Side-By-Side Spanish and English Grammar, 3rd Edition

Having learnt French as an adult alongside English-speakers from the US, Canada, UK, S. Africa and Australia, I have seen how difficult Latin languages are for many of them. This is despite the fact that English vocabulary is 40% Latin (via Norman French melding with Middle English into Modern English) and the grammar and syntax of English are much closer to modern Romance languages than to modern Germanic. The essential problem is that many English-speakers, even the University-educated, are not entirely familiar with their own grammar. Too often, when a Spanish teacher informs an English-speaker about adjectives and adverbs, past participle etc., there is profound confusion in the student. This is particularly so in countries such as the U.S. where the spoken language is largely learned non-formally and formal English is not placed on the cultural pedestal as it is in the UK or in France, for example. So the poor English-speaking learner has to relearn or learn the basic concepts of grammar before he can readily digest the Spanish equivalent. It is very telling that even in US newscasts, grammatical and pronunciation errors are repeated over and over and no one points them out; in France, letters would flood in complaining of a newsreader's faux pas. More often than not, one hears the incorrect "different than" when it should be "different TO" or "different FROM". Another common error is confusion in the choice of "between each other" versus "between one another"; "each" refers to an individual and so "each other" refers to two individuals (such as "husband and wife"), whereas "one another" refers to more than two people ("members of Congress"). The equivalent in French would be "l'un et l'autre" versus "les uns et les autres". This book addresses that gap, much like the Fluency video program, by reinforcing our native language's grammar first. Then it is becomes clear that Spanish grammar becomes much more akin to that of English. If you can't tell what's correct in English, how can one comprehend the equivalent in Spanish? As one can see, Spanish (and French and Italian...) grammar is very similar to that of English.

You cannot learn to speak Spanish with this book, but you can use the material to enhance the single most powerful tool you have to learn a new language: translating back and forth with your mother tongue. When the authors call this "side-by-side" they aint kiddn. It 'must have been' (subjunctive tense might be easily redeemed to certitude with a quick telephone interview of said authors) tuf to create such a discliplined structure--left page reveals the grammar of English, the right page the corresponding grammar of Spanish. Thus, there's no shuffling around the book for comparisons; it's, uh, side by side, including a brief history of both languages (which, BTW, doesn't quite do justice to the happenstance confluences that have made English so chokingly bloated with polyglottal effluence.

I have about a dozen Spanish books including courses and grammars at various levels, and several audio type courses, and this is probably the most learning tool/book I have. The book's method of putting the English and Spanish side by side is very helpful, but the best thing is the explanation of all the tenses, which I don't always keep in my head. For example, many people aren't going to remember what the pluperfect past progressive tense is, or the imperfect subjunctive, and so on, and this book was great to remind me about those and what the corresponding Spanish forms are.The book does this for all the different basic parts of speech: verbs, nouns, pronouns, prepositions, interjections, conjunctions, and so on. The tables and sections don't always align exactly on the facing pages, since there aren't always exact correspondences between the two languages, but I didn't mind that too much. For example, although technically English has the subjunctive tense, it's really almost a vestigial construction, but in Spanish there is a complete system of marking the subjunctive which is still very active, and the rules, although fairly consistent, can get pretty detailed. Spanish also has a second preterite tense that English doesn't have, the co-preterite or preterite anterior, as it's called in Spanish, and the two aren't interchangeable, so you need to know how they work and what the differences are.So overall, an excellent book and probably the most helpful Spanish book I have, although it's not intended to be an exhaustive grammar. Some people might find the explanations a little technical, and I note one or two people here commented on that, but again, I didn't mind that too much. This book is a great value considering it really doesn't cost that much. I only have one other book that is similar to this one, which is Spanish Verb Tenses, by Dorothy Devney Richmond. It is only on the verbal system and has less technical descriptions of the verbs than this book, which might be better for some people. The book also has a workbook section with exercises which some people might find helpful. It also includes appendices of verb tables of regular and irregular verbs; the preterite, future, and conditional conjugations; tables for the present and imperfect subjunctive moods; and a separate table for the modal auxiliary haber. Finally, there is a Spanish to English and English to Spanish glossary with definitions of several hundred verbs, and a long list of verbs that take a preposition. This book is also very reasonably priced and I can recommend it too.

i found the book to be helpful for me and my students--many who despite being in the gifted strand, still don't grasp all grammar. for me it reminded me of what i had learned long ago (i am 50) and reinforced the grammar in the wonderful side-by-side way the book is written. great for busy people who need to know a specific concept NOW so they can apply it.

One of the hardest parts to learning a new language is learning the grammar of spoken language. We aquired English, not learned it. We know what makes sense, and what doesn't without fully understanding the rules that govern how we speak. This is why our spoken language makes sense, but we can't always explain why or what about it makes it work. Even well trained writers don't need to fully understand all of the rules of the spoken language. This is what makes this book very helpful - it uses what all native English speakers already know and understand to explain the rules of Spanish. Through English examples, the book clearly demonstrates how Spanish works. Read the book and your Spainish will improve, as well as your English!