Ultimate Spanish: Basic-Intermediate Coursebook (LL(R) Ultimate Basic-Intermed) (Paperback)

by Irwin Stern (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review
"A unique language opportunity--"
CYNTHIA RAMSEY, Ph.D., Basic Language Program, University of Southern California -- Review

Review
"A unique language opportunity--"
CYNTHIA RAMSEY, Ph.D., Basic Language Program, University of Southern California

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Product Details

• Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: Living Language; Rev&Updtd edition (October 3, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0609806831
• ISBN-13: 978-0609806838
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #775,504 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

59 of 59 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good for review...not for first-time learner, April 2, 2001

By	Jeremy B. Carter (Asheville, NC United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Ultimate Spanish: Basic-Intermediate on CD (LL(R) Ultimate Basic-Intermed) (Audio CD)

I had two years of Spanish in college and four years later bought the "Ultimate Spanish: Basic-Intermediate" program to brush up on my skills. This has proven a good refresher course, but those new to the Spanish language should not purchase this for use as a "self-teach" program and expect to develop strong skills.

Many of the explanations in this book are quite brief, and the written drills are very limited. Anyone using this as a refresher course would do well to also purchase "Practice Makes Perfect: Spanish Verb Tenses" and "Practice Makes Perfect: Spanish Pronouns and Prepositions," both by Dorothy Richmond, for more extensive written exercises.

27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars wait for next edition, August 25, 2000

By	michael agelasto (Hong Kong) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ultimate Spanish : Basic-Intermediate (Living Language) (Audio CD)

I used this self-study course for 4 hours per day for 3 months, in conjunction with VIS-Ed vocabulary cards. It prepared me well for a trip to South America. The course offers pronunciation for both Spain and Latin America. The cultural notes are basic and useful. The dialogs are mostly relevant for a traveler.

The major drawback is the Learn-on-the-go CDs. There is no transcription provided; I was unable to follow these CDs. If there had been a transcription which I could have reviewed at home, the CDs would have been much more useful. Since this is the first edition, there are numerous typos and errors in the text, which could have been corrected with more careful proofreading. I would advise you to wait for the next edition.

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Very Good Refresher Course, July 28, 2000

By	R. W. Pochciol "rwp464" (PA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Ultimate Spanish : Basic-Intermediate (Living Language) (Audio CD)

GREAT REFRESHER COURSE for former Spanish students.

I studied Spanish for 9 years and was practically fluent. 14 years later I find myself struggling to remember basic vocabulary, verb conjugations and familiar phrases. With my experience in the language, I've been able to successfully complete the first 5 lessons in only a few sessions, with excellent retention. My email friends from Spain and Peru have already noticed an improvement in my Spanish.

The CD's: "Learn at Home" are helpful if you need help with pronunciation. I enjoy learning from the "Learn on the Go" CD set because I am forced to recall the information without the aid of a textbook. I feel the pace of the conversation is good, and the CD format makes selecting a lesson easy.

Why only 4 stars? Another reviewer made flashcards....I made an Excel spreadsheet. It would have been great to have all the vocabulary and phrases on a ready-to-use CD or disk. Here's how: One column for the English words/phrases, one column for the Spanish translation, and a third column for the exam. Simply hide the Spanish column and type your answers into the exam column. Unhide the Spanish column to check you answers. Mark wrong answers with red text.

Format:The lessons are divided into functional topics like time, greetings, weather, health, food, phone calls...making it easy to learn and reference information. I find this format much more enjoyable than the traditional classroom & textbook method.