Learning Spanish II: How to Understand and Speak a New Language follows on The Great Courses’ highly acclaimed first Spanish course, taking you to the next level of mastery of this beautiful and incredibly useful language. This exciting program grounds you in the fundamentals that will help you work toward fluency, enhancing your ability to converse with your Spanish-speaking friends and acquaintances, to speak Spanish more skillfully as a traveler—to enjoy the thrill and pleasure of communication in a language spoken by half a billion people around the world.

As in our precursor course Learning Spanish, these lessons, taught by world-class language instructor Professor Bill Worden of The University of Alabama, present a cutting-edge language-learning system that has worked brilliantly for adult learners for over twenty years.

If you’ve completed our first level of Learning Spanish, or have the equivalent of a first-year Spanish course, these 30 lessons will give you the opportunity to practice what you know while advancing into new territory, which will prepare you for more advanced conversations and enhance your ability to express yourself in Spanish on a wide range of subject matter.

Professor Worden’s system makes learning Spanish both fun and wonderfully accessible, and this course is expertly organized to give you the elements of Spanish most vital to daily communication. Within each lesson, you’ll work with three fundamental learning “modules,” each of which builds facility with listening and speaking in Spanish:

• Grammar: First, you’ll continue to build the core elements of grammar—the “skeleton” of the language—giving you a solid foundation for using Spanish in many contexts. In each lesson, you’ll build facility with verbs, adding important verb tenses for expressing actions in the present, past, future, as well as the vital conditional tense. You’ll also communicate using the imperative and subjunctive moods, which allow you to express commands, desires, feelings, and states of mind. Moreover, you’ll further your work with adjectives, adverbs, nouns, prepositions, pronouns, and their essential usage.
• Vocabulary: An ample vocabulary underlies real fluency, and here Professor Worden teaches you a rich and broad spectrum of words and expressions, reflecting those used most frequently in the Spanish language. Each lesson adds useful new vocabulary to your repertoire, and key lessons delve into specific vocabulary on subjects ranging from health and medicine to money, shopping, cooking, time, family, and more.
• Culture: Each lesson grounds you in a knowledge of the Spanish-speaking world, as it applies to using Spanish—the cultures, customs, and ways of thinking that surround the Spanish language. Here, you’ll learn how Spanish differs from English as a medium of expression, and you’ll delve into subjects such as the evolution of the Spanish language, the geography of the Spanish-speaking world, and iconic works of art and literature.

In addition to the core work of speaking and listening, the course gives you extensive practice in reading and writing through the course workbook, which allows you to interact with new vocabulary and grammar in their written forms. Learning Spanish II is designed as a natural progression that gives you the basis for real facility with the language as you work toward fluency in Spanish, enhanced by a host of onscreen diagrams and visual aids.

Build Solid Skills in Speaking and Listening

Becoming truly fluent in a language means moving beyond memorization. To speak a language well is to have the right words and expressions exactly when you need them—to always have them ready on the tip of your tongue. Learning Spanish II builds the resources you need to achieve this ease, in a way that is highly effective, and at the same time captivating and enjoyable. Professor Worden adds new grammar and vocabulary in digestible units, making each lesson fun and engrossing by changing subjects frequently and by relating the language itself to the cultures of the Spanish-speaking world.

Spanish verb forms can seem intimidating in their difference from the workings of English, but they are surprisingly easy to grasp once you understand how the basic structures of Spanish work. Throughout the course, you’ll work deeply with verbs, both regular and irregular. As a case in point, after the present tense (which you’ll practice extensively), the preterite tense (as in, “I walked” in English) and the imperfect tense (“I was walking” or “I used to walk”), are the most commonly used tenses in the Spanish language. You’ll encounter these tenses all the time, both when speaking and when reading and writing. In these lessons, you’ll work extensively with the preterite and the imperfect, learning how they function in Spanish, and exactly when to use each. Later in the course, you’ll add the present perfect tense (as in, “I have walked”), and the imperfect progressive construction, which describes ongoing past actions—leaving you with a rich range of ways to talk about past and present events, processes, and feelings.

In learning to express actions and thoughts, you’ll add the conditional tense (“I would like to travel”), the future tense (“Tomorrow we will leave”), the imperative mood, which expresses commands, and the present tense of the subjunctive mood, which is used in expressing desire, doubt, and emotion. Professor Worden’s finely honed teaching method makes this process into a fascinating and inspiring learning journey, as you see the structure of Spanish taking shape within your understanding.

Learn Verbal Tools for Everyday Communication

Speaking a language well also means being able to communicate about the practical details of everyday life. In these lessons, in addition to essential vocabulary, you’ll master grammatical resources for speaking about common, daily matters, including:

• Spanish prepositions (such as “underneath” and “behind” in English), and prepositional pronouns (as in “near them” or “next to him”)—vital for speaking about physical location;
• possessive adjectives (“my” or “your”) and possessive pronouns (“ours” or “theirs”) and other words that describe possession and relationship;
• reciprocal verbs (“We see each other every week”), which express actions done by people to each other;
• how to make comparisons between people and between things; and
• direct object pronouns (“I see them”), indirect object pronouns (“They write to her”), and double object pronouns (“He sends them to us”), indispensable for real world conversations.

