Streetwise Spanish : Speak and Understand Everyday Spanish [Paperback]

Brenda Wegmann (Author), Mary McVey Gill (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0844272817 | ISBN-13: 978-0844272818 | Publication Date: September 11, 1998 | Edition: 1

Intermediate through advanced Streetwise Spanish presents the colloquial and slang expressions that students need and want to know but usually do not learn in their Spanish classes. The 15 chapters contain short dialogues, translations of the dialogues, explanations of the colloquial and slang expressions, authentic jokes, cartoons from Spanish publications, and exercises. Note: This text includes "earthy" and vulgar expressions! Each dialogue presents universal Spanish idioms and also includes slang from a particular country or city that is identified in the introductory line of the dialogue. Alternate forms used in other areas are explained in the vocabulary notes.

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English, Spanish

From the Back Cover

¡Agarra la onda!--learn the Spanish they speak en el calle.*

How would you ask "What's up?" in Cancun? How do they say, "Don't bug me!" in Punta Cana? And how would a Spaniard tell you to "Go jump in the lake!"? Spanish is spoken by more than 340 million people in twenty-three countries. And in each region, the people have their own special take on the language. Fortunately, with Streetwise Spanish, you can turn regional differences from "problems" into colorful expressions that add flair to your language and help you sound at home anywhere.

This audio edition of the bestselling guide takes you on a grand tour of everyday Spanish as it's spoken around the world. With the help of thirty dialogs, enacted by native speakers, it clues you in on the idioms, colloquialisms, slang, and vulgarisms currently used by Spanish speakers of all walks of life, from LA to Las Palmas, Madrid to Manila.

The best guide to everyday Spanish, Streetwise Spanish, Audio Edition tells you how with:

• An audio CD featuring thirty dialogs spoken by Spanish speakers from more than fifteen countries--for authentic regional accents
• Dozens of cartoons, jokes, and anecdotes
• An overview of "signature" words differentiating speakers across the Spanish-speaking world
• Engaging exercises that let you test comprehension and fine-tune skills
• Articles explaining how cultural attitudes influence the use of slang
• Vocabulary lists and a mini-dictionary

* Get with the program! (literally, Catch the sound wave!)--Learn the Spanish they speak on the street.

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: McGraw-Hill; 1 edition (September 11, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0844272817
• ISBN-13: 978-0844272818
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 7 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #807,980 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

140 of 142 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best of its Kind, January 2, 2003

By 

Thomas F. Ogara (Jacksonville, FL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Streetwise Spanish : Speak and Understand Everyday Spanish (Paperback)

There are a plethora of books purporting to deal with Spanish slang on the market; a surprisingly large number of them have come out in just the last few years. After having checked out many of them, I must say that this is far and away the best one that I have encountered to date.

One of the problems with dealing with colloquialisms in Spanish is that they differ so much from region to region. This book addresses this by setting the dialogues in different Hispanic countries, including (dare I say it?) that particularly large Hispanic country called the United States, specifically in California and Florida. The book then selects out the colloquialisms covered in the lesson and tells you what the equivalent terms are in other Hispanic countries.

Another problem with learning colloquialisms, and this is true in any language, is that they tend to vary considerably depending on the social type you're dealing with: students, business types, street people, etc. Not infrequently, the learner may have to deal with several different strata in the course of his or her travels, and so familiarity with several situations is called for. The different lessons, and lectures, in this book intentionally vary the milieu of the characters so that you get an even spread.

The book also has an abundance of cultural notes and asides, jokes, and situational items to polish up your skills. Among the features I enjoyed best was the essay on that famous Hispanic folk art, the "piropo", including examples of the genre, along with some snappy comebacks for women to use when encountering this phenomenon on the street.

So may study aids come out on Spanish every year that it's hard to single out the real winners. This book is definitely one of them, and regardless of your interest in the language you'll find your money well spent on this one. To top it all, it's a good read!

67 of 67 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fun, Real, Entertaining Spanish!, July 10, 2003

By 

Emily (MA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Streetwise Spanish : Speak and Understand Everyday Spanish (Paperback)

This book is the best birthday present I ever got from a friend...It is at once a GREAT read, with hilarious jokes, situations, and catroons sprinkeled throughout; and a solid educational resource...although you won't find it in your high school Spanish class. Also, it covers a wide spectrum of slang, from innocent proverbs to informal greetings to more risque or vulgar phrases. Which of course help you to be an informed global citizen, haha. When you think you're done learning all the words for one lesson, you can quiz yourself with the brief excercises at the end of each chapter!
But wait, there's more! Since Spanish is the official language of a dazzling 21 countries, this book also does a great job at pointing out and explaining regional differences. All in all, this book will teach you to greet, express a multitude of emotions, complain, respond to lewd comments, spout proverbs, and overall feel a lot more comfortable with your usage and understanding of everyday Spanish. With readings, excercises, vocab lists, fun, and a dictionary in the back, this book is your one-stop for picking up tons of casual Spanish as it is really spoken.

46 of 46 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Book for Learning Everyday Spanish, June 9, 2001

By 

Barrett Chancellor - See all my reviews

This review is from: Streetwise Spanish (Paperback)

This book is a great buy. I bought it recently for my final stage of Spanish, slang. I have already mastered the grammer and much of the vocabulary, so this is the last thing. When I say slang, I do not exactly mean profanity. I am talking about idiomatic expressions. This book greatly helps you to sound like a native speaker. It has a dialogues, translations, vocabulary notes and lists, exercises, jokes and cartoons, and some culture notes. It also has reviews and answer keys, as well as a bilingual glossary. I appreciate its warning of how vulgar a word can be, and also its explanation on how different words are used in different Spanish-speaking countries. You can't get confused while using this book, because everything is so easy and clear. A very good choice to learning everyday Spanish.