down to 00:00 hours, you'll know how to:

• Sound like a native, from syllable stress to vowels sounds
• Recognize and properly use nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs
• Ask and answer all types of important questions
• Get help anywhere, from the auto shop to the post office to the dry cleaner's
• Cope with travel needs at the airport, train station, or hotel
• Conduct business effectively

Neither a daunting textbook nor a flimsy phrase book, this unique language system combines grammar and vocabulary instruction into manageable, highly effective 60-minute lessons. Once you've completed the lessons, you'll be ready try out your newly honed skills on the beaches of Cancún. You'll be amazed at what a difference a day makes!

About the Author

Gail Stein is a dedicated language instructor who has taught in New York City public schools for more than 30 years. She has written numerous books on language self-instruction.

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill; 1 edition (August 29, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0071414231
• ISBN-13: 978-0071414234
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 5.9 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,285,998 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A Solid Backgound For Spanish, January 14, 2004

By 

Robert (New Zealand) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Countdown to Spanish : Learn to Communicate in 24 Hours (Paperback)

Countdown to Spanish is very dense in information and will give you a solid background in Spanish. However, you must devote time to studying it, and limit yourself to one lesson at a time. You will need to spend more than 24 hours of study with this book to learn how to communicate in Spanish. If you are looking for a textbook that is solid in grammar then this book provides one.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What a great book!, November 10, 2005

By 

Mark Gurfinkel "Mark" (New York, NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Countdown to Spanish : Learn to Communicate in 24 Hours (Paperback)

An excellent, affordable way to review basic and intermediate grammar and vocabulary! Great for beginners and students who are getting ready to review everything before starting the intermediate level. I thought I knew the basics pretty well, but through this book I discovered a lot of things that I missed in my earlier studies.. Overall, this book helped me immensely!

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing, July 23, 2007

By 

Eli Bendersky (Israel) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Countdown to Spanish : Learn to Communicate in 24 Hours (Paperback)

A couple of years ago I got this book in electronic form and browsed through it for some time. I had the impression it is pretty good so I decided to purchase a paper copy and study through it. Unfortunately, my initial judgment has failed me in this case. This book isn't too good. It's quite bad, really. "With Countdown to Spanish, in just 24 hours your can learn to speak like a native in all sorts of everyday situations" - says the back cover. Yeah right !!

The first part of this book presents the Spanish language for general use, discussing basic vocabulary and grammar. It is the better part of the book, although I don't like the way of presentation used by the author. Instead of showing many examples, she just bombards the reader with grammar rules, discussing pretty complex rules early on. For example, the 5th chapter (1/5 of the way through the book) teaches the Future Perfect and Perfect Conditional tenses - some of the more complex tenses of the language, and that after only a minimal teaching of the simpler topics !

The second part of the book is the really bad one, however. It's a simple categorized dictionary, plumped into the book to bring it to 24 chapters.

What I would expect from a good book that tries to teach you some skill is a thorough set of exercises. There are exercises in this book, but they're a joke. After a long chapter explaining many concepts, the author provides 5-6 trivial questions, usually only on 1/4th of the material taught by the chapter. This is no way to teach.

The book has some nice spots here and there (the chapters on Pronunciation and Asking Questions come to mind), but all in all it's very unhelpful - you can spend your time and money better on other books.