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Unfortunately, verb conjugation is a necessary and monotonous part of learning Spanish. Without the ability to conjugate at will and without much thinking, fluency remains a Quixotic dream.
"501 Spanish Verbs" will get you up and running on some of the essential verbs of the Spanish language. When you're starting there's no way you're going to remember or not confuse the present subjunctive spelling with the spelling of the conditional or preterite. It's going to happen, and having this book on hand for moments like that will deaden the "what's the point of this!?!?" feeling. Eventually it comes together, and at some point this book will outlive its usefulness.
It's important to remember that this is not meant to be a comprehesive guide to Spanish verbs. That's why it's called "501 Spanish verbs" when there's obviously thousands more. 501 is a pretty good number of verbs to have on hand at the beginning of learning Spanish. It will get a reader through most children's books or basic reading. This book is to be mastered and built upon, not to be seen or used as a final resting place for learning about Spanish verbs. It should be used with the idea that someday it will be abandoned. If a learner of Spanish gets to that point then the book has done its job.
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.
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This book doesn't explain why verbs are conjugated in a certain way, but it helps you to learn merely by showing how 501 french verbs are conjugated. Is that enough? Well, by itself no, because we are not parrots who must repeat whatever they are told without understanding what they say (that, despite the opinion of some, not all, french teachers). However, if you have a good textbook, a terrific dictionary, some listening tapes and "501 French Verbs: Fully Conjugated in All the Tenses in a New Easy-To-Learn Format Alphabetically Arranged" (long title :)!!), you'll probably end up speaking french more or less well.
This edition is bilingual (french-english), so if you don't know the meaning of some verbs in french you'll still have the translation in english. Another thing worth pointing out is that each verb has lots of examples (with different tenses). I found out that to be particularly useful...
So, what to do?. If you can, buy this book, or ask a friend to lend it to you. It is not overly entertaining (as a matter of fact it is quite boring), but it helps you to deal with some of those awful verbs that sometimes make you wish for the nonexistence of the french language. On the whole, a good survival tool :)
The book is a treasure trove of information on a difficult language. I still feel that to truly speak French one must live in France for some time to be totally immersed, but for classroom study this book will help greatly. Anyone who has studied languages knows the emphasis placed on conjugation. Don't be left out in the dark!
In this easy-to-understand, easy-to-use book, all your verb questions are instantly answered. In addition to fully conjugating every verb in every tense and mood, there are idioms with each verb (such as "faire des achats" under "faire"). There are quizzes in the back, as well as useful verbs and sentences for many different situations (such as "at the grocery store", or "at the hotel").
If you consider yourself a student of French at all, whether a seasoned expert (such as myself, who still uses this book every day) or just learning "etre", this book is one to keep on your shelf.
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I think the practice tests were slightly harder than the real thing, but they were fairly close. Just a week before the actual test I got a 670 on a practice test. Then, on the actual test, I got a 710. This really isn't much of a difference when you take into account the range of SAT II scores that accompany any score.
Rather than including an exact scoring guide after every practice test (which would have been nice, but unrealistic), the book has directions on calculating your raw score and then one chart which gives a range of scores to match the range your raw score fell into. (The only soure of SAT IIs that have actually been given in previous years is, of course, "Real SAT IIs," published by the College Board.)
There were some typos in the book. I found a few in the grammar review and one or two in practice test answer keys. None of them were terrible, but if you think that the book is incorrect about something it may very well be. Overall, I good book to study, especially if you have a lot of time before the test.
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I hope the publisher comes to its senses, reprints and does the ample marketing this book deserves. If I were teaching Spanish, this would be a must-have for my students.
Also, this a good size to carry with you. If you are learning Spanish, Get this!!!!! Wonderful!!