--- product_id: 1210580 title: "Practice Makes Perfect Basic Spanish" price: "SAR 14" currency: SAR in_stock: false reviews_count: 8 url: https://www.desertcart.com.sa/products/1210580-practice-makes-perfect-basic-spanish store_origin: SA region: Saudi Arabia --- # Practice Makes Perfect Basic Spanish **Price:** SAR 14 **Availability:** ❌ Out of Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** Practice Makes Perfect Basic Spanish - **How much does it cost?** SAR 14 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Currently out of stock - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.com.sa](https://www.desertcart.com.sa/products/1210580-practice-makes-perfect-basic-spanish) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description desertcart.com: Practice Makes Perfect Basic Spanish: 9780071642231: Richmond, Dorothy: Books Review: Perfect for resurrecting half-forgotten high school Spanish - I took five years' worth of high school and college Spanish 20 years ago, but unfortunately I didn't do anything to keep it up in the intervening years. After a couple of great visits to Spain, I wanted to pick the language up again. This book was exactly the right tool to begin the process of doing so. As the author states up front, this wouldn't necessarily be the right choice for a student with no previous exposure to the language who isn't taking a class or using some other grammar resource(s). But since I did remember the general concepts and just needed to refresh the vocabulary and verb endings and so forth, it was perfect for me. It hasn't gotten me all of the way there (not by a long shot, actually--lots more work to do), but it's been an extremely helpful and essential first step. I liked the workbook format--it was very effective at helping me reactivate half-forgotten vocabulary and grammar concepts. And in general, I thought the author did a good job of selecting useful vocabulary items and making the exercise and reading lively enough to hold a person's interest. There are no tricks here: she sets out the key points of the lesson and then drills it home with dozens of translation questions, all with answers available at the back of the book. After working through every page over the course of about two weeks, I feel quite secure in almost all of the points she covered. It is worth mentioning, however, that this particular volume doesn't cover some really important stuff. In particular, it only tackles present tense verbs, so if you're interested in studying past or future tenses or different moods, you'll need additional resources. Also, there is no audio companion to the book, so it doesn't necessarily help with listening comprehension. To my mind, those are completely reasonable compromises to keep the book length manageable and the price low. I would totally recommend this book to anyone trying to learn (or re-learn) Spanish. In fact, based on how well this volume worked for me, I have ordered three other books in this series (Verb Tenses, Vocabulary, and Complete Spanish Grammar), and I'm finding that they build very well on the foundation laid in Basic Spanish. They even repeat much of the same vocabulary, which helps me retain what I've learned. I've used Rosetta Stone and taken classes for Arabic language study, and while the classes are indispensable (and Rosetta Stone is NOT), nothing helps me activate language faster and more fully than the kinds of repetitive, recycled-vocabulary exercises found in Practice Makes Perfect Basic Spanish. It's an excellent resource. Review: Perfect introduction to Spanish - "Basic Spanish" by Dorothy Richmond is the best book available for the beginning Spanish student. The two main goals of the book are to teach vocabulary and grammar. The vocabulary chosen for the book is overall very good. Many verbs are taught, which is different from many other books, which tend to under-emphasize verbs. Irregular verbs and stem changes are reviewed often enough that the learner can memorize when they apply. The book includes the various uses of the prepositions in Spanish and how to know when to use various prepositions, which is especially important since "por" and "para" have such diverse meanings. The grammar in the book is basic and taught thoroughly so that the learner is comfortable with the topics. Verb tenses are the major topic missing; a more advanced book will be needed for learning those. The grammar topics that are taught are constantly reviewed in the chapter reviews and in later exercises. The exercises also have solutions in the back of the book if you need them. Some of the other reviews say that this book is not for an absolute beginner, but I disagree. The only knowledge that is needed coming in is a basic understanding of English grammar. If you don't know what a direct object or the past tense is, then yes, this might not be basic enough, but in general I would recommend this for any learner, from middle school to adult. ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | #636,581 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #159 in Spanish Language Instruction (Books) #1,002 in Vocabulary, Slang & Word Lists (Books) | | Customer Reviews | 4.4 out of 5 stars 280 Reviews | ## Images ![Practice Makes Perfect Basic Spanish - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/81dbBW7H8IL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Perfect for resurrecting half-forgotten high school Spanish *by M***H on June 20, 2012* I took five years' worth of high school and college Spanish 20 years ago, but unfortunately I didn't do anything to keep it up in the intervening years. After a couple of great visits to Spain, I wanted to pick the language up again. This book was exactly the right tool to begin the process of doing so. As the author states up front, this wouldn't necessarily be the right choice for a student with no previous exposure to the