ONE OF THE GREATEST SPANISH TEXTBOOKS (if not the greatest)
928460
I'm an advanced Spanish instructor and intermediate language coordinator. This is by far the best textbook of Spanish I've ever seen. Yes, you don't find great pictures, appealing format, that's true. However, the grammatical explanations are just incredible. This book is a link between theoretical linguistics and the classroom. The explanations are based on concept-based systemic-functional grammar of Spanish, instead of the rules of thumb that you will find in most commercial textbooks, which have as many exceptions as rules. If you found yourself thinking "... um, but I can also use the imperfect or the subjunctive here, so how do I explain this when the textbook says the opposite?", then this is the textbook for you. You'll find well-grounded, essential, concise, conceptual explanations rather than list of rules that are not true anyways. And you have EVERYTHING in this book, all the grammar you can possibly think of, including meaningful word-order in Spanish, phonetics, questions of discourse, a task-based approach to composition and academic writing, editing and typical error analysis and the metalinguistic knowledge necessary to be literate and articulate in Spanish. Students can realize how changes in form translate into changes in meaning and how meanings are constructed in Spanish (for example, changes of focus or information prominence with rheme and theme structures). There are lots of exercises based on these explanations. Explanations are in Spanish and most examples are translated into English. This is ideal for an intermediate and advanced level. If you want to read more on this line, get also Spanish/ English Contrasts by Stanley too, and read Dwight Bolinger's articles.
1781221
I had purchased Behind the Wheel: Portuguese 1, and was surprised at how beneficial the CDs actually were. I started picking up words and phrases so easily in Portuguese without any formal classes.

Soon I wondered if the CDs would work for Spanish. Since I had already had experience in Spanish, I decided to skip Spanish 1 and use Spanish 2 and 3. While Spanish 2 was actually more of a review, Spanish 3 definitely was a perfect fit.

These CDs are essential if you are a serious student of Spanish. The CDs concentrate heavily on verbs. They go through the subjunctive (present, imperfect, and perfect), the preterit, imperfect, and past-perfect indicative tenses; and the conditional. They are definitely not for beginners! I would say maybe for Spanish 4-5 in high school and above 101 in college.

My only complaint is that the editing on the CDs is really bad. The majority of the time you listen to a male speaker, but in the beginning there is a female speaker. However, sometimes a second male speaker is used at random for a few phrases. Also, some of the responses were cut off, while some were even given the wrong words. For example, on one of the tracks you can hear the Spanish speaker say "pasar" instead of "gastar" (to spend). If you've already had experience in Spanish you should be able to notice the mistakes with no problems though. The audio transcript also shows the correct responses.

In spite of the editing, I would definitely recommend these CDs to upper-intermediate and advanced students. The CDs definitely work! As long as you committed to listen to them several times through, you will find yourself retaining the words and phrases effortlessly.

I hope there will be a Spanish 4 soon, possibly with more vocabulary, idioms, and a section on mandates.
2028081
This (after the beginner version) is the best spanish textbook I've ever used. I still use it after many years.
585163
I'm a casual user of Spanish. I've used, off and on, the original paperback version of this book for over 20 years. I vacation often in Mexico and have recently been to Spain. I'm comfortable with its "dialogue" format. I feel that I'm learning the language - not just picking up phrases to use in certain situations. I've tried Rosetta Stone and prefer this to merely parroting sounds. It's mix of dialogue, vocabulary, grammar and syntax has built, I feel, insight into the workings of the language which has generalized to a comprehension and familiarity beyond the book's lesson plans. I've received compliments from native Spanish speakers on my comprehension, pronunciation and skill regarding verb tenses.
4069061
"Churros Y Chocolate" was the textbook which I had used to learn Spanish during my senior year of high school.  Because of my previous experience with the book, I already knew that this was a well organized textbook for learning to speak Spanish.  It is an excellent textbook, which I would recommend to anyone.

I ordered a used copy of this book through Amazon from a company called "molliegoose" of Raleigh, North Carolina.  The book arrived in the mail only five days after I first ordered it.  The book showed some signs of wear (and a small amount of writing on it) from having been used, which is very typical of any textbook which had been circulated through a high school.  I was fully expecting that.  Other than that, the book was intact and was in very good usable condition.  I am very pleased with both the book and with the company, molliegoose (from whom I purchased it).

