Conversational Spanish in 7 Days

I am using this book as part of a 10 week Spanish class. It is a good text as a support for the class.

I actually disagree with the viewpoints of these reviews for a few reasons. First off, this book is rather cheap. It can be bought with or without the CDs (for about $8 less). I recommend the CDs to anyone who doesn't have access to a Spanish speaker. Second, this book is manageable. If you want to become conversational, but aren't sure where to start, this book is a great choice. It is very easy to understand and tackle through--definitely a great introduction rather than a workbook, textbook, or an only-CD-based program. Finally, it is highly travel-oriented. You will learn what to say on trips, which is exactly what this book was written for--buy it a week or so before your trip and if you put in some good effort, you'll be rewarded. To sum up: 1) convenient size, carrier box 2) good amount of information and practice--includes major grammar points that can come in handy, plus little explanations on important details that can make a difference 3) easily manageable; can be completed in a week with 2-3 hours put in every day, or spread out 4) cheap I am a fluent Spanish speaker. I am also a Linguistics major. I used this text to teach a Beginning Conversational Spanish class over the summer that was held every Saturday for 7 sessions. We did one chapter a week, with additional notes and supplements created by myself, and most of the students (adults, some teens) came out with confidence in speaking and a basic foundation. That's what this book is about. A FOUNDATION. Do NOT expect to find a book that will teach you any language in an incredibly short amount of time. If you want to gain a better understanding of all aspects of the language (speaking, listening, conversational, writing, reading), I highly endorse: Ultimate Spanish Beginner-Intermediate (Book) (LL(R) Ultimate Basic-Intermed) (book only), and even more: Ultimate Spanish Beginner-Intermediate (CD/Book) (LL(R) Ultimate Basic-Intermed) (book + CDs). This is WAY more intensive, but also more complete; stick with Conversational Spanish in 7 Days for a good foundation and to just gain enough to communicate, though. I highly recommend this for anyone with that goal in mind.