Langenscheidt Pocket
Phrasebook - Spanish
Langenscheidt Publishers
ISBN: 1-58573-510-8
Reviewed by Jim
Curtiss
To become communicative in a foreign language, there is really no substitute for the motivational and instructional benefits that a classroom setting can bring. That being said, there are many books that can supplement the learning process, and the Langenscheidt Pocket
Phrasebook – Spanish is an exceptional one.
Conventional wisdom says you can’t judge a book by its cover, but in this case I beg to differ. The Langenscheidt Spanish phrasebook is bound with a sturdy plastic cover and both the front and back are covered with extremely useful information. The front cover has all the Spanish numbers, both phonetically and numerically presented, up to the millions. This feature may seem trivial, but think about it: nearly everyone you speak with during your travels will ask for money, and having a quick reference guide will help you mucho during your transactions. Similarly, the back cover contains illustrations of fruits and vegetables, as well as colors and patterns, which will help you through your shopping excursions should you lack the word for a particular item that you desire.Speaking of food, during my first three months of living in Spain, my primary exposure to Spanish was through restaurant menus, and this pocket phrasebook’s 16-page glossary of food translations saved me several times from ordering such delicacies as pig-ear soup and fried anchovies. For this feature alone, the reviewer recommends this book.But there is far more to this phrasebook than only food and numbers; the 18 or so sections contain pretty much any phrase you will ever need for travel, shopping, going to the doctor, or even flirting with someone (although the language in that section is somewhat tame).
The lone drawback of this phrasebook – if you can really call it that – is that it’s not really suitable for beginners because the provided
phrases are not the simplest constructions available. For example, instead of providing a blanket phrase such as “How much are tickets?” (Cuanto cuesta los billetes?) this book presents more specific phrases such as “What’s the admission charge?” (Cuanto cuesta la entrada guiada?). Which is great for someone with previous knowledge of Spanish looking to refresh their memory or elevate their syntax, but beginners may be flummoxed by it.
Buying and reading one phrasebook will never lead to foreign-language fluency. But with its essential words and phrases, alphabetically arranged dictionary, and mini grammar section, Langenscheidt’s Pocket Phrasebook – Spanish will certainly help you get your point across.