The Spanish Verb Conjugator:
The Beginner’s Guide to Mastering Spanish Verbs
Jeanne M. Bielejeski (2009) Roche Publishing, Little Falls, Minnesota
7.5 in. X 5 in., 360 pages, Paperback ISBN: 978-0-615-26587-2 $24.95
For Spanish beginners, difficulty
with verb conjugation can often lead to frustration which limits progress and may even lead some students to give up on the language completely. Therefore, any device which helps learners with irregular verb patterns found in frequently used Spanish verbs is to be welcomed.
The Spanish Verb Conjugator: The Beginner’s Guide to Mastering Spanish Verbs is designed specifically for beginners of any type: classroom students, self-study students, professionals serving bilingual populations, and travelers in Latin America. Many verb reference books assume an advanced level of comprehension which can prove intimidating for novice learners.
What I particularly like about the book is that students can focus on the present, preterit, and imperfect tenses of Spanish through the most frequently used irregular verbs. Building skills in these areas provides a solid basis for language development while reinforcing the essential verb modeling that leads to verb fluency. Many Spanish learners find the preterit difficult to comprehend but this book really helps reinforce it.
The Spanish Verb Conjugator will complement any beginning to intermediate Spanish program or class. The clear format of its charts, its bold fonts and its construction of verb family types assist in locating and learning conjugations. The handy size of the book makes it easy to carry with you while practicing Spanish in the real world, away from the classroom or computer, where true second language integration takes place.
With all the advances in language learning, it’s great to find an old-fashioned grammar “primer” which students intuitively know how to use and which soon becomes a trusted friend on their route to Spanish.
Nathalia Madera teaches Spanish in Bristol, United Kingdom.
