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• Spanish For Dummies
• About the Authors
• Authors’ Acknowledgements
• Contents at a Glance
• Table of Contents
• Introduction
• What’s Special about Spanish?
• About This Book
• Why We Wrote This Book
• Conventions Used in This Book
• Foolish Assumptions
• How This Book Is Organised
• Part I: Getting Started
• Part II: Spanish in Action
• Part III: Spanish on the Go
• Part IV: The Part of Tens
• Part V: Appendixes
• Icons Used in This Book
• Where to Go from Here
• Part I Getting Started
• Chapter 1 Realising that You Know a Little Spanish Already
• Recognising the Spanish You Know Already
• Watching out for false friends
• Getting to know some crossover influences
• Reciting Your ABCs
• Checking out consonants
• Finding out about vowels
• Discovering diphthongs
• Looking at Pronunciation and Stress
• Searching for stress, normally
• Spotting accented vowels
• Understanding accents in diphthongs
• ¡Punctuation Plus!
• Some Basic Phrases to Know
• Fun & Games
• Chapter 2 Getting Down to the Nitty-Gritty: Basic Spanish Grammar
• Constructing Simple Sentences
• Forming Questions
• Introducing Regular and Irregular Verbs
• Regular verbs
• Irregular verbs
• Hiding Pronouns: Él or Ella?
• Getting the Hang of that Whole Gender Thing
• Appreciating articles
• Adding adjectives
• Counting Numbers
• Getting to Know You: The Tú/Usted Issue
• Fun & Games
• Part II Spanish in Action
• Chapter 3 ¡Hola! Hello! Greetings and Introductions
• Greeting Formally or Informally
• Using Names and Surnames
• Discovering what’s in a name
• Meeting the verb llamarse
• Getting Introductions Right: Solemn and Social
• Introducing yourself formally
• Presenting yourself informally
• Feeling Free to Be the Way You Are
• Being permanent: ser
• Conjugating ser (to be)
• Saying adios to pronouns
• Knowing a second ‘be’ for your bonnet: Estar
• Speaking about Speaking: Hablar
• Fun & Games
• Chapter 4 Getting to Know You: Making Small Talk
• Using the Key Questions: Six Ws and Two Hs
• Keeping an Eye on the Weather
• Understanding the Verb Entender
• Getting to Know People and Families
• Living with Vivir: The Verb to Live
• Discovering Diminutives
• Fun & Games
• Chapter 5 Dining Out and Going to Market
• ¡Buen Provecho! Enjoy Your Meal!
• Tackling table terms
• Eating and drinking phrases
• Using Three Verbs at the Table
• Taking and drinking: The verb tomar
• Drinking only: The verb beber
• Tucking in: The verb comer
• Eating Out: Trying Spanish Food at the Restaurant
• Getting What You Want: The Verb Querer
• Using the Shopping Verb: Comprar
• Shopping Around: At the Market
• Purchasing fresh fruit
• Buying vegetables
• Shopping for fish
• Knowing the measures: Weight and volume
• Calling into the Supermercado
• Counting Numbers
• Fun & Games
• Chapter 6 Shopping Made Easy
• Hitting the Shops
• Using the Verb Probar (To Try)
• Creating a colourful you
• Shopping for shirts and trousers
• Checking fibres and fabrics
• Wearing and Taking: The Verb Llevar
• Making Comparisons: Good, Better, Best and More
• Exaggerating: When Superlatives Fail
• Shopping for Finer Objects
• Shopping in Open-Air Markets
• Rooting out typical market items: An affordable treasure trove
• Bargaining at the open-air market
• Buying glass, ceramics, silver and wood
• Purchasing unique clothes
• Searching out shoes and bags
• Fun & Games
• Chapter 7 Organising a Night on the Town
• Understanding that Timing Is Everything
• Having a Good Time
• Inviting and Being Invited: Invitar
• Dancing the Night Away: Bailar
• Enjoying Yourself at Shows and Events
• Going to the cinema
• Taking in a show
• Visiting art galleries and museums
• Laughing at a comedy show
• Launching a book
• Singing For Your Supper: Cantar
• Fun & Games
• Chapter 8 Enjoying Yourself: Recreation
• Venturing Outdoors: The Good and the Bad
• Strolling Along: Pasear
• Appreciating Trees and Plants
• Searching Out Animals
• Saying What You Like: Gustar
• Becoming Active with Sport
• Playing with the verb jugar
• Enjoying the ‘beautiful game’: Fútbol
• Zoning in on basketball
• Serving up tennis
• Getting on your bike
• Splashing About: Nadar
• Checking Out Chess
• Booking in Some Reading Time: Leer
• Scribbling Away: Escribir
• Fun & Games
• Chapter 9 Talking on the Telephone
• Starting Out with Your Opening Line
• Dealing with ‘Porridge’ (When You Can’t Make Out the Words)
• Thinking about ‘Spelling Out’
• Calling on the Phone: Llamar
• Spotting Phone-y Verbs: To Call, to Leave, and to Listen and Hear
• You called? The past tense of llamar
• Did you leave a message? The past tense of dejar
• Have you heard? The past tense of escuchar
• Fun & Games
• Chapter 10 Looking Around the Home and Office
• Talking at Work and About Work
• Considering the height of buildings
• Conversing at work
• Discovering Work-related Phrases and Idioms
• Getting down to business with ‘Asunto’
• Employing the hiring verb: Emplear
• Doing and making: Hacer
• Speaking about Houses and Homes
• Gaining rental wisdom
• Renting a home: Alquilar
• Fun & Games
• Part III Spanish on the Go
• Chapter 11 Money, Money, Money
• Cashing In With Some Basic Money Phrases
• Operating Cash Machines
• Wielding Your Credit Card
• Using Traveller’s Cheques in Spain
• Changing and Exchanging: Cambiar
• Exchanging Your Pounds for Euros
• Fun & Games
• Chapter 12 Asking Directions: ¿Dónde Está? (Where Is It?)