With these and other grammatical tools, you’ll build the ability to speak not only about action, thought, and feeling, but about the features and details of daily living.

Accelerate and Maximize Your Learning Process

Perhaps equally as important as the material of the course, Professor Worden offers vital pointers—based on his decades of teaching—describing the most effective ways to study and learn a new language, and how to move forward as quickly as possible. Here, you’ll learn about:

• the nature of language acquisition and three fundamental qualities of successful language learners;
• key methods for expanding your vocabulary and a two-step system for making new words an active part of your speaking;
• how to develop the best mental attitude for language learning;
• practical ways to connect with Spanish speakers; and
• how to accelerate your learning by expanding your contact with the language.

Enjoy a New Level of Mastery in Spanish

In its design, Learning Spanish II offers you a wealth of resources for learning and practice. In addition to the 30 lessons themselves, each lesson includes a separate audio glossary, where you’ll hear a native speaker pronounce all of the new Spanish words you’ve learned, as well as review their meanings in English. The course workbook gives you essential practice in reading and writing, using your new grammar and vocabulary. And, the audio speaking activities that accompany each lesson allow you to further hone your listening and speaking skills, using dialogues in Spanish.

As another core aid to learning, Professor Worden gradually increases his use of Spanish in the lessons, eventually teaching the lessons in both Spanish and English. Throughout the course, you’ll work on Spanish pronunciation, highlighting sounds that don’t exist in English, as well as sounds that are analogous between the two languages, yet different. And, as an additional useful tool, you’ll learn a range of effective conversation openers, to engage immediately with the person you’re speaking to.

In exploring the rich cultures of the Spanish-speaking world, you’ll learn about how the language evolved from Latin, and the influences on it by German, Arabic, and Native American languages; and you’ll sample great art and literature, in the lives and works of such beloved figures as the novelists Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra and Gabriel García Márquez, and the great Renaissance painter El Greco.

Learning Spanish II: How to Understand and Speak a New Language takes you across an important and exciting threshold—from the beginning stages of communicating in Spanish to a more advanced level of speaking and understanding the language. Join a master language teacher in one of life’s great experiences—the never-ending adventure and discovery that speaking a new language brings.

About the Author

Dr. Bill Worden is an Associate Professor of Spanish at The University of Alabama. He received his A.B. in Mathematics from Dartmouth College, his M.A. in Spanish from Middlebury College and his Ph.D. in Hispanic Studies from Brown University.

Since 2002, Dr. Worden has taught a wide variety of courses at The University of Alabama, ranging from Introductory Spanish and Advanced Grammar and Composition to undergraduate and graduate courses in 16th- and 17th-century Spanish literature.

Dr. Worden’s main area of research is the work of Miguel de Cervantes, especially his novel Don Quixote. Dr. Worden has published in the fields of early modern Spanish literature, colonial Cuban theater, and 19th-century Spanish literature. He has also published on pedagogical topics, including how to teach Spanish at the middle school and high school levels, and has lectured on approaches for helping beginning language students become comfortable speaking Spanish.

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The go-to sentence-building guide now includes a brand-new, fully comprehensive review chapter!

You’ve learned the fundamentals of Spanish grammar, like spelling, word meanings, and parts of speech. Now it’s time to take the next step and put them all together to communicate complete ideas. Practice Makes Perfect Spanish Sentence Builder, Second Edition guides you through the process of putting the “parts” of Spanish together correctly, from connecting words into clauses to writing original sentences to creating whole paragraphs. You’ll get where you want in no time through Practice Makes Perfect’s systematic, crystal-clear approach to building sentences.

Practice Makes Perfect Spanish Sentence Builder, Second Edition features :

• Clear explanations of how to apply grammar to create well-formed sentences
• Numerous examples of correctly-formed Spanish sentences
• Lesson reinforcement with copious practice exercises, include multiple choice, sentence-correction, and building new sentences from scratch
• Answer key, including suggestions for creative exercises

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Boost your Spanish vocabulary knowledge quickly and easily, using more than 500 beautifully illustrated Flashcards .
Learn Spanish Vocabulary – English/Spanish Flashcards:
Animals
Clothes
101 Household Items
Numbers, Shapes and Colors
With pronunciation aids (that are easy to read) as well as the English alternative for each word, these unique Flashcards are the perfect way for adults and children alike to read, speak and remember over 250 Spanish words.
This edition contains four books from the popular ‘Flashcard Ebooks – Spanish’ series, it is sure to become a treasured companion on your journey to learn and improve your Spanish vocabulary.

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Barron’s Visual Dictionary: Spanish: For Home, Business, and Travel features 15,000 terms and 3,000 images to help you learn French. Small enough to fit into a purse or bag, this compact guide is ideal for travelers and beginner or intermediate speakers.

