Customer Reviews

Dos mundos: En breve: Comunicacion y Comunidad

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If you plan on taking at least three classes of college Spanish, don't get this edition. Get the 7th edition because the last four chapters of this "en breve" edition have been removed to make this bare-bones edition strictly for first-year students of Spanish. First year students (SPA101 and 102) normally make it to Chapter 11, which is where this book ends. If you are in SPA201, you'll need the 7th edition. I wish I had known that as I may have to get the bigger edition anyway in another year.

My college and my Spanish instructor insist on this book and I don't know why. The main objective of this textbook, as per the publisher is Spanish communication. "The actividades de communication continue to play a primary role, while grammar serves as an aid in the language acquisition process" write the editors. I like to have a combination of grammar, visuals ~AND~ audio to learn new words.

My biggest complaint about this book is the layout. The pages appear so crowded and special grammar rules don't stand out. All grammar is introduced on blue-edged pages outside the "actividades de communication" which start each lesson. New Vocabulary words are kept on yet separate red-edged pages. I have to keep going back and forth to review my lessons. This makes self-study a bit challenging. You'd need the additional workbook for that at additional cost, which is required for the classroom and/or homework assignments. The workbook comes with self-evaluating answers in the back. This book has shorter lessons for self evaluation.

What does save this textbook is the accompanying website. There the student can review vocaluary, take quizzes or do assignments and then have the results emailed to both the student and the instructor. These on-line quizzes help with the chapter tests (hinthinthint).

The student can use this "en breve" edition with the bigger 7th edition. That's what I did for the class The lessons and the page lay-out are the same. The more complete and more expensive 7th edition also comes with video CDs that show basic two-minute dialogues with words introduced in each lesson. The videos introduce the student to speakers from all over the Latin word, so you aren't just listening to Castilian, an accent with is so annoying in Latin America, but also Venezuelan, Argentinian and Mexican Spanish. Here the speakers talk at an almost-normal speed. Some of the scenarios, such as finding drugs in a friend's backpack, are used for the lessons. The videos appear very amateurish though, with plenty of camera jiggle, but all audio and video help a student learn good, contemporary Spanish.

What I do like is the diversity of the accents on the tapes and videos. Also, each chapter introduces contemporary Latin artists/painters/writers/cultural notes from across Central and South America, along with basic facts of the countries, such as national flag, national currency and other data about a country. This textbook is not a complete waste but for someone who's totally new to Spanish, this book may prove to be rather daunting as a self-study book.

Edit 28 March 2011: my instructor said the book publishers are coming out with a newer edition for the fall semester, making the course more on-line ready.

This book was used for my college Spanish course. It's a good course. It uses plenty of illustration and excercises to help you learn Spanish. However, as a college course book, I think it's weak. It's probably great for high school, but I found the book to be relatively easy and leisurely. If that's what you want, then this book is for you.

The book is very good. Dr Terrell's ideas are great, but the book arrived very late.
I don't think I will buy from this company again.
An Example of the dilay is that 2 weeks later after I bought Dos Mundos, I bought another book from a different company. I received the second one much faster that the first one.

The text book was fine as far as I could tell however it was the 3rd edition and what I ordered was the 7th edition. For this reason I have returned the book and I am especially pleased with the very prompt, courteous, and more than helpful return policies from both Amazon and "evilgenious", its vender.

I needed the book for college. I looked on Amazon and I found the book I needed for my new class at college. So far the book is just what I needed for my college class.

This book came in very good condition but it suppose to come with a workbook and dictionary which both were missing.

I have yet to start this class, but I was happy to receive the book earlier than expected

it took forever for the book to get to my house i missed three quizzes because i couldn't study then on top of that it didn't come with the lab like most books do so now i have to buy the lab

im gonna have a spanish exam today, and spanish is gonna be my third language- hopefully. so, best book ever...! thanks for shipping it fast .