So, what’s the best book for learning Spanish?
It can be pretty hard to sort out. There are thousands of options!
To get the best of the best, we asked 8 travelers and expats to share the books that helped them learn Spanish. Here are their top twelve:
Lets begin!
Submitted by: Chris Hoyt |
Check out Spanish Phrase Books (Lonely Planet) on | |
I organize Spanish immersion trips for a living, so I get asked this question often.
I always say that the best book for learning Spanish, is the *one you’ll actually use.* It needs to be accurate, well organized and accessible.
For this reason, I’ve started recommending the small .
They pack regionally specific vocabulary and relevant phrases into a book small enough that travelers will actually carry it with them, rather than leave it in the hotel room.
They are about the size of a stack of 3×5 notecards, so they are perfect for studying on those long train and bus rides, and small enough to whip out in a communication emergency.
They offer , , and versions.
Submitted by: Greg Archbald | Founder
Check out Practice Makes Perfect Spanish on | |
I was a ‘gringo abroad’ for a time… and now I own a business which keeps me very busy.
Anyways, I saw your request, and couldn’t help but answer…
In my twenties (I’m 32 now), I backpacked and visited every Spanish speaking country in South America.
I’ve also lived in both Colombia and Argentina for a short stints, roomed with a good friend from Mexico City for almost two years, and completed my MBA at ESADE in Barcelona, Spain — ranked by the Financial Times and Business Week as one of the top international business schools in the world…
More than anything, I wanted to learn Spanish.
There are several good sources (Spanish R&B Music being some of the most fun/effective), but as far as books go, bar none: “” and “” is some of the best material I’ve found on the subject…
It seems they’ve updated and expanded on this series since I bought it (the newer, revamped books don’t get as high of marks as the older ones…), so look out!
Why I like it so much is that it’s a book that, most importantly, isn’t overwhelming. Each book is around 100 pages. 100 pages is doable. 100 pages one can accomplish. 100 pages you won’t quit… Do yourself a favor, and buy this series… it’s one decision you’ll never regret
Submitted by: Anne Dirks in |
Check out Spanish English Bilingual Visual Dictionary on | |
My name is Anne and I’m a travel photographer, fluent in Spanish.
I did most of my learning when I was a lot younger, from junior high through college, but I still really find this visual dictionary really useful:
Rather than the typical dictionary, it is organized a lot more like a phrasebook, by topic, but the focus is on building vocabulary.
I’m a visual learner, and the color photographs make the vocabulary a lot more memorable to me, and they resolve ambiguities when I don’t necessarily know the name in English: what’s the name of that little round bread…? This dictionary shows you, through pictures, and gives you the English name too.
The arrangement of words by topic is a lot more practical than the typical dictionary, where you have to know what you’re looking up. You can use this dictionary that way too, but the arrangement is designed for building vocabulary, for example learning the names of colors, animals, or tools.
Submitted by: | Author and photographer of
Check out Breaking Out of Beginner’s Spanish on | |
I lived in Costa Rica for five years while researching my guidebook , and during that time I went from zero Spanish to fluency.
The best Spanish book I read, and which I still refer to, is by Joseph J. Keenan.
It is an absolute classic.
In addition to clearly explaining confusing Spanish concepts like the subjunctive, it’s a fun read with lots of fun insight on Latin culture.
Submitted by: Elizabeth Avery | Founder/CEO
Having spent part of my high school years in Florida and minored in Spanish in college, I have always loved both the spoken Spanish language and literature.
Although I am especially keen on watching Spanish language movies and news on Univision to become more fluent, I can also recommend: “The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Learning Spanish on Your Own”.
Positive points:
Note: The recommended book is no longer in print and has been replaced by these two titles:
Submitted by: Melissa Mesku | |
Check out ¡Exacto! A Practical Guide to Spanish Grammar on | |
For your piece on the best books for learning Spanish, I highly recommend by Ane Ortega, et al.
It’s incredibly straightforward and concise. Each grammar point is reinforced with a variety of explanations and examples so you can be confident you understand.
It was my go-to resource while learning Spanish in Guatemala and Mexico, and my language teachers ended up buying a copy as well.
There are so many grammar books, and grammar can be so dull, but this one keeps it simple without losing depth.
Here’s the book on Amazon:
Submitted by: Judith Meyer | | Twitter
Check out How to Improve Your Foreign Language Immediately on | | I’m a polyglot – I speak more than 8 languages.
The book that helped me the most was “” by Boris Shekhtman.
It has some really unusual tips that helped me improve my fluency a lot.
Most Spanish learners don’t lack vocabulary or grammar, they just lack fluency, and Boris Shekhtman specializes in training people to speak a lot more fluently without having to learn tons of new vocabulary.
As such, the book is not specific to Spanish, but I feel that you can’t leave it out.
Submitted by: Jeremy Levine |
I saw your query seeking the best books for learning Spanish and thought you might be interested in our free iBook written by Spanish teachers of La Escuela Del Sol. If you have an ipad or mac computer, you can download it .
La Escuela Del Sol provides a warm weather travel adventure for active adults who want to learn Spanish, fire dancing, surfing, obtain scuba certification or practice yoga in a tropical paradise. You can take a combination of almost any of our courses from 1 to 12 weeks. We even offer college credit for our Spanish curriculum.
The book is interactive and features audio for pronunciation, video lessons and tons of interactive exercises. Book two should be released before the end of the year as well.
Our Picks: In addition to these handpicked favorites, we used a very different set of tools. Here are the
In addition to the print books (above) we also want share the following Spanish – and general language learning tools.
Submitted by: Eric Gaden |
Books are great, but I like a free app called better.
Submitted by: Dana Greyson |
More word of-mouth as we plan to do our studying once we push off from land in mid-December.
We’ll be using (not a book) on passage &, this is narrow, given our mode of travel (there is a French version as well, which will come in handy in French Polynesia)
Are you concerned that you don’t have that “language gene”? And that you just can’t learn a new language? You need to check out – it is an Irish guy speaking 10 different languages. If you need a little motivation, this is it!
While he does sell a premium course, he has tons of free content and videos. Check out:
See our reader’s choice:
What is your favorite book for learning Spanish? Do you agree with these choices? Do you use a better tool, book or system?
Please share it in the comments below!