Ive been practicing Spanish for several years now. I haven't had a Spanish class in years, but I practice with my Spanish-speaking friends, and with the help of 501 Spanish Verbs. I work at a Community College where I tutor Spanish classes. A few years ago, the students starting bringing this book along with their regular text books, and it is an invaluable resource for learning Spanish. To better assist the students, I decided that I needed my own copy of 501 Spanish Verbs by Christopher Kendris. I found a third edition at a used book store for $5. The book sells for about $14.50 at the local Barnes and Noble.
The Basics
This book contains 501 fully conjugated Spanish verbs. This is more than just sing, sang, sung. I believe the Spanish verb conjugation is the most difficult part of learning the language because the verb changes for each of the pronouns. Spanish has 14 verb conjugations; 7 simple tenses and 7 compound tenses. The book also includes the sample English conjugation as well as a summary and examples of the 14 tenses. There are roughly 40 pages dedicated to the explanation of the tenses and basic information about how to conjugate. The verbs are listed alphabetically. There is one verb per page. The meaning of the verb is given at the top of the page and the tenses are listed in columns. The gerund and past participle are also listed in the upper corner. At the bottom of the page, you'll find words and expressions related to the verb. For example, the word servir means to serve. A related word is servidor, which means servant or waiter.
Other Features
This book has a few other useful features. This is not an English-Spanish dictionary, but it does include an English-Spanish verb index to find the English word since the words are organized in alphabetical order in Spanish only. There is also a list of the most common irregular Spanish verbs, which are listed by their irregular conjugation. There is also a listing of verbs in idiomatic expressions. The verbs dar, estar, ser, and tener are just some of the verbs used here to show the different expressions used in Spanish.
But aren't there more than 501 verbs in Spanish? That was one of the first things I was thinking when I got this book, but I realized that the most common verbs are used to show the different conjugations. As I mentioned before, there is only enough room for 1 verb conjugation per page and this is a fairly thick reference book. There is another listing of over 1000 Spanish verbs with a page number that corresponds to a verb with the same conjugation. The only bad thing about this listing is that it doesn't list the meaning of these extra verbs, so make sure you have a dictionary handy.
3rd Ed.
I wasn't looking for a particular edition when I purchased this book. I just wanted a helpful reference for conjugating verbs. This third edition happens to list extra words, idioms, and expressions for travelers. It has a Spanish alphabet guide with pronunciation examples, and basic statements and questions useful for travelers in different situations from the airport to the pharmacy and the hotel, laundromat, bank, movie theater, and train in between. The statements are listed in English with their Spanish translation and exact pronunciation. Finally, there is a small dictionary of other useful words related to travel.
Overall
This book is a necessity for anyone taking a Spanish class. I never found anything this useful in my textbooks. I've learned more from this one book than from all the textbooks I had in school combined. If I could add one thing, it would probably be some slang words, but then it probably wouldn't be appropriate for students. This book would also make a great guide for someone traveling who doesn't know the language. I got a great deal at $5, but I think the book is worth every bit of $14.50!
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