This portable guide also includes :

• Full-color images to help you visualize and recognize terms
• Bilingual definitions for all terms
• Terms grouped by category for easy reference. Categories include people, food, communication, education, leisure, sports, and more
• Vocabulary boxes throughout the book to provide additional context for abstract terms
• A bilingual index for quick and easy reference

Reviews

All 3 grandchildren are learning Spanish & this was a great asset a visual along with the words in Spanish! Highly recommend this for beginning Spanish learners!

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How do you say hello in Spanish? Explore the pages of this Spanish English picture dictionary to learn new words and phrases. Colorful photographs and simple labels make learning Spanish fun.

A delightful word book to help young children build their vocabulary. Suitable for young language learners, this book includes over a thousand words of basic Spanish vocabulary. Detailed and amusing pictures associated with each word make learning and remembering new German words easy and fun. There is a bilingual word list at the back of the book, and links to hear pronunciation by a native speaker online. Fully revised and updated for 2014 and beyond, with new words added, redundant words removed and pictures updated.

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Build your confidence in your Spanish skills with practice, practice, practice!

From present tense regular verbs to double object pronouns, this comprehensive guide and workbook covers all those aspects of Spanish grammar that you might find a little intimidating or hard to remember. Practice Makes Perfect: Complete Spanish Grammar focuses on the practical aspects of Spanish as it’s really spoken, so you are not bogged down by unnecessary technicalities. Each unit features crystal-clear explanations, numerous realistic examples, and dozens of engaging exercises in a variety of formats–including multiple choice, fill-in sentences and passages, sentence rewrites, and creative writing–perfect for whatever your learning style. Whenever possible, explanations include comparisons you to understand the basic logic behind the rules and to remember correct usage. This new edition includes:

• Time-saving vocabulary panels that eliminate having to look words up
• Advice on how to avoid common mistakes
• A detailed answer key for quick, easy progress checks
• Supporting audio recordings, flashcards, and auto-fill glossary available online and via app

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Learning Spanish with our parallel text is the most rewarding and effective method to learn a language. Existing vocabulary is refreshed, while new vocabulary is instantly put into practice. Recommended for beginners or intermediate level learners of Spanish and as a refreshers course. It is so easy and enjoyable even absolute beginners with no prior knowledge can start learning.

While we feel anyone at any level can work with these stories, a basic understanding of Spanish would be recommended to achieve the maximum learning effect and pleasure. Our entertaining stories contain European culture and characters. We use different voices not only to give you variation, but to help you improve your listening skills. Our books are fun to listen to, so you maintain concentration and learn from motivation.

Reviews

Because each paragraph has an English translation, I can readily understand what I’m reading. This works better for me than having the entire text in Spanish and trying to figure it out as I go. I understand there are two different approaches, but I prefer this.

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The One-Stop Guide to Mastering Spanish Past-Tense Verbs

Learning the past-tense can be one of the most frustrating aspects of Spanish grammar, but it is also one of the most important for being understood and understanding what others say. By adding the Spanish past-tense verbs to your range of language skills, you will open up a whole new world of communication.

Practice Makes Perfect: Spanish Past-Tense Verbs Up Close has established itself as the most effective resource for intermediate and advanced learners. Its clear explanations cut through what is often presented in an over complicated or incorrect way, while its exercises provide numerous opportunities for practice that will help you understand the nuances of this challenging grammar element. Develop your skills and confidence as a Spanish speaker with:

• Easy-to-absorb explanatory materials and example sentences
• Authoritative guidance on how to form the past tenses and when to use them
• Numerous exercises, expanded in this second edition, to practice what you learn
• A comprehensive answer key that not only give you the correct solutions to the exercises but explains the why behind them

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The Rough Guide phrasebook will help you to make friends with the local people, and speaking Spanish as soon as you arrive. This fully-revised third edition includes 16-pages of additional scenario material, from asking for directions and ordering a glass of wine to checking bus times and enquiring about hotel rates. Recorded by native Spanish speakers, the scenarios are available as downloadable audio files either to your computer or iPod – ideal for practicing your pronunciation. With A-Z English to Spanish and A-Z Spanish to English translations, this pocket-sized phrasebook is like taking along your own personal translator!

Reviews

Perfect little book to take with you. It has a dictionary but not just your ordinary dictionary because many of words also have little phrases next to the translation so you will know how to use it properly. Interspersed throughout the book you have inserts/sections of examples of everyday dialogue that you are more than likely going participate in.

Bottom line is you will be very prepared and have a head start should you decide to go more in depth to learn the language.

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Verb! Plural noun! Adjective!
See language in action and never forget a grammar point again!

Through fun illustrations and colorful diagrams, you’ll learn the essential points of grammar. Just Enough Spanish Grammar Illustrated gives you visual cues to the parts of speech and their usage, so next time you are speaking or writing in Spanish, you’ll know how to use them correctly.

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