501 Spanish Verbs: with CD-ROM (Barron's Foreign Language Guides)

I should also add one thing: This book unfortunately does not distinguish between verbs commonly used in Spain, and other verbs used in Latin America that mean the same thing. An example is abrasar (to burn or light) and abrazar (to hug). I was telling a Colombian security guard that I was lighting fireworks, and he was confused. Turns out I was saying that I was hugging fireworks. Abrasar is only used in Spain. In Latin America the word for lighting or burning something is Encender. I hope this book helps you as much as it did for me.


It is a "must have" for the serious Spanish student!   February 18, 1999
 155 out of 159 found this review helpful

I bought my first copy of this book in 1987 and I wore it out! One could not ask for a more complete and comprehensiver verb reference book. It is put together in an easy to follow, comprehensive manner. It begins with a concise explination of each tense (simple and compound) with examples for each. That alone is reason enough to warrant owning this reference. It then goes on to fully conjugate 501 verbs in each tense, with one verb per page, listed alphabetically. So, for example, if you forget the irregular command for of the verb "dar," no problem, just look it up under "d." And there it is along with the verb's meanings, all its conjugations, and examples of idioms commonly associated with this verb. I studied Spanish for ten years and used it all the time. Now I am a Spanish professor, myself, and I still keep it on top of my reference books and reccommend it to all my students.


Spanish Verb Conjugation Made Easy   December 30, 2000
 46 out of 58 found this review helpful

Whether a student or traveler, "501 Spanish Verbs" will make it easier for you to conjugate the many verbs associated with this Romance language. Just like many Romance languages, there are many tenses to memorize, however with the alphabetical, easy-to-use style author Christopher Kendris has used, conjugating Spanish verbs is as easy as 1-2-3.

Similar to "501 Portuguese Verbs," the book also contains short phrases commonly used in Spanish-speaking countries such as Spain and Mexico. The reader needs to be aware of the differences between Castilian Spanish and Latin American Spanish. Latin American usage eliminates the "vosotros" tense, and dialects among the many Spanish-speaking nations can often have words that mean one thing in one country, and something else in another. Keep an eye out for regional dialects (e.g., Castilian, Mexican, Antillean/Caribbean, Central American, etc..).

Overall, a must have for those wanting to brush up on their language skills. It's a great reference book to have in your collection.


Showing its age...   February 13, 2003
 44 out of 44 found this review helpful

Kudos to 501 for being the bible on Spanish verbs for so long, but it is in dire need of an overhaul. Obviously, what's happened is the publisher feels it can just coast on this books notoriety and rake in the dough. I assume profits are good as the book is rather poorly printed on cheap paper. Imagine a book typed with an old 1940s manual typewriter and you'd be close.

Another weakness is that the book does not have example sentences, so there is no way to see the listed verbs in context. This combines with rather short definitions to cause a problem. An example: I looked up the verb 'colegir' and it says 'to gather.' Every other dictionary I own says that the primary definition is 'to infer.' Worse, the facing page has 'coger' which it says means 'to sieze, grab', etc. No mention that in much of the Spanish speaking world this is actually an extremely vulgar word for 'to fornicate.'

At the end of 501 there are a few verbs listed with idiomatic expressions but it looks like kind of an afterthought, much like the included phrasebook (why would you lug this tome around when you can just buy a pocket-sized phrasebook for a few dollars?)

I would give this book a miss and instead buy The Big Red Book of Spanish Verbs, which is essentially a heavily updated version of 501. It gives numerous sample sentences for each verb, provides you with a full extra page of idioms etc. on the 'top 50' verbs, is a much higher quality printing, includes many more verbs, better explanations and definitions, etc.


A Foreign Language Masterpiece!   December 1, 1999
 26 out of 26 found this review helpful

This book is possibly the most useful Spanish language book that exists. It can help the beginner Spanish student, as well as the most advanced (I'm in AP Spanish and consult this book frequently)! It also has quizzes that can help you out with verbs with tricky conjugations. It also lists verbs that aren't fully conjugated in the text, and tells you what similar verbs are conjugated in this way. One more thing, it has a great list of phrases used in the everyday Spanish-speaking world, as well as a few Spanish proverbs. All in all, I believe that every Spanish student and Spanish-speaker alike should own a copy of this book!