language who isn't taking a class or using some other grammar resource(s). But since I did remember the general concepts and just needed to refresh the vocabulary and verb endings and so forth, it was perfect for me. It hasn't gotten me all of the way there (not by a long shot, actually--lots more work to do), but it's been an extremely helpful and essential first step. I liked the workbook format--it was very effective at helping me reactivate half-forgotten vocabulary and grammar concepts. And in general, I thought the author did a good job of selecting useful vocabulary items and making the exercise and reading lively enough to hold a person's interest. There are no tricks here: she sets out the key points of the lesson and then drills it home with dozens of translation questions, all with answers available at the back of the book. After working through every page over the course of about two weeks, I feel quite secure in almost all of the points she covered. It is worth mentioning, however, that this particular volume doesn't cover some really important stuff. In particular, it only tackles present tense verbs, so if you're interested in studying past or future tenses or different moods, you'll need additional resources. Also, there is no audio companion to the book, so it doesn't necessarily help with listening comprehension. To my mind, those are completely reasonable compromises to keep the book length manageable and the price low. I would totally recommend this book to anyone trying to learn (or re-learn) Spanish. In fact, based on how well this volume worked for me, I have ordered three other books in this series (Verb Tenses, Vocabulary, and Complete Spanish Grammar), and I'm finding that they build very well on the foundation laid in Basic Spanish. They even repeat much of the same vocabulary, which helps me retain what I've learned. I've used Rosetta Stone and taken classes for Arabic language study, and while the classes are indispensable (and Rosetta Stone is NOT), nothing helps me activate language faster and more fully than the kinds of repetitive, recycled-vocabulary exercises found in Practice Makes Perfect Basic Spanish. It's an excellent resource. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Perfect introduction to Spanish *by A***A on December 5, 2012* "Basic Spanish" by Dorothy Richmond is the best book available for the beginning Spanish student. The two main goals of the book are to teach vocabulary and grammar. The vocabulary chosen for the book is overall very good. Many verbs are taught, which is different from many other books, which tend to under-emphasize verbs. Irregular verbs and stem changes are reviewed often enough that the learner can memorize when they apply. The book includes the various uses of the prepositions in Spanish and how to know when to use various prepositions, which is especially important since "por" and "para" have such diverse meanings. The grammar in the book is basic and taught thoroughly so that the learner is comfortable with the topics. Verb tenses are the major topic missing; a more advanced book will be needed for learning those. The grammar topics that are taught are constantly reviewed in the chapter reviews and in later exercises. The exercises also have solutions in the back of the book if you need them. Some of the other reviews say that this book is not for an absolute beginner, but I disagree. The only knowledge that is needed coming in is a basic understanding of English grammar. If you don't know what a direct object or the past tense is, then yes, this might not be basic enough, but in general I would recommend this for any learner, from middle school to adult. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Get this, it is quite useful! *by C***. on April 15, 2014* Currently, I utilize Pimsleur, Rosetta Stone, and am working through this text. I am getting ready to move to Mexico (while I continue to work in the Gulf of Mexico, out of Louisiana). My fiancé is Mexican, and speaks very little English. So, I have been studying like crazy, and researching study methods like crazy. It is imperative that I rapidly get a grasp on Spanish. (My brain doesn't cary Google translate). This book has given me much more conversational functionality. The writing assignments have helped me immensely, especially the translation sections. The words and phrases which I have learned through this book thus far have easily integrated into my dialogue. Pimsleur has also been fantastic for this. Rosetta Stone is sorely lacking in aiding my dialogue, but has helped me in my reading comprehension (unless you are a pirate, or have adequate means, I do not recommend RS. IF "argh" is in your vocabulary, or your treasure chest is full, get it. It takes a long while to get past some of the annoying simplicity, and toward the end of level one gets WAY better! They can still make it a bit more challenging, in my opinion, but I digress.). There are some mistakes in the book, such as the over-use of nosotros (being used more than once in a sentence) and some other cosas pequeñas that a native speaker pointed out to me (sorry, but I do not recall them...). That is the only drawback, but is easy to overlook. PMP Basic Spanish is fun and diverse. I find the assignments quite enjoyable and interesting. Many of the Q & A's reference pop culture, both current and past. Often, when I get things wrong it is due to my lack of pop savvy! (I've learned a bit about Harry Potter since I started this book). Over all, I would highly recommend this book as a supplementation to your Spanish learning arsenal. --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.com.sa/products/1210580-practice-makes-perfect-basic-spanish](https://www.desertcart.com.sa/products/1210580-practice-makes-perfect-basic-spanish) --- *Product available on Desertcart Saudi Arabia* *Store origin: SA* *Last updated: 2026-04-27*