I look forward to using this textbook to refresh my Spanish language skills.  Since this book was the same title I used back in high school, using the textbook will also be a somewhat nostalgic experience for me.
940197
An amazingly detailed book designed to answer any question you have regarding the structure of the Spanish language, be it Castillian or Latinoamerican.  Each chapter has example after example devoted to the nuances of every aspect of speech or writing you could possibly encounter.
My only caveat - you can't possibly "read" the thing.  It's better utilized as a reference book.  It's the place you'll go when all your slimmer volumes have you stumped.
My approach is to carry around "Buscalo" (Clarkson, Campos) which tells me - as an intermediate learner - what I need to know in 219 cleanly-spaced pages instead of 572 densely-packed ones.  I've always got this Butt/Benjamin work on the shelf as a "just in case" backup tool.
2944675
This product is great. i really enjoy using it in my spanish class and i look forward to taking it to spain. some of the buttons are placed in a odd position like the scrolling buttons on the left, side, and it is a little slow, but it is a great gift, and a great gadged for anyone learning spanish, or english for that matter.
1105421
I am an adult learner of Spanish, and this book has been one of the best--probably THE best--of the many I've used in my study.  It's complete, methodical, enjoyable.  My only objection is that there's not enough space in the blanks in the exercises to write one's answer, but this is a small quibble.
3445828
This book is a fantasitic jumpstart for the study of Spanish.  It is a big confidence builder. It also provides simplification of many of the harder gramatical rules.  It is a CRIME that this book is not standard for school  kids.
1146552
In getting ready for a visit to a Spanish-speaking country, I've been actively trying to resurrect my high school and college Spanish from over 40 years ago. Thus far, this book has been by far the most help in doing so. It makes no assumptions about prior knowledge, using only new words already defined before each chapter, and following with the same story in English, allowing the reader to ensure they really did understand. That the stories are also at least mildly humorous is icing on the cake.

I've since gone on to read the second level text by the same company (<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Second-Spanish-Reader-Graded-Spanish-Readers/dp/B009XDNM9G/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Second Spanish Reader (Graded Spanish Readers)</a>), and though it is also very helpful, I found this one one notch better overall, so am now planning to also read volumes 2 and 3 of this level one reader (<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/First-Spanish-Reader-for-beginners-Volume-2-Bilingual-for-Speakers-of-English-Graded-Spanish-Readers/dp/B00BCNPRWK/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">First Spanish Reader for beginners (Volume 2) Bilingual for Speakers of English (Graded Spanish Readers)</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/First-Spanish-Reader-for-beginners-Volume-3-Graded-Spanish-Readers-Spanish-Edition/dp/B00DDTDV56/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">First Spanish Reader for beginners (Volume 3) (Graded Spanish Readers) (Spanish Edition)</a>), though they are currently a bit overpriced compared to this volume for their length.
578608
As an advanced Spanish student and part-time Spanish tutor, I've always had questions about certain concepts in Spanish. This book gives very useful explanations of those puzzling concepts. It does get  very technical with certain linguistic subjects, but I was able to gloss over those and get what I needed from the book. It is an excellent supplement to any regular advanced Spanish textbook.
4250605
This low-cost book is great for those whom need basic Spanish for whatever reason.

I've been studying the language off-and-on for over 10 years, and I wish a teacher or two had directed me to get this book and Dover's "1001 Most Useful Spanish Words" as an introduction to the language.

