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Summary: What other book ....
Review: ...tells how to hem and haw in a foreign tongue? I am a serious student of Spanish. I own more text books and grammar reviews than any of the professors I know. This book taught me more about *speaking* the language than all the others combined. It is unique and indespensible. I have recommended it and continue to recommend it to anyone I meet who is studying or has studied Spanish. No matter your level of linguistic competency, if you are not a native speaker of Spanish, this book will help you. You simply must have this book.
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Summary: Clears up many areas of ambiguity
Review: This book is excellent. It clairifies areas and word usage that are confusing to non-native speakers. The only thing that was surprisingly NOT discussed was the always daunting difference in usage between the words por and para. I will eagerly await the next publication by this author.
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Summary: Fabulous
Review: I just hope the author will be movtivated by all the positive reviews (well deserved!) to write another!
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Summary: You Cannot Speak Spanish If You Haven't Read This Book
Review: What a find! Unbelievable: somebody who really clues you in to how Spanish is REALLY spoken. Everything from exposing archaic phrases you've been taught as acceptable, to how to say "I like you" en Espanol without giving the, um, wrong idea (you thought it was me gusta Ud., didn't you?) EVERY person planning to use their newly-learned (or even long-known) Spanish ought to be required to read this first. Best part: the author is dead-on hilarious! You'll die when you find out what doing the "shave and a haircut, two bits" knock on somebody's door means in most Latin countries! I give it TEN STARS.
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Summary: This book is deserving of about 10 stars!
Review: As a Spanish major who has also spent several summers in Mexico, I have read pretty much every Spanish text I have come across. In all that reading, I have never found another Spanish book that even comes close to this one (in accuracy, helpfulness, readability, and other key areas). Keenan does an excellent job of picking out the specific Spanish words and phrases that cause English speakers the most problems. I have several friends who are also studying Spanish. It seems like 9 times out of 10 when they ask me a question, it is an issue that was covered in "Breaking out.." This book was written with the reader's attention span in mind. Imagine: a Spanish text that is actually enjoyable to read! I read this book cover-to-cover at least once a year. Every time I glean some new pointer that I can implement in my constant quest to sound like less of a gringa. Sections include a discussion of the subjunctive, a chapter on cursing (!), cultural info, general language learning tips, useful verbs to add to your repertoire, and discussion of the evolution of the Spanish language. To me, the most helpful sections were those dealing with word choice: a couple of chapters that deal with stuff like "what is the difference between regresar, volver, devolver, etc.?" If you have a general grasp of the basics in Spanish but feel like your learning has kind of reached a plateau, this book is an excellent resource for learning how to get your Spanish to the next level. The only negative I can think of is that the book is not indexed. As a result, after reading the book initially, when you find yourself with a question that you know was answered somewhere in the book (a frequent ocurrence), it sometimes takes a moment to flip through the book and find the exact paragraph where he talked about it. If I could only have one Spanish book, it would be this one. I would even choose it over 501 verbs and probably even my dictionary.
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Summary: Educational reading made pleasant and entertaining.
Review: Joseph Keenan has brought a bit of humor in the trudgery of learning the Spanish language. While reading this book I was constantly saying, "Oh, that explains why I get such-and-such response when I say (ask) such-and-such" His candor with common errors and the implications of such errors promoted a forgiving environment to develope the courage needed after realizing what you have been saying really means! In a very friendly manner, Joseph Keenan highlights motivating reasons to learn the finer details of the Spanish language. Additionally, I appreciated his graphic explanations of things that otherwise have been unexplainable by native speakers. He often used the phrase, 'a native speaker will not be able to explain the difference between...but this example will help....' This book, in whole or in part, is beneficial for all levels Spanish language students.
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Summary: Essential for native English speakers
Review: The book is a joy and we recommend it to all of our US and Canadian students. It is for native English speakers wanting to learn to SPEAK the Spanish language. The humor in the delivery comes across clearly. But, it is serious subject matter and Keenan does a remarkable job making it entertaining.
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Summary: Probably the BEST book for learning Spanish ever written
Review: This is the best book I have ever read for learning Spanish. I have almost a whole "libary" full of useless theoretical Spanish books that I bought hoping to increase my skills. This is the first (and really the ONLY) book that I have read that takes a whole new approach to teaching Spanish--a PRACTICAL approach. I have even felt like writing the author to congradulate him on such a well-written book, but I haven't had the time. (How many people feel like writting the author of Spanish books?) If you're Spanish skills are just a bit above beginner, then I recomend this book. This is one of the only books in my whole "collection" that I have read over 5-6 times. I have lived in Mexico for more than 2 years now, and I owe much of my language mastery to this book. 5-Star without a doubt!
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Summary: Great!!!
Review: If you've been studying Spanish courses and feel confident that you could ask where a hotel or restuarant is but do not feel that you could get into a real conversation with a native speaker, this book will help. It gives you a good way of looking at the subjunctive verb that other books would only confuse you with. Lots of everyday ways of saying things where conventional teaching aids give you ridged ways saying the same thing. If you want to sound like you know what you are saying then this book will help. It will help you stop saying "um" & "uh", and show you spanish stuble-words cause let's face we are all going to stammer reaching for the right word so why not sound a little more fluent doing so. The obscenity section is helpful, even if you don't want to curse(I don't) it is good to know if someone says something to you and there are words that are harmless in some Spanish speaking countries that are dangerous in other and you'd be wise to know the difference as to not offend anyone or embarrass yourself.
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Summary: Don't let your friends borrow this book!!!!!
Review: I bought this book while living in a small Mexican town with a high Gringo population. (There's probably not a higher concentration of Spanish courses and dog-eared study guides anywhere on the face of the planet). This book is far superior, in both readability and depth of insight, to anything that I have ever encountered, whether in Mexico or the United States. But heed my warning: If you make the mistake of loaning this book to friends, you'll never get it back!!!!
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