501 SPANISH VERBS Helps in Strengthening Knowledge of Spanish
Written: Aug 28 '01 (Updated Aug 28 '01)
Product Rating:
Pros: Additional verbs are related to the 501 irregular Spanish verbs; idioms, phrases, words
Cons: Knowledge of Spanish pronunciation and grammar is assumed
The Bottom Line: 501 Spanish Verbs provides at a glance all properties associated with a given verb; if the verb isn't featured then it's similar in form to one of the featured verbs.
neomartin's Full Review: Christopher Kendris - Spanish Verbs
Spanish the the language of most nations in the Western Hemisphere from the Caribbean Sea and Mexico to Chile and Argentina. Spanish is also spoken by numerous people in English-language nations such as Canada and the United States. A number of Spanish-language channels are available as part of basic cable television packages as well as by satellite-derived services. The basics of Spanish can be mastered in a short time, but a greater command of Spanish can be gained by mastering its verbs-- as in French and any other second language.
Spanish vocabulary is easier to master than French vocabulary because in Spanish words are pronounced as they are spelled. Once Spanish phonics is mastered then vocabulary becomes easy to acquire. Like French, though, the hard part of learning Spanish is mastering verbs. English verbs can be confusing for people learning English as a second language with forms of basic verbs "to have" and "to be" (as well as the numerous verbs which have irregularities in one tense or another). People learning second languages in general encounter problems with verbs, and I still have it with Spanish. Like English verbs, Spanish verbs have their own patterns which had to be recognized and applied. My command of Spanish is good enough to help me when I travel to the Caribbean (or when I visit relatives in Queens, NY). 501 Spanish Verbs helps me when I need to use tenses I take for granted in English.
__________________________________________________
Barron's Educational Series, Inc.
113 Crossways Park Drive
Woodbury, NY 11797
ISBN 0-8120-2602-0
__________________________________________________
501 Spanish Verbs contains 18 sections, 9 of which appear before page 1. The first nine sections are spread from page viii through page xli. These Roman numbered pages provide the basics needed to navigate the main sections between page 1 and page 501. The Appendixes from pages 502 through 556 provide supplementary material which makes the patterns from the 501 featured verbs applicable to thousands of Spanish verbs.
Contents • "Abbreviations"
• "Introduction"
• "Formation of the present and past participles in Spanish"
• "Passive and active voices"
• "Principal parts of some important Spanish verbs"
• "Sample English verb conjugation"
• "A summary of meanings and uses of Spanish verb tenses and moods as related to English verb tenses and moods"
• "Subject pronouns"
• "A note about the Spanish alphabet"
"Alphabetical listing of 501 Spanish verbs fully conjugated in all the tenses"
Appendixes • "Index of English-Spanish Verbs"
• "Index of Common Irregular French Verb Forms Identified by Infinitive"
• "Verbs Used in Idiomatic Expressions"
• "Spanish Proverbs Using Verbs"
• "Weather Expressions Using Verbs"
• "Verbs with Prepositions"
• "Over 1000 Spanish Verbs Conjugated Like the Model Verbs among the 501"
__________________________________________________
"Abbreviations"
A list of abbreviations used throughout 501 Spanish Verbs appears on one page. Some abbreviations cover parts of speech, while other abbreviations are found only in 501 Spanish Verbs. These abbreviations are used on most pages of the book.
"Introduction"
According to Christopher Kendris, "This everyday dictionary of 501 commonly used Spanish verbs for students and travelers provides fingertip access to correct verb forms." He also says, "Verb conjugations are usually found scattered in Spanish grammar books and they are difficult to find quickly when needed. Verbs have always been a major problem for students no matter what system or approach the teacher uses. You will master Spanish verb forms if you study this book for a few minutes every day, especially the pages before and after the alphabetical listing of 501 verbs." Christopher Kendris recommends that the reader take a few minutes to go through the book from cover to cover-- including the Roman numbered pages and the appendixes.
My opinion is based on the second edition of this book, and Epinions is featuring the fourth edition of 501 Spanish Verbs. The introduction will explain whatever differences there are between the fourth edition and its predecessors.
"Formation of the present and past participles in Spanish"
Differences in forming present participles (or gerunds) in English (verb forms ending in the suffix "ing") and Spanish are explained. A list of 27 common irregular present participles is provided. This section also offers an explanation for the formation of the Present Progressive in Spanish-- this is done as in English with help from forms of the verb "to be" (estar). 4 uses of the present participle are given.
Formation of the past participle (English verb form ending with the suffix "ed") is explained as well. 24 common irregular past participles are listed. 6 uses of the past participle are given.
"Passive and active voices"
If the subject in a sentence performs the action described by the verb, then active voice is used. In active voice, the subject is clearly indicated since the subject takes action. With passive voice, however, the subject of a sentence receives rather than takes the action. Active and passive voice are used in Spanish as in Engligh. However, Spanish allows an alternate form of the passive voice by its use of the reflexive pronoun se. The book provides this example of passive voice with the reflexive pronoun: "Aquí se habla español." means "Spanish is spoken here." Many Spanish idiomatic expressions take the passive voice courtesy of the reflexive pronoun.
