I expect you've all got a few good dictionaries and grammar books, and one or two Spanish coursebooks, but these two are a bit different.
The first one is a happy blend of seriousness and fun .... it's a book written by someone who has learned Spanish himself, and is keen to share the problems he had with you ... because we will be likely to have the same problems he had. It's called Breaking Out of Beginner's Spanish....it's by the wonderful Joseph J Keenan.
For a start, you will read it .. it's very very readable... something you can't say for many other Spanish books!
He knows what the course books and grammars don't tell you ... and he tells you.
He knows why you have trouble talking to people in Spanish ... and he shows you how to deal with it.
He knows all the various things those huge key verbs can mean ....
He knows which words will get you into a fight and which won't.
He sheds light on the subjunctive.... which is the opposite of what most books do.
He gives you a whole range of all-purpose replies to just about any question you might need a reply for.
,,,and much much more ... but now it's time for the other book......
Well, this is a fun story really, which I happen to like .... it's The Twits by Roald Dahl ... the Spanish version is wonderfully entitled Los Cretinos ....worth the ( very low) price on its own I reckon ....
How will this book improve your Spanish? Let me count the ways ...
You will read it ... it's very funny and silly, and it's very cheap too.You will also read it again.
Because it is for kids, it's fairly easy to read.
You can get it in English too... which is handy for when you get a bit stuck.
It is packed with very useful phrases.
It is crammed with cutting remarks, vicious insults and other helpful stuff.
It tells you how to dispose of a troublesome wife.
It is full of pictures which tell you what's going on most of the time.
If you are a bighead like me, you can read it in French, Welsh etc.
In Welsh it's called Y Twits.
In French it's called les Deux Gredins.
My Spanish copy says inside that the original title was The Twist.
Like every Spanish text, it is crammed with Vocabulary and Grammar ! Just what we need.
volaron los manteles y el domingo se hizo especial.
Flotaba en azoteas todo mi deseo,
un solecito bueno y tus faldas al viento,
nada más.
Aeroplanos que saludo moviendo un espejo,
la ropa y tu pelo se movían al mismo compás,
nada más.
Te deslizas como si fueras de viento
y al contacto con mis dedos te desvanecieras.
Si tu magia ya no me hace efecto,
¿cómo voy a continuar?
Si me sueltas entre tanto viento,
¿cómo voy a continuar?,
¿cómo voy a continuar?
Recuerdo que sopló la luna y era en pleno día
y entre aquellas nubes vislumbraste la estrella polar,
y algo más.
Madelmans haciendo slalom por tu cuello,
aire que se lleva tus misterios, hacia el Sur se van.
Y sé que a veces piensas que estoy algo ido,
pero nunca pierdo una sola oportunidad de admirar cómo ...
Te deslizas como si fueras de viento
y al contacto con mis dedos te desvanecieras.
Si tu magia ya no me hace efecto,
¿cómo voy a continuar?
Si me sueltas entre tanto viento,
¿cómo voy a continuar?,
¿cómo voy a continuar?
Fuente: musica.com
Some of you readers out there might have noticed a certain familiarity about these music choices and themes. Well, I used to have another blog about learning Spanish, but it has mysteriolusly disappeared. So, I'm not quite starting again from scratch, but I am starting again, if you see the difference!