I highly recommend getting both for the cost of "una cerveza o dos."
4360879
I use all the Practice Makes Perfect Spanish books in my class.  Great practice exercises.  Lots of references to pop culture that some of my students don't get, but otherwise, great books.  Considering how costly text books are, these are great deal.
4688772
Great big resource covering soooo many topics in detail! I've studied Spanish for awhile now, enough to take lit courses, but there's always more or things that just don't stick and this is a great book to have to be able to flip through or look things up in, but it's also very accessible if you're just starting out. Sava is also very cognizant of regionalisms and the many weird things that one comes across in trying to learn Spanish, so have no fear you're not just getting a printed version of a boring-ass class.
4175620
By far, this is one of the greatest text for 6th grade Social Studies I have seen. Very "on level" for early, elementary students, and very colorful, with images that speak to this group of students.
I found some of the translation not to be the best, or the ones I would use, therefore the 4 stars. For instance, instead of "Creciente Frtil" (Fertile Crescent), you will find "La Media Luna Frtil". Not common for social studies teachers, in my experience... at least not in this country.  and even, when speaking on Lime (fertile soil), it should be Limo... this book says "Cieno"... ? again, not a great translation.
Aside from these minor errors in translation, I find the book to be very kid friendly, and n easy read for struggling readers.
FYI: the correct picture for this textbook, is the one on the "customer pics" in the bottom, not the top image.
3735807
I am Anna Rivera editor of the Learning Spanish Products Reviews site and free Spanish lessons site. I am also the author of&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Anna-Rivera-s-1000-Plus-Most-Powerful-Spanish-Words-Spanish-Edition/dp/0979829518/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Anna Rivera's 1000 Plus Most Powerful Spanish Words (Spanish Edition)</a>&nbsp;and&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Anna-Rivera-s-800-Plus-Most-Powerful-Spanish-Phrases-Spanish-Edition/dp/097982950X/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Anna Rivera's 800 Plus Most Powerful Spanish Phrases (Spanish Edition)</a>. I am also a native Spanish speaker and a professional Spanish instructor. This is my review of Review of Barron's 1001 Pitfalls in Spanish Third Edition

This is a book that any self-learner of the Spanish language will find useful. The book is divided into 3 sections:

1. Parts of Speech
2. Sentence Structure
3. Special Topics

In the Parts of Speech section you will find many useful topics thoroughly covered including, adverbs, adjectives, conjunctions, interjections, nouns,  prepositions, verbs, and pronouns.
In the Sentence Structure section you will find that sentence structure, word order, punctuation and division into syllables.

The student will also benefit from thoroughly studying the Special Topics section which discusses:
1. Measurements ( including numbers, time expressions, distances and weight, and monetary systems)
2. Pronunciation, accentuation and dialects ( including pronunciation, accentuation, dialects and variations of Spanish and other Iberian languages)
3. Special Aids (including tips on ever day usage, Spanish abbreviations, letter writing, telephone conversations, tips on vocabulary building, cognate words, false cognates, prefixes, suffixes, and words frequently confused.
4. Specialized Vocabularies and Professional Terminology.

Although intended as a resource book for students learning Spanish in a classroom setting, I highly recommend this book to anyone learning Spanish on her own.
2313606
Bravo to Berlitz for having produced a one-stop comprehensive source of information on the Spanish language.  I find Berlitz Spanish Grammar Handbook to be invaluable in its depth, clarity and precision in explaining and deciphering often incredibily difficult concepts in Spanish.

This handbook can be used either as a strict grammar reference or to acquire a general or specific understanding of most aspects of Spanish grammar.  It may also be used as one of several means of acquiring a working knowledge of the `syntax' of the language.

Syntax means `word order' or how words fit together to convey meaning.  I find the handbook to be quite good at demonstrating common everyday syntax in a simple fashion by means of the direct examples it provides.

Fortunately, this grammar handbook does not assume that you know the meanings of different grammatical terms.  It  contains abundant explanations for each specific  point in Spanish grammar and there are always complete explanations provided for all grammatical terms.  The way in which the classic grammatical term and explanation is followed immediately by a practical example of everyday use is one of Berlitz Grammar Handbook's greatest strengths.

Another major plus to this grammar handbook is the huge number of practical and authentic mini-monologues which utilize different points of grammar in actual real-life contexts to illustrate a point of grammar as it's really spoken.

It is obvious that Bertlitz intended this manual for individuals who actually wish to `use' their  Spanish in real life situations.  The handbook also makes clear which constructions are only for formal and not everyday use.

Overall, I recommend Berlitz Spanish Grammar Handbook as a very good reference guide and learning tool for Spanish.  With Berlitz Spanish Grammar Handbook you will be satisfied whether your are a complete novice or a language expert.  It literally  has something for everyone.

MARK FROBOSE/ AUTHOR OF THE BEHIND THE WHEEL CD COURSES IN SPANISH, FRENCH, ITALIAN, GERMAN, PORTUGUESE, CHINESE, JAPANESE, &  ARABIC