Rating: 
Summary: Excellent book! Most helpful I own!
Review: My wife grew up in Mexico. When I met her I didn't really speak much Spanish. I learned quite a bit by hanging out with her and taking classes. But no matter how hard I tried, no matter how much I paid attention and asked for help, I still made the mistakes that all gringos make: the dreaded "gringaso." This book isn't a cure all. It won't make you speak Spanish perfectly. But it has pointed out some of my mistakes and has made it simple for me to correct them. I'm in Mexico right now as I write this review and have even used many of the lessons that I learned in this book in order to avoid getting laughed at by all her friends.
DO NOT get this book if you are not conversant in Spanish. DO get this book if you are able to hold a conversation in Spanish and need to get rid of those incessant small mistakes that you make that make it obvious that you are a gringo. This is the most helpful book that I have in helping me learn Spanish.
Rating:
Summary: This is honestly invaluable.
Review: I am convinced that you can't find another book like this anywhere. I never expected the book to be so invaluable when I ordered it. I am in University Spanish, and have been studying the language for six years now. This book provided subtle tips that I have never been told or read about! It is well worth the money. If you really want to correctly use your verbs and adjectives, get this book. It is designed for the American learning Spanish, and it is perfect for us. I honestly can't say enough good stuff about this book. I'm just finishing reading it. I will read it again, but take notes. I know that I'll refer back to it alot.
Rating:
Summary: ¡Excelente!
Review: This book was so much fun and so useful I keep re-reading it, and learning something more each time. The author doesn't neglect grammar, but neither does he present grammar as a list of dull rules. Rather, he guides the reader through examples of how Spanish grammar and structure reflect how Spanish speakers think. It's practical, but not in the hackneyed "Can you direct me to the nearest bathroom?" mode. Rather, this book tries to help gringos learn how people really speak Spanish. There's much emphasis on traps which frequently snare native English speakers learning Spanish. The book is well organized, and written with a great sense of humor. My only minor quibble is the absence of an index. I agree with others: this isn't a book for those just starting out, pero cuando quieras aprender un poco más, ¡debes comprar este libro!
Rating:
Summary: Just What I needed
Review: Fabulous! Ever stutter when beginning a sentence? Just don't know how to start? Wonder about sublte usage differences? Are verbs your demons? Want to know a little more about the development of the Spanish language? This book is for YOU!! Lots of great tips and information wrapped in a humoursous package. A great read. Too much information to absorb in one sitting but a great book that I believe I will continue to refer to throughout this tumultuous journey of learning a new language. BUY THIS BOOK!!!
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Summary: They should call it "Breaking into Beginning Fluency"
Review: This book is worth its weight in gold. When I saw it on Amazon[.com], I thought, "For this price, what the heck?" and when I got it, I could not put it down (still haven't) I have hundreds of old and new Spanish textbooks (French, Hebrew, English and many others, for that matter) but I have never seen anything like this book. It tells you the real deal. Sure, there's no substitute for immersion, but this is the next best thing and the perfect companion to associating with native speakers, listening to music and watching Spanish TV. It doesn't drill you to death on verbs -- it guides you through a living lanuguage, the one we are all trying so hard to learn. I read it like a person of religion would read the Bible -- when I get to the end, I start all over again. It reads more like a how-to book than a textbook; it keeps me turning the pages. It just gets better each time. You need the basics first, but this is the one and only book to get you off that beginner to intermediate plateau and really explain the language. It has a Mexican slant (most books seem to come from a certain region) and it is important to be aware of that, but all the information has turned out correct according to my friends from varying countries, and the author tells you when something is Mexico-specific -- he won't steer you wrong. If you only have a few bucks to spend on your Spanish library, spend it here.
Rating: 
Summary: Does what the title says.
Review: This is a more than correct book to learn real Spanish.. I used it to help my wife learn the language. As a Spanish speaker I often found hard to explain grammatical concepts to Americans. The tradition in this country is not to give great emphasis to grammar when teaching English. Concepts that are second nature to me, like the subjunctive mode, are extremely hard to explain to anyone, even more so when one cannot employ the grammatical structures that are present in the English language. Teaching can then become a series of examples and generalizations that often confuse the student. This book tackles this issue very well. It finds ways to explain subtleties in ways that an American can understand. If anything, some of the aspects treated here are treated without the precision an advanced learner might need. The book will take the student to a point where a basis of intermediate Spanish is not just memorized, but understood. In answer to another review of the book, I agree, it would not be a bad idea to learn English. For Americans, specially.
