Just Listen 'N Learn Spanish (Just Listen N' Learn) (Spanish Edition) (Paperback)

by Sandra Truscott (Author), Jose G. Escribano (Author), Brian Hill (Editor)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

The groundbreaking program for building conversational language skills

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Just Listen �n� Learn Spanish, Second Edition picks up where formal Spanish language studies leave off by giving you a feel for how Spanish is really spoken by the �man on the street.� An engaging way to build basic conversational skills and confidence, this package is based on recordings made on location--in the street, in hotels, bars, pharmacies, shopping centers, and dozens of other everyday settings. You�ll get a full-color course book packed with photographs, illustrations, and cultural information and four 75-minute CDs recorded on location, featuring more than 100 authentic conversations as well as audio exercises. If you�re preparing to travel to a Spanish-speaking country, this is the perfect guide for you.

. --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

From the Back Cover
[box]. .

Start speaking Spanish with confidence�right away!

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It used to be that if you wanted to learn to converse in Spanish like a native you had to spend time living in a Spanish-speaking country. Not any more. The next best thing to a season in Madrid or Guadalajara, Just Listen �n� Learn Spanish picks up where formal language studies leave off by giving you a feel for how Spanish is really spoken by the �man (or woman) on the street.�

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Whether you�re planning a trip abroad or just want to take your Spanish to an exciting new level, Just Listen �n� Learn Spanish helps you quickly build the basic skills and confidence you need to start speaking Spanish right away�and develop a convincing accent, too!

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Ideal for complete beginners as well as those who have had some formal training, Just Listen �n� Learn Spanish is based on recordings of Spanish speakers made on location--in the street, hotels, bars, restaurants, gas stations, pharmacies, shopping centers, train stations, airports, and dozens of other everyday settings around Spanish-speaking regions.

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This revised and updated edition features:

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• A full-color course book, packed with photographs, illustrations, and . cultural information to give a real taste of being abroad
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• Four 75-minute CDs recorded on location featuring more than one hundred authentic conversations
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• A wide variety of audio exercises that help develop conversation skills and confidence
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• Fascinating cultural information to familiarize you with daily life in the Spanish-speaking world

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Easily customized to the way you learn best, Just Listen �n� Learn Spanish offers you a quick, easy, thoroughly enjoyable way to start speaking Spanish like a native.

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Sandra Truscott is the co-ordinator of language programs at the University of Manchester. General editor Brian Hill is Head of the School of Languages at the University of Brighton.

. . 0-07-145249-4 $34.95 . . [back cover]. .

A complete program for building your conversational skills in no time

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It used to be that if you wanted to learn to converse in Spanish like a native you had to spend time living in Spain. Not any more. The next best thing to a season in Madrid or Guadalajara, Just Listen �n� Learn Spanish picks up where formal language studies leave off by giving you a feel for how Spanish is really spoken by the �man (or woman) on the street.�

. .

Whether you�re planning a trip abroad or just want to take your Spanish conversation skills to an exciting new level, Just Listen �n� Learn Spanish helps you quickly build the skills and confidence you need to start speaking vernacular Spanish right away�with a convincing accent!

. .

Ideal for complete beginners as well as those who have had some formal training, Just Listen �n� Learn Spanish is based on recordings of Spanish people made on location--in the street, hotels, bars, restaurants, gas stations, pharmacies, shopping centers, train stations, airports, and dozens of other everyday settings around Spanish-speaking regions.

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Designed to be used in conjunction with the audio CDs, this course book features:

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• Dozens of photographs, illustrations, and helpful examples of signs, labels, menus, brochures, tickets, schedules, and other written material
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• A wide array of exercises that help reinforce what you�ve learned
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• Jargon-free grammar guidelines throughout, along with a handy grammar summary
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• Vocabulary lists for easy reference
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• Fascinating cultural information to help familiarize you with daily life in the Spanish-speaking world

. . . [Book ISBN 0-07-145249-4 - No barcode or price code]. --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback
• Publisher: NTC/Contemporary Publishing Company (December 1990)
• Language: Spanish
• ISBN-10: 084424614X
• ISBN-13: 978-0844246147
• Product Dimensions: 11.4 x 8.1 x 1.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,120,539 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

43 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent way to develop listening comprehension, February 28, 2000

By	Dr. Zack Cernovsky (Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Just Listen 'N Learn Spanish (Paperback)

After borrowing this book from our public library, I have struggled first through the textbook and then started listening to the tapes while commuting. Of course, in the first days, I understood only about 10%, however, this has finally increased to about 95%. The recodings have a real life quality, both in terms of speed and content. I like this course very much and recommend it to anyone who wants to understand spoken Spanish. The explanations of grammar are only minimal, however, you can combine this with any other textbook that gives a more thorough background in the Spanish grammar. The great value of this course is its emphasis on listening comprehension of the real spoken Spanish.

33 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Decent introduction, January 27, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Just Listen 'N Learn Spanish (Paperback)

This is not a bad introduction to Spanish. Dialogues are as real as they get in an entry level language book. The book covers the basics needed for a traveller who is about to visit Spain (it is NOT the Latin-American Spanish). The problems I had with this book: VERY light on grammar (past and future tenses are introduced in the last two chapters), some grammatical structures are used which are never explained - you have to memorize them without understanding, the short dictionary at the end of the book does not include all the words used in the course - in fact some words and expressions used are NEVER translated in the book, dialogues are supposed to be authentic, but it is just impossible to understand some of them - speakers mumble at the speed of light - what is the point of including those in the entry level course? Use this to get you going quickly, then, if you want to, move on to something serious... Oh, and DO NOT get the "plus" stuff, things get even worse there...

32 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Immersion is the Best Way to Learn, November 18, 1999

By	Owen Cooper ([e-mail]) (San Francisco Bay Area) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Just Listen 'N Learn Spanish (Paperback)

First some context. I own and use "Just Listen and Learn Spanish" and also "Just Listen and Learn Spanish Plus." I listen to these tapes while commuting, and read the text during my lunch hour or at home. At the same time I am using a grammar text "Spanish Now" to learn grammar. Listening in my car means I can't follow the directions to stop and do a reading or written exercise. I'm a bit out of sync with the design of the course.

Second a statement on immersion. I don't understand most of what I hear. That's how I learned English. That's how I learned French when I lived in an French home. It doesn't mean I'm not learning.

Why "Just Listen and Learn Spanish" fills the bill. The tape is 90% Spanish with enough English guidance to keep a general orientation. It ranges from scripted dialogs those not fluent in Spanish to radio programs. You have to tolerate the fact that not everything is translated and you mostly don't understand. But what a pleasure when you go back to something that a few weeks earlier you understood practically none of and you now get 85-90%. This is after less than three months of studying Spanish.