Lightning-fast Spanish for Kids and Families: Learn Spanish, Speak Spanish, Teach Kids Spanish- Quick as a Flash, Even if You Don't Speak a Word Now! (Spanish Edition) [Paperback]

Carolyn Woods (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 9, 2011

** This is the revised edition - with all  translations and pronunciation keys reviewed or re-done by a professional Spanish translator, to ensure accuracy.

No time to learn Spanish? Want to teach your children but don't speak Spanish yourself? Lightning-Fast Spanish helps you incorporate Spanish into your every day activities, so you learn while doing the things you already do.

You'll teach your children Spanish the same way you taught them English - by interacting with them as you do daily activities. No need to set aside extra time in your busy schedule, and no need to speak Spanish yourself - with this unique program, you both learn as you go. You'll be amazed at how quickly you see results!

If you want to get your family speaking Spanish fast - this book is for you!

Lightning-Fast Spanish is:
* Built around every day situations - no need to set aside special time, and you will use your new language the first day!
* Ready to use with phonetic pronunciation included - no current Spanish knowledge needed!
* Fun and easy to start!

Editorial Reviews

From the Author

I have read that children who are multi-lingual have an edge in life, and since I wanted the best for my crew I decided to teach them a second language. We tried many different systems, but never made much progress.

I found the biggest obstacle to teaching my children a foreign language was time. I don't speak the language, so in order to teach I would have to first research and memorize. Somehow that just never happened.

I remember saying to my kids, "If we can just get to the point where we can speak to each other in another language, I think it will all start to come together for us! We can practice around the house, and then get comfortable enough to try it with outsiders".

And then, the light bulb finally came on. Instead of waiting for us to gain the ability to talk to each other, perhaps I could pay attention to the things we talk about and have them professionally translated into another language - and we could start talking to each other in another language right away!

This book is the result of that idea.I wrote down conversations from our daily activities, and then had them translated.We were able to use the new language immediately - and without setting aside any time from our busy schedule; we just incorporate them into our regular routine.

We have had a lot of fun putting these together and using them, and have actually learned along the way.

Now it's your turn! Jump in and try it!

Product Details

• Paperback: 86 pages
• Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (September 9, 2011)
• Language: Spanish
• ISBN-10: 1463742541
• ISBN-13: 978-1463742546
• Product Dimensions: 0.2 x 6.6 x 9.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (27 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #446,632 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Hi, and thanks for visiting my page! I'm a work-from-home single mom of 4, and I'm always trying to find more efficient ways of doing things so I have time for the fun stuff!

I've written books on teaching your family new languages while you are running errands or doing household chores. I also have a new guide on work you can do from home when you also have children to take care of.

I'm always happy to hear from readers! You can contact me through Amazon or at http://www.carolyn-woods.com.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Great Idea But Problems May 14, 2012

By Cat Lover

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

The concept for this book is excellent. This is a great way to teach your kids Spanish--and to learn it if you don't already know it.

I started learning Spanish on my own when I was 9-10 years old, studied it as soon as it was available in 9th grade, and eventually majored in it in college. When my first child was about 18 months old, I started teaching him Spanish words he already knew in English, such as eye, ear, mouth, etc. After a few months, I gave up because it was so wearing. Maybe if I had done it the way Carolyn Woods suggests, I would have stuck with it and he would have easily learned Spanish--or at least a lot more--from me.

However, be careful with the pronunciations the author has given and some of the vocabulary. It's a lot easier to learn it correctly the first time than to have to relearn it correctly later.

Wrong Pronunciations:

* She should have used [lah] for la; otherwise people could pronounce it lots of different ways; she assumes people already know how to pronounce la.
* chaqueta [la cha-key-tah] should be [lah cha-keh-tah]
* huevos [hway-vose] should be [hweh-vose]
* tocino [toe-key-no] should be [toe-see-no]
* pan [pan] should be [pahn]

She frequently gets the pronunciation of i and e wrong.

Other Problems:

I realize that the author is trying to keep it simple. But here are some other problems:

* For most of the colors, she didn't give both masculine & feminine words, except for blanco/blanca & rojo/roja; this could be confusing for new learners.
* She didn't explain that emphasis should be on the accented syllable, e.g., escoces (plaid) in the first conversation has an accent mark on the last "e," which indicates that the last syllable should be emphasized. Instead of [ess-koh-ses], I recommend showing pronunciation of this word as [ess-koh-SESS].

Some vocabulary words are wrong. Here's one example:
"No por favor" - She says it means "No thank you" but actually it means "No please." The correct phrase is "No gracias" or "Gracias, no."

I only skimmed this book after the first two conversations, but it appears that the majority of the information is valid. Still I would check everything before you start on each new section of this book. Like I said, the concept of teaching your children Spanish and learning it yourself is good, but some of the vocabulary and pronunciation are not correct.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Spanish for everyone March 22, 2012

By M. Schemanski

Format:Paperback

Learn Spanish with a different method in this book by Carolyn Woods. She takes everyday situations such as getting dressed, going somewhere, meals, playtime, walks and more and creates sentences that would be appropriate to learn during those times. No need to know Spanish yourself as the parent because she gives you the phonetic pronunciation as well. You can jump around throughout the book for the conversations you want to start with, no need to start in the beginning and work your way straight through.
I know zero Spanish, well ok I know how to count to 10 and know what the Bano is ' Other than that, I am lost. I loved how Carolyn had the pronunciation written in the book right by the words for me to easily use them. I think that my family may be a bit slow at the learning process and didn't seem overly interested in humoring their mother when I suggested we try this approach. That is my children however and not the books fault. I think that if used along with a regular Spanish curriculum that this book would be an outstand addition. I do not see it standing alone from a homeschool mom perspective but definitely would help aid in additional instruction and in a different approach for the kids to try.
She includes activities in the back of the book like treasure hunts and games you play like concentration and twister. I love the concept of this study and just wish my children would have been more excited about it. I am going to continue using it with my younger ones who enjoyed learning a variety of Spanish words.
I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars What a Great Book! May 10, 2012

By Ahaupt

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

Lightning Fast Spanish is a fun and exciting book providing a great method for learning Spanish. Previous reviewers have taken issue with the grammar and vocabulary in the book, saying that there are errors; but I am fluent in Spanish and work as a translator, and I disagree with these reviews. I found the grammar to be sound and accurate, as well as concise and useful! Also, as a life-long student of Spanish, I have studied language both from textbooks in a classroom setting, and through real-life interactions living abroad in Mexico. And let me tell you?the absolute best way to learn a language is to use it! Lightning Fast Spanish gets you using Spanish every day, without overwhelming beginner students with complicated grammar rules. What I love about this book is that it goes beyond vocabulary lists and introduces students to complex grammatical structures (past, present, future and conditional tenses, gender agreement and personal pronouns, for example) but makes the grammar accessible without being intimidating. For a young student who is still unfamiliar with the technicalities and proper terms for their first language, let alone a second, this book is a great tool to show them that they can get excited about learning a language, be proud of themselves for completing activities, and have fun playing games in a new language. Lightning Fast Spanish is a smart, clever way to get your kids or any beginner Spanish student excited about language, and I would recommend it to anyone looking to get started! I can?t wait to try these activities and games with the kids I nanny!