Spanish Verb Conjugation Made Easy

Whether a student or traveler, "501 Spanish Verbs" will make it easier for you to conjugate the many verbs associated with this Romance language. Just like many Romance languages, there are many tenses to memorize, however with the alphabetical, easy-to-use style author Christopher Kendris has used, conjugating Spanish verbs is as easy as 1-2-3.

Similar to "501 Portuguese Verbs," the book also contains short phrases commonly used in Spanish-speaking countries such as Spain and Mexico. The reader needs to be aware of the differences between Castilian Spanish and Latin American Spanish. Latin American usage eliminates the "vosotros" tense, and dialects among the many Spanish-speaking nations can often have words that mean one thing in one country, and something else in another. Keep an eye out for regional dialects (e.g., Castilian, Mexican, Antillean/Caribbean, Central American, etc..).

Overall, a must have for those wanting to brush up on their language skills. It's a great reference book to have in your collection.

No frills - just an awesome quick reference

There are other Spanish verb books out there that claim to be better, or have more verbs written out in their full conjugations, or give you better insight to their usage in different countries, etc., but Christopher Kendris's book is the fastest to look up verbs, and the easiest to use. There are no fancy boxes with a lot of small print inside, or so many explanations that you can't find the verb. This is a no-frill, look-em-up, you-got-it kind of reference. It is extensive enough to satisfy most students (and even some native speaking professors!) Yet it does not go so deep that you have to finish the novel before you get the conjugation that you only have 10 seconds to look up for your work.

Contrary to the opinion that the work is only good for people who need to see a few hundred AR verbs fully conjugated, most students learn faster and retain the knowledge better when they hear, SEE, and write the information they are learning. It IS important to see the verbs conjugated because then they are reatined better in your memory. What would you remember better, a description of a beach in Hawaii, or a picture of it? This book is not just for slow students, it's for every learner or reviewer. If you have outgrown the need for this book, don't buy it, or get one that goes more deeply into the subject. But let's not confuse our own needs with the value of this book. By the way, this one can still fit into your purse or briefcase.

501 Spanish Verbs

This is an excellent book. I'm not so sure that the paperback
version will stand the test of time and elements. The work
contains an exhaustive conjugation of almost every important
verb utilized in conversational Spanish, as well as the
literature of Spain and the Americas. This book will help if you
are learning the language for the first time. It's important
to understand the correct grammatical formulations because
there are many tricky exceptions. For instance, the verb
"comer" means to eat. Its conjugations are como, comes, come,
comemos, comeis and comen. The verb volver (to return) is not
so obvious. Its conjugations are vuelvo, vuelves, vuelve,
volvemos, volveis and vuelven. Although the verb "volver" begins
with "vo", the conjugated form begins with "vue". This is one
of many important exceptions in the Spanish language. With
usage, you'll begin to apply the exceptions correctly. This
book is a good reference to help you get started and stay on
track. The work is good for studying the Regents exam in
Spanish, as well as formulating paragraph structures in a
Spanish literature course. The Spanish literature courses
can be difficult because the medieval literature has many
idiomatic words and phrases which have no traceable modern
derivative. Reading "Don Quijote" is very difficult in spots
because of the older idioms and the paucity of their use in
modern Spanish. A strength of this book is that the author
separates the irregular verbal forms for ease of reference.
For beginners, memorization of the irregular forms is the
best option. With repeated use, these forms will become
second nature to you. The conversational Spanish newspapers
are much easier to read than the classical Spanish literature.
Current newspapers and magazines are devoid of the confusing
idioms which are quite common in the older literary works.
Modifiers are a real challenge. Look at the verb "ponerse".
The conjugation of ponerse is:
o me pongo ( I put on or put in place.)
o te pones (you -familiar)
o se pone (you-polite)
o nos ponemos
o os poneis
o se ponen

For a verb like ponerse, memorization or frequent utilization
of the reference guide is preferred . The best way to learn
a foreign language is to study the grammatical formulation,
listen to the language, attempt to write the language and
read conversational articles in the daily papers of the foreign
language involved. At some point, the entire process will gel.
This book is a good purchase because it is complete, easy to
use, relatively cheap and fairly up-to-date. Conversational
Spanish requires much practice so keep this book in a handy
place for ease of reference. You'll need it for sure!
This book has more verbs than previous versions. As such,
it is a better value. In Spanish literature courses, papers
are required. When writing literary critiques in Spanish,
adherence to the grammatical formulations is difficult for
novice writers. Your initial attempts may meet with many
corrections when the paper is read and critiqued by teaching
staff. With practice, there will be fewer corrections except
for an occasional accent or awkward verbal formulation.
Good luck and utilize this text frequently.