Customer Reviews

Spanish at a Glance: Phrase Book & Dictionary for Travelers (At a Glance Foreign Language Phrasebooks)

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I am an advanced student of Spanish and at the present time, am just getting off what linguists call a "learning plateau". One may find plenty of reviews of this book as a simple tourist book for those staying in the Hispanic world for a few weeks. But I am currently using this book to help fill in the missing pieces to he puzzle of being able to speak in colloqial terms. This book is excellent for the serious learner who has mastered complicated grammar subjects and wishes to be able to converse about everyday topics. This no doubt, along with a nice grammar reference and perhaps a verb book, and some tapes could make a perfect method to learning to speak everyday, colloquial Spanish.

There is nothing wrong with this book; it simply doesn't fit my travel needs. I much prefer the Fast Talk series from Lonely Planet.

The pocket size of this book is great, but it's oriented toward traveling in Spain; most of my Spanish-speaking travels have been in Central America, so all the maps and sightseeing suggestions and descriptions of Spanish culinary specialities merely add weight to the book. I don't usually do my own cooking while traveling, so I don't need all the detailed information about, for example, how to buy a can of tomato sauce. I don't need to know phrases to use in a beauty salon either. This book would be a good choice for someone going to live in Spain for a month or so (lucky them!) as it goes into depth about everyday situations, but it's too much detail for a two-week visit.

Spanish at a Glance has everything you need to make traveling in a Spanish speaking country easy. It is also an efficient tool if you just want to review basic Spanish vocabulary and phrases.