101 Spanish Idioms

Rating:
Summary: Idiom power for intermediate students
Review: (By Edward Trimnell, author of "Why You Need a Foreign Language & How to Learn One," ISBN:1591133343)

I was skeptical when I first saw this book; the drawings initially struck me as overly cutesy. However, when I actually read the book I understood why the authors included them.

As it turns out, the pictures are good mnemonic devices rather than mere distractions. For example, the picture of the man sleeping in a henhouse really does help you to remember the idiom "acostarse con las gallinas." There are also pictures of fish wearing costumes, grinning rabbits, and more. I found these illustrations popping into my head after I read the book, along with the idioms they describe. I think that this is the effect which the authors had in mind.

The book also goes farther than most idiom-related books by providing an extensive situational dialogue for each idiom presented. Newcomers to the Spanish language will especially appreciate this feature.

Lastly, this book is limited in scope, and there are better choices out there if you are looking for an idiom dictionary. Nonetheless, this is a good book for you if you are just getting started with idiomatic Spanish.

Rating:
Summary: Limited Number of Idiomatic Expressions for Beginners
Review: I am a limited Spanish speaker who works and lives among Latin American spanish speakers. This book is very basic and some of the expressions are not used often in regular conversation. Because Spanish is an evolving language, it is diffcult to say for whom this book would be useful. You can't just drop an idiomatic expression on a someone with out a thoughtful understanding of the context and situtation one is involved in with the person.The book would have been better organized around large topic areas like : home, resturants, shopping, friends and family, etc. I liked the illustrations and did like that there are translation pages at the end of the book. Good book for beginners and those looking to understand Latin American culture.

Rating:
Summary: Good, but not great.
Review: I guess the best way to learn idiomatic expresssion in Spanish is to watch Spanish television. This is book is good, but it could be better organized and more thorougly researched. However, it's a good start.