750 Spanish Verbs and Their Uses

Rating:
Summary: Verbs in Context
Review: Although this book does contain some conjugation tables, its main purpose is to teach the reader how to use Spanish verbs in actual speaking and writing situations. For each of the 750 verbs covered in the book, the authors provide at least two or three example sentences. (For verbs that can be used in multiple contexts, the authors have provided as many as eight example sentences.)

One useful feature of the book is that it explains which prepositions and auxiliary words should be used with a particular verb. As the authors indicate, the meaning of some verbs can change significantly depending on which auxiliary words are used.

For example, the verb "faltar" has a slightly different meaning depending on whether it is used in the construction "faltar a algo," "faltar en algo," "faltar por," etc. Zamir, Pantigoso, and Estevanovich have neatly explained the meaning of each construction, and then given lots of examples to make sure that we really understand.

This is a good book to buy after you have acquired a basic vocabulary in Spanish and a working knowledge of the grammar. It will help you move beyond simple sentences and into the expression of more complex ideas.

By Edward Trimnell, author of "Why You Need a Foreign Language & How to Learn One," (ISBN:1591133343)

Rating:
Summary: quite useful for practicing your Spanish
Review: I found this wonderful book to be quite useful when I practice Spanish. You can easily use it as a reference to the proper usage of specific verbs since all of the entries are in alphabetical order. There is no guessing on correct usage of verbs because there are several examples of each verb in context, and it also shows you how some of the verbs change meaning in different contexts. The English translation is given in a parallel line just below the examples so you are not racking your brain to figure out some of the more unusual or idiomatic examples.

When I practice Spanish I usually take a small section and read each sentence out loud and slowly, until I can repeat it comfortably, and I do the same with each example. It will benefit you much more if you actually vocalize the examples unless you are planning on never speaking the language. Each time you practice with different sections you are adding to your arsenal of usable phrases. And the more you practice, the more you start to "loosen up" your tongue to be able to produce the sounds involved. Most of the phrases sound a bit formal, but you can be guaranteed that you will be using the verbs correctly and more fluently than before.

Rating:
Summary: Ok...
Review: This book is helpful in that it shows many verbs in context. I didn't find some verbs that I thought should be there and they are a few mistakes but not too bad. It is good for practice.