I need to brush up on my Spanish.

April 21, 2008 8:07 AM

I need recommendations for the best Spanish review/dictionary.

Hi all. I'm going to be going to Guatemala for five weeks on a service learning program. I will be taking language courses there and I have a really basic knowledge of Spanish at this point. What I am looking for is a good book that includes both a review of grammar and a useful Spanish-English dictionary. I want to be able to review grammar in the weeks before I go, and have a dictionary to carry around with me when I get there. I would prefer this book to be travel-sized (small paperback) so it can fit in my bag, but as comprehensive as a small book can be. I went to the local Barnes and Noble, but the Spanish section was huge and overwhelming. I would like to narrow my search a little- please help!
Thanks-

posted by greta simone to shopping (4 comments total)

I would recommend checking into Vox dictionaries. Their Spanish/English dictionary has some grammar in it, although I don't know just how in-depth you'd like that section to be. I believe it also has a section on things like colloquialisms.
posted by DrGirlfriend at 9:30 AM on April 21, 2008

The Bantam dictionary is pretty comprehensive. I'd recommend it.
posted by JJ86 at 9:40 AM on April 21, 2008

I have a fantastic grammar overview you can borrow. I used it in one of the Spanish classes I taught at UNC. It's about 1-1.5 inches thick, and about 10"X12". Paperback.
posted by Stewriffic at 11:33 AM on April 21, 2008

For grammar, people seem to like Ultimate Spanish Review and Practice. I bought it and I've paged through it, and it seems pretty comprehensive.
posted by zeek321 at 1:37 PM on April 21, 2008