• Asking the Question for Going Places: ¿Dónde?
• Working Out Where to Go: ¿Dónde Vamos?
• Orienting the Space Around You
• Understanding Spatial Directions
• Mapping the Place
• Taking You Up: Subir
• Lowering You Down: Bajar
• Heading Here, There and Everywhere
• Counting Ordinal Numbers
• Knowing How Far To Go: Cerca and Lejos
• Fun & Games
• Chapter 13 Checking into a Hotel
• Checking Out the Hotel Before You Check in
• Wondering About the Water
• Sleeping Soundly: Dormir
• Waking Up: Despertar
• Being Possessive
• Possessive adjectives
• Possessive pronouns
• Fun & Games
• Chapter 14 Getting Around: Planes, Trains, Taxis and More
• Arriving in Spain
• Dealing with the customs office
• Registering your camera, computer and other expensive equipment
• Finding a Train Station
• Bringing and Carrying: Traer
• Choosing Taxi or Bus
• Addressing Driving Concerns
• Carrying your driving licence
• Reading road signs
• Renting a Car
• Preparing to drive
• Hitting the road
• Scheduling Issues: Running Late, Early or On Time
• Using the Outgoing Verb: Salir
• Employing the Waiting Verb: Esperar
• Travelling Around in the City
• Fun & Games
• Chapter 15 Planning a Trip
• Making Travel Plans
• Planning for the Weather
• Timing Your Trip: Picking a month
• Mastering Visas and Passports
• Using the Verb to Go: Ir
• Travelling into the simplefuture: Ir a viajar
• Scheduling hours and minutes
• Packing For Your Visit
• Taking Along Your Computer
• Fun & Games
• Chapter 16 Handling Emergencies
• Shouting for Help
• Handling Health Problems
• Helping out: Using ayudar
• Assisting yourself with reflexive pronouns
• Expressing pain when you’re hurt
• Telling where it hurts
• Describing symptoms
• Braving the dentist
• ‘Insuring’ that you get reimbursed
• Getting Help with Legal Problems
• Sticking ’em up
• Reporting to the police
• Using the Searching Verb: Buscar
• Fun & Games
• Part IV The Part of Tens
• Chapter 17 Ten Ways to Speak Spanish Quickly
• Visiting Spain
• Mingling with Local Spanish Speakers
• Listening to Radio, TV and the Internet
• Renting a Film
• Checking Out Your Library
• Reading Lyrics and Liner Notes
• Using Stickers
• Saying It Again, Sam
• Taking a Spanish Class
• Finding Yourself a Tutor
• Chapter 18 Ten (Plus Two) Favourite Spanish Expressions
• ¿Qué tal?
• ¿Cómo estás?
• ¿Qué pasa?
• ¿Cómo van las cosas?
• ¡De primera!
• ¿Cuánto cuesta?
• ¿Cómo dices?
• ¡Un atraco!
• ¡Una ganga!
• ¡Buen provecho!
• ¡Salud!
• ¡Buen viaje!
• Chapter 19 Ten Holidays to Remember
• Año Nuevo
• La Feria de Sevilla
• Las Fallas de Valencia
• Carnaval
• Semana Santa
• Los San Fermines
• Las Costas en Invierno
• Los Paradores de Turismo en España
• Taking a City Break
• Planning Your Own Holiday
• Chapter 20 Ten Phrases That Make You Sound Fluent in Spanish
• ¡Agarrar el toro por los cuernos!
• ¡Esta es la mía!
• ¿Y eso con qué se come?
• Voy a ir de fiesta
• Caer fatal
• Nos divertimos en grande
• Vérselas negras para
• Pasó sin pena ni gloria
• ¡Así a secas!
• ¡La cosa va viento en popa!
• Part V Appendixes
• Appendix A: Mini Dictionary
• Spanish-English Mini-Dictionary
• English-Spanish Mini-Dictionary
• Appendix B: Spanish Verbs
• Conjugating Spanish Verbs
• Figuring Out Irregular Spanish Verbs
• Appendix C: About the CD
• Appendix D: Spanish Facts
• Answer Key to Word Search in Chapter 13
• Answers to the Word Scramble in Chapter 14
• Index
• Notes
• Advert