"Principal parts of some important Spanish verbs"
A table of 50 common irregular verbs is listed which provides five properties foe each verb: the infinitive ("to" + verb), the present participle (verb with "ing" suffix), the past participle (verb with "ed" suffix), the Present Indicative (normal present tense), and the Preterit (simple past tense).
"Sample English verb conjugation"
Before going to the 14 tenses of the 501 irregular verbs featured in 501 Spanish Verbs, a breakdown of the 14 tenses for the English verb "to eat" is listed so that the person using this book can see the relationship between English verb usage and Spanish verb usage. Spanish has seven simple tenses (like English) and seven compound tenses (like English), as well as a command or imperative mood. The seven simple tenses are Present Indicative, Imperfect Indicative, Preterit (or Simple Past), Future, Conditional, Present Subjunctive, and Imperfect Subjunctive (or Past Subjunctive). The seven compound tenses are Past Indefinite (or Present Perfect), Pluperfect Indicative (or Past Perfect Indicative), Past Anterior (or Preterit Perfect), Future Perfect (or Future Anterior), Conditional Perfect, Present Perfect Subjunctive (or Past Subjunctive), and the Pluperfect Subjunctive (or Past Perfect Subjunctive).
"A summary of meanings and uses of Spanish verb tenses and moods as related to English verb tenses and moods"
Several pages are dedicated to explaining the fourteen tenses and their imperative forms. Reasons for using these tenses are given for each tense. Several examples of the tense in context are provided for each tense.
"Subject pronouns" • Singular
* yo = "I"
** tú = "you" (informal)
*** Ud. (él, ella) = "(formal 'you'), he (or it), she (or it)"
*** Ud. is short for Usted
• Plural
* nosotros, nosotras = "we" (male gender only or mixed genders); "we" (female gender only)
** vosotros, vosotras = "you" (male gender only or mixed genders); "you" (female gender only)
** Standard Spanish (used in Spain and Argentina) makes use of vosotros, vosotras; many Latin American nations where Spanish is spoken prefer using Uds. instead.
*** Uds. (ellos, ellas) = "(formal 'you' plural), they (male gender only or mixed genders), she (female gender only)"
*** Uds. is short for Ustedes
The subject pronouns are omitted from each page giving the tenses of the 501 Spanish Verbs, and they are optional in speech and writing (unlike French where they are required).
"A note about the Spanish alphabet"
Since the note is short, I will include it here in its entirety
The Spanish alphabet contains the letters ch, ll, ñ, and rr which are considered separately. A Spanish word theat contains ch is alphabetized after the letter c; ll is alphabetized after the letter l; and ñ is alphabetized after the letter n. Therefore, among the 501 Spanish verbs fully conjugated in this book, you will find, for example, charlar listed after cumplir, llamar listed after luchar, and añadir listed after annunciar. This rule also applies to Spanish words alphabetized in the indexes in the back pages of this book.
This rule does not apply to the double consonant rr.
"Alphabetical listing of 501 Spanish verbs fully conjugated in all the tenses"
501 similarly formatted pages form the bulk of 501 Spanish Verbs. Each page contains the following information from top to bottom:
* Infinitive ("to have"; "to be"; "to go"; etc.)
* Present Participle
* Past Participle
* Seven simple tenses
* Seven compound tenses
* Imperative mood of the verb
* Additional material (words, expressions, sentences related to the verb)
"Appendix : Index of English-Spanish Verbs"
This index of verbs is organized by English language verbs with their Spanish equivalents.
"Appendix : Index of Common Irregular Spanish Verb Forms Identified by Infinitive"
This index of verbs is organized by Spanish language verbs forms keyed to their infinitive forms.
"Appendix : Verbs Used in Idiomatic Expressions"
Idiomatic expressions and Spanish figures of speech are classified by their associated infinitive.
"Appendix : Spanish Proverbs Using Verbs"
A number of Spanish proverbs and sayings are provided with their proper translations in 501 Spanish Verbs.
"Appendix : Weather Expressions Using Verbs"
A few verbs are so important in idioms or figures of speech concerning the weather that a separate section is provided for them in 501 Spanish Verbs.
"Appendix : Verbs with Prepositions"
As in English, Spanish verbs take on prepositions to become verbs with different meanings. Some of these verbs with prepositions become reflexive verbs. Other verbs with prepositions become different verbs altogether-- only their appearance remains similar (as in English). These preposition-enhanced verbs are categorized into 12 groups in Spanish.
"Appendix : Over 1000 Spanish Verbs Conjugated Like the Model Verbs among the 501"
This index lists over 1000 Spanish verbs and page numbers of the Spanish verbs on which they are modeled.
__________________________________________________
Like the companion book 501 French Verbs, 501 Spanish Verbs is a very handy cross reference of commonly used irregular verb forms and their conjugation in all tenses and moods. While 501 Spanish Verbs emphasizes verbs, this book also contains a good selection of common words and expressions related to the verbs as well as Spanish idioms and proverbs. Each page shows all patterns associated for a given verb, so it is possible to locate what is needed at a glance. Whatever edition of this book is purchased will be helpful in mastering Spanish.
Epinions.com periodically updates pricing and product information from third-party sources, so some information may be slightly out-of-date. You should confirm all information before relying on it.
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.