Overview

The perfect guide for new Spanish learners and anyone looking for an expert refresher Interested in a fast and effective guide to learning Spanish that avoids fluff and focuses on key concepts that you need to know to improve your ability to speak, write, and understand the language? Spanish Essentials For Dummies, 2nd Edition walks you through Spanish fundamentals you can use for at-home, solo learning, to supplement your progress in a Spanish class, or as a companion to language instruction. Inside: Get practical tips on Spanish grammar, pronunciation, and sentence structure See conversational Spanish examples to amplify your learning Understand all the core concepts taught and tested in a typical introductory Spanish course Perfect for Spanish students looking for a quick reference to supplement classroom or app-assisted Spanish learning, Spanish Essentials For Dummies, 2nd Edition is a great resource for everyone looking to brush up on their conversational Spanish.

Full Product Details

Author:   Gail Stein ,  Cecie Kraynak
Publisher:   John Wiley & Sons Inc
Imprint:   For Dummies
Edition:   2nd edition
Dimensions:   Width: 13.70cm , Height: 1.30cm , Length: 21.30cm
Weight:   0.181kg
ISBN:  

9781394373253

ISBN 10:   1394373252
Pages:   192
Publication Date:   25 September 2025
Audience:   General/trade ,  General
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Out of stock  
The supplier is temporarily out of stock of this item. It will be ordered for you on backorder and shipped when it becomes available.

Table of Contents

Introduction 1 About This Book 1 Foolish Assumptions 2 Icons Used in This Book 2 Where to Go from Here 3 Chapter 1: Brushing Up on the Basics 5 Pronouncing Properly 5 Voicing vowels 6 Practicing diphthongs and vowel combinations 6 Verbalizing consonants 7 Understanding stress and diacritical marks 8 Counting Down 9 Using cardinal numbers 10 Using ordinal numbers 13 Dealing with Dates 14 Expressing the days of the week 14 Naming the months of the year 15 Making a date 16 Telling Time 17 Identifying Parts of Speech 20 Using nouns 20 Substituting pronouns 21 Acting with verbs 21 Describing with adjectives 22 Clarifying with adverbs 22 Joining with prepositions 23 Chapter 2: Embracing the Gender Gap 25 Being Specific with Definite Articles 25 Identifying the definite articles 26 Using definite articles 26 Omitting the definite articles 28 Contracting with definite articles 28 Table of Contents iii Being General with Indefinite Articles 28 Identifying the indefinite articles 29 Omitting indefinite articles 29 Being Demonstrative with Adjectives 30 Explaining Gender 31 Determining the gender of nouns 31 Doing an about face with gender 32 Using the same noun for both genders 33 Changing the meaning of nouns 33 Understanding special nouns 34 Forming Plural Nouns 35 Showing Possession 36 Using de 37 Employing possessive adjectives 37 Substituting with Object Pronouns 39 Dealing with direct object pronouns 39 Understanding the personal a 40 Coping with indirect object pronouns 41 Choosing the proper pronoun 42 Constructing sentences with gustar 44 Positioning object pronouns 46 Doing double duty 47 Chapter 3: Living in the Present 49 Identifying Types of Verbs 49 Selecting Subject Pronouns 50 Being inclusive 50 Using subject pronouns 52 Omitting subject pronouns 54 Communicating in the Present Tense 55 Recognizing regular verbs 56 Changing verb stems 57 Changing the spelling of verbs 62 Modifying verbs with two changes 63 Using irregular verbs 63 Communicating with irregular verbs 65 Spotting reflexive verbs 67 Making Progress with the Present Progressive 71 Using estar to form the present progressive 71 Understanding present participles 72 Chapter 4: Being Descriptive 75 Adding Color with Adjectives 75 Making adjectives agree 75 Positioning adjectives 81 Shortening certain adjectives 82 Describing Actions with Adverbs 82 Forming adverbs 82 Positioning adverbs 85 Making Comparisons 85 Conveying equality 85 Stating inequality 85 Articulating the superlative 86 Communicating irregular comparisons 86 Expressing the absolute superlative 87 Linking with Prepositions 88 Selecting the correct one 89 Using prepositions with verbs 92 Using the right pronoun after a preposition 95 Chapter 5: Making Inquiries 97 Posing a Yes/No Question 97 Using intonation 98 Employing the tags “¿No? and ¿verdad?” 98 Using inversion 99 Responding to a Yes/No Question 99 Staying positive 100 Being negative 100 Getting the Facts 103 Using interrogative adjectives 103 Getting information with interrogative adverbs 104 Employing interrogative pronouns 105 Providing Information 107 Chapter 6: Reliving the Past 109 Living in the Past 109 Forming the preterit of regular verbs 110 Forming the preterit of spelling change verbs 111 Constructing the preterit with verbs with stem changes 112 Forming the preterit of irregular verbs 113 Using the preterit 116 Reminiscing with the Imperfect 117 Forming the imperfect of regular verbs 117 Forming the imperfect of irregular verbs 118 Using the imperfect 119 Choosing the Preterit or the Imperfect 120 Signaling the preterit 120 Signaling the imperfect 121 Creating the Present Perfect 122 Forming the present perfect 122 Using the present perfect 124 Chapter 7: Looking to the Future 127 Talking about the Future without Using the Future Tense 127 Using the present to express the future 127 Expressing the near future 128 Mastering the Future Tense 128 Forming the future of regular verbs 128 Forming the future of irregular verbs 130 Using the Future to Foretell, Predict, and Wonder 131 Chapter 8: Understanding Verb Moods and the Conditional 133 Giving Commands with the Imperative Mood 134 Forming commands with Ud and Uds 134 Forming commands with tú 135 Forming the let’s command 136 Forming the Present Subjunctive 137 Creating the present subjunctive of regular verbs 137 Working with verbs irregular in the yo form 138 Tackling verbs with spelling changes 139 Coping with stem changes 141 Understanding verbs with both spelling and stem changes 143 Conjugating irregular verbs 144 Using the Present Subjunctive 144 Expressing your desires, needs, or doubts 146 Demonstrating feelings or emotions 148 Employing impersonal expressions 149 Using relative clauses 151 Examining the Present Perfect Subjunctive 152 Making Actions Conditional 153 Forming the conditional of regular verbs 153 Exploring verbs with irregular conditional forms 154 Using the conditional 155 Chapter 9: Ten Key Verb Distinctions 157 Ser versus Estar 157 Saber versus Conocer 159 Tomar versus Llevar 159 Deber versus Tener Que 160 Preguntar versus Pedir 160 Jugar versus Tocar 160 Gastar versus Pasar 161 Dejar versus Salir 161 Volver versus Devolver 161 Poder versus Saber 161 Appendix: Verb Charts 163 Index 177

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Author Information

Gail Stein, MA has more than 30 years’ experience teaching languages in New York City public junior and senior high schools. She is also the author of Spanish Workbook For Dummies. Cecie Kraynak, MA has taught and tutored Spanish for more than 30 years. She is the author of Spanish For Dummies, Spanish Verbs For Dummies, and Spanish All-In-One For Dummies.

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