Books are a great way to learn a language, but what are the best books to learn Spanish?
There are many resources that can help you learn a foreign language: apps, podcasts, videos… But we can’t forget one of the most traditional ones: books.
Books are a very valuable tool that you should not underestimate.
Nowadays there are a lot of books to learn Spanish, but in this article I’m going to tell you about my favorites.
Let’s get started!
Spanish grammar books
Grammar is a bit of a controversial topic, as there are many students who find it boring and prefer to study and learn in another way.
It is clear that it is not something strictly necessary because when we learn our mother tongue we do not study grammatical rules of any kind.
However, I think that having a good grammar book is very useful to learn a foreign language well, especially because it helps us to study in a more structured way.
There are many options available in the market, but here is one of my favorites.
Practice Makes Perfect: Complete Spanish Grammar
The “Practice Makes Perfect” series is very popular among language learners because of the quality of its books.
One of them is “Practice Makes Perfect Complete Spanish Grammar”, which will help you learn the most important grammar rules.
What I like the most is that it includes clear explanations, accompanied by a lot of examples, audios and exercises to practice.
And the best part is that these activities come in different learning formats, such as multiple choice questions, fill-in-the-blank games and creative writing exercises, among others.
The book has a fairly easy-to-follow structure and is well organized. Perfect if you want to learn and practice a particular part of grammar.
Also, the lessons are short and simple and won’t take you long to complete. Ideal for studying regularly, even if you have little time during the day.
In short, a very useful book to learn on your own, since at the end of the book it includes the solutions to the exercises.
Books to learn vocabulary in Spanish
Vocabulary is a fundamental part of learning any language because it helps us know the words and phrases we need in order to communicate.
There are many ways to learn vocabulary, but one of the ones I like the most are visual dictionaries.
Here are two of my favorites:
Collins Spanish Visual Dictionary
This is a photographic guide to key Spanish words and phrases. In addition to the words in Spanish you will also find their translation and some explanations in English.
The vocabulary is divided into different topics of everyday life: food, drinks, work and school, shopping, sports and leisure, transportation, technology, environment and many more.
In total, about 3000 words and phrases accompanied by high quality images to help you learn better.
What I like most about this book is that, in addition to including the vocabulary itself, it also talks about modern Spanish culture and its people, including information about customs, celebrations and festivities.
Without a doubt, a highly recommended book if you are going to travel or live in Spain.
Spanish English. Bilingual visual dictionary (DK Bilingual Visual Dictionary)
This book is similar to the previous one, but in this case it contains more than 10,000 words and phrases.
It is also a bilingual visual dictionary in Spanish-English, organized by day-to-day topics such as health, work, language learning…
It includes an audio app so you can listen and repeat the pronunciation of all the words included.
In short, this book is also a fantastic choice when it comes to learning vocabulary in Spanish.
Books to improve your speaking skills
I know, having a conversation in Spanish can be a bit scary, especially if you’re still a beginner.
Luckily, there are also several books to learn Spanish that focus on this aspect of the language.
Practice Makes Perfect: Spanish Conversation
We’ve talked about this series before, specifically their book on Spanish grammar. However, there is also one specifically for improving speaking skills.
The goal of “Practice Makes Perfect: Spanish Conversation” is to help you speak Spanish confidently and spontaneously, practicing with real-world examples and activities.
It is divided into 12 units on real-life situations, such as introducing yourself, giving opinions, going on a date or telling a story.
Each chapter begins with a dialogue, followed by a series of exercises to put what you have learned into practice.
In addition, it includes information on pronunciation, syntax, word usage and how to use different phrases in conversation.
It also contains an English to Spanish and Spanish to English glossary.
This book is perfect for intermediate students of Spanish, or more advanced students who need to improve their speaking skills.
But I think it is also a very interesting option if you are a beginner, as this book will help you be able to hold a conversation even if your level is not yet very high.
Living Language Spanish, Complete Edition
The “Living Language” method is based on learning essential words and phrases to be able to communicate from the beginning and gradually reach more advanced conversations.
It includes three books (for beginners, intermediate and advanced) accompanied by nine CDs to follow along with the books (three CDs per level). Online resources are also available.
This program is organized in several chapters on different topics and its main goal is to teach you conversational Spanish.
Each chapter will help you learn new words, verb conjugation and grammatical structures, which makes it a very complete resource.
As for the CDs, they are high quality recordings, clear and at a good pace for the student. They include vocabulary, dialogues and audio exercises.
It is definitely another great option if you are studying Spanish on your own.
Collins Easy Learning: Conversation in Spanish
Another book focused on developing your conversational skills, showing Spanish words and phrases normally used in everyday situations.
It consists of a total of 12 units focusing on topics such as business, school, home or social networking.
All key phrases are collected at the end of each lesson. It also contains verb and grammar lessons to help you build your own sentences.
Books to learn Spanish through reading
These are not the typical grammar or exercise books, but I think they are a great help when it comes to learning any language.
After all, we learn much better with resources that we find interesting and fun.
There are many ways to study Spanish with a reading book: learning vocabulary, understanding grammatical structures, reading aloud to practice pronunciation and, of course, testing your reading comprehension.
Let’s see what types of resources of this style we can find.
Short Stories in Spanish for Beginners
This book contains a total of eight short stories specially designed for students who have been learning Spanish for a short time.
It is ideal for learning vocabulary and basic structures while having fun at the same time.
One of the things I like the most is that it includes real dialogues.
At the end of each chapter you will find a summary of the most important vocabulary, as well as a short quiz to see if you have understood the text.
There is also a version for intermediate students.
Graded Readings in Spanish
Another way to learn Spanish by reading would be through graded readings. But what exactly are they?
Well, they are usually widely known books and classics of literature, but their main feature is that they are specially designed for students of Spanish.
This means that the language used is adapted to different levels. This way, you can choose a book you like and read its story according to your current level of Spanish.
Another advantage is that they usually include a glossary with the meaning or translation of some key words.
This way you will not have to check the dictionary so many times and you will be able to concentrate better on reading.
They also usually include some exercises to see if you have understood the text you have just read.
Conclusions
As you can see, there are many books that you can use to study Spanish.
Unfortunately, there is not one that includes absolutely everything you need to learn this language.
In addition, you also have to take into account your way of learning, because every student is different.
Therefore, I think it is best to use a combination of books but also to use other resources, such as YouTube videos, podcasts, apps… whatever your prefer.
Without a doubt, this is a great way to avoid monotony and cover all the areas that are part of the language learning process.
And you, did you already know any of these books to learn Spanish? Which are your favorites?
Tell us in the comments!