Rating:
Summary: A very wise investment ...
Review: "Breaking Out of Beginner's Spanish" is not so much a Spanish grammar book as much as a Spanish learners advice book. The author gives many invaluable secrets and hints to the Spanish leaner coming from a "gringo perspective". This book is invaluable to any Spanish learner especially to anyone who plans on working or studying in a Spanish country. I first read this book after I was living in Guatemala for 7 months and although I leaned a ton, in retrospect I wish I read the book 7 months earlier. I think that this book is a must have as a supplement to any Spanish classes or Spanish grammar one is using at any level of Spanish learning. Buying this book will save you many headaches and frustrations, a very wise investment ...
Rating:
Summary: excellente!!!
Review: I absolutely love this book! Who would have thought a required text for school could be funny?! Chapter three "tricksters" or false cognates is vital for those unfamiliar with the nuances of he language. I knew most of them but it is always good to rewiew. I highly reccomend this for anyone interested in improving their Spanish.
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Summary: Breaking Out of Beginner Spanis
Review: I have enjoyed this book for a couple of years now, but think a more appropriate title would be "Breaking Out Of Intermediate Spanish" or even advanced Spanish for that matter. It is really a grammar book disguised as a very funny, entertaining read about how Spanish is actually spoken in Latin America. The "Twilight Zone" section on the subjunctive mood is the most understandable explanation of a verb form that continually confuses and confounds English speaking people. I am fluent in Spanish but go back to this book every once and a while to find things that can still help me improve my conversational Spanish.
Rating:
Summary: A unique reference that tackles important concepts
Review: I purchased this book 3 years ago and I clearly remember my first impressions. I thought to myself "how handy this is the first of its kind". This Spanish reference will definitely give you the finishing touches to your Spanish in terms of authenticity and helping your day to day Spanish sound natural and on the level of a native speaker. I bought the book to find out the greatest challenges that students who are studying Spanish face outside of grammatical, pronunciation and phonetic issues. Although the title of the book is: Breaking Out of Beginner's Spanish, the topics covered and the information offered is definitely beneficial to the advanced student and to those who have travelled around Latin America or Spain. Chances are these students will have heard the numerous verbs, phrases and expressions used and have had difficulty understanding the meaning, nuance and how to use the verb or expression correctly in everyday speech. The book's intent is to clarify traditional errors that non-native Spanish speakers make and to offer an explanation and the logic behind the usage in Spanish. The book covers a broad range of topics such as: tricksters (also known as false cognates which are words that look similar to an English word but have a completely different meaning),verb usage and key exceptions, tips for correct usage of the subjunctive which always proves to be problematic for non-natives, a special look at sixty-four verbs with a complete analysis of proper usage, key phrases typically used by native speakers, making the right choice of words and anglicisms. The book answers questions that grammar books and dictionaries don't offer. As an educator of the Spanish language I am familiar with and have read numerous reference material in English and Spanish and this is the first of it kind. Finally, a book that focuses on problematic concepts in Spanish that need to be addressed in order to speak correctly, avoid blunders, to know when you have been insulted, increase cultural awareness and to sound as authentic as possible when speaking Spanish. The book is definitely beneficial to those who have advanced knowledge of Spanish and a solid command of its grammar, those who have travelled to several Latin American countries and those who have specific queries about an idiom, verbs, "must know" vocabulary and terms. I suggest reading the book thoroughly for understanding of the its objective and then re-reading the book with a focus on your own queries that need clarification. I think the book is great and true to its objective, unfortunately I have yet to use the concepts with my students because of their level but it has been put to good use thus far as I enjoy reading it from time to time because it has such a wealth of information beneficial to all. I strongly recommend this purchase to all students and those who have an interest in Spanish. This was a carefully compiled reference material.
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