Practice Makes Perfect Basic Spanish (Practice Makes Perfect Series),   ISBN:9780071458054

Customer Rating: 

Devney Richmond does an excellent job of going step by step with the most basic skills required in Spanish speaking, mixing in vocabulary, and continuing to use these as the course progresses.

Customer Rating: 

Let me first say that this book does a good job on its intended purpose. When you flip to page v (the preface), the author clearly states that this book is not intended to be the primary teaching source or that it will introduce concepts.

There's nothing wrong with that, but the title of the book is "Practice Makes Perfect: Basic Spanish." I bought it with the impression that it would introduce beginning Spanish concepts. I wanted to use this book with students or homeschooled kids who needed a good place to start. When I saw this book listed on Amazon, I was excited to see that a book for beginners had been published. But this book is not for beginners. If the title had been Basic Spanish Review, I probably wouldn't have bought it, or I might have bought it if I needed additional materials for a Spanish class.

This book is best used for maybe Spanish I in high school or Spanish 101 in college. The exercises are useful in that respect. But if you want a book that is for absolute beginners, get a copy of Getting Started with Spanish. It is one of the best, if not the best, book for absolute beginners of Spanish.

Brandon Simpson

Customer Rating: 

I've been critical of many books in the PMP Spanish series because they really just aren't very useful to beginning students. They simply require an intermediate level vocabulary to even understand the questions.

They got this one right though and its great. Tons of questions to work out without requiring a dictionary by your side.

The PNP Spanish Vocabulary book also seems to be very nicely done. It would be a great way to quickly get beyond the initial boring words and into some of the more interesting words. It seems like it would keeps you interested and will probably be my next Spanish book purchase.

Customer Rating: 

This has been a great supplemental book for some of my Spanish I students. It contains major points and reviews them quickly and concisely in 2-pages of exercises.

Customer Rating: 

I have this book in paperback and it's very good - I'd rate it 5 stars. I ordered the Kindle edition so I could take it traveling and it is virtually unreadable. Much of the grammar and exercises - most of the Spanish words are in the "picture format" not the type format so you have to zoom to view them and they are still difficult. Also it interrupts the continuity of your study. I have a Kindle 2 so it may work better the larger screen DX. My advice - order the book in paper. It's a great book - too bad it's practically useless on the Kindle.