Reading a book in spanish

[Angel1968]

Hallo everybody,

I want to read my first book in spanish. Does somebody can give me an advice which book is writen very simple.

Thanks for an answer

Angel;)

[Juanjo]

Hallo everybody,

I want to read my first book in spanish. Does somebody can give me an advice which book is writen very simple.

Thanks for an answer


Angel;)

"Crónica de una muerte anunciada" Gabriel García Márquez.
Don't be tempted to look up every word in a dictionary it is not necessary and spoils the flow of reading. Try as far as possible to understand the general sense of what you are reading from the context. You may not get 100% of what the writer intends but enough to enjoy the story. With practice, you begin to recognise regular sentence structures, uses of words and tenses. You learn more quickly this way (children learn to speak in phrases not word by word.)

Above all- enjoy it!:D

[Beckett]

The García Marquez recommendation by Juanjo is a good one. Another to add to the list, in terms of easy to read, is a book by Luis Sepúlveda: "Historia de una gaviota y del gato que le enseñó a volar"

It might also be more manageable reading short stories. Here's a web site with short stories in Spanish: http://www.ciudadseva.com/

[la vieja de la manga]

A really easy book would be an Agatha Christie mystery, Hercule Poirot for example. It won't tax the brain and you might even enjoy it.:)
Try http://cvc.cervantes.es/aula/lecturas/intermedio/ and http://cvc.cervantes.es/aula/lecturas/inicial/ - these are good reading practice on line but you won't get the complete story. Good luck

[gastephen]

Another suggestion for one that is neither too difficult nor has too many pages: El Alquimista (http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_alquimista_(novela)) by Paulo Coelho.

Juanjo gives good advice regarding not interrupting the flow of reading. I remember hearing a piece of advice a few years ago: that you should take a leap of faith, and not stop reading to look up any words. You might not understand every detail, but if by the end of the book you have at least grasped the gist of the story, then you will have made an achievement. And, according to the theory, the use of various words in context and structures of language will have seeped into your subconscious. Worth giving it a go, at any rate.

[Jasminny]

I don't know if you are a Harry Potter fan, but I have the "Tales of Beedle the Bard" in Spanish and English. I read one in Spanish first and then read the English one to see if I understood the point of the story.

[JWood424]

I think short stories are definitely the way to go. I started trying to read a full novel and found myself bogged down trying to look up every word in my dictionary. Ojos de perro azul by Gabriel Garcia Márquez is fairly straightforward and he is a great author. It's 15 or so short stories and they shouldn't be too difficult to grasp.

[charlie14]

I want to read a Spanish novel too, and think it perhaps a good idea to read one with a story that I know well so that I don´t get confused and give up.

Everyone knows the HP books and there is a fantastic range of them in Spanish on Amazon which I have ordered....anyone else have any suggestions?

adios

[Finster]

I don't know if you are a Harry Potter fan, but I have the "Tales of Beedle the Bard" in Spanish and English. I read one in Spanish first and then read the English one to see if I understood the point of the story.

I've read one Harry Potter in Spanish, and I've started a second. I have found them to be pretty good for a beginner.

[Angel1968]

Hallo everybody,

thank you very much for all the advices. I think I would find now the right book for the first time. And it's right, I don't have to translate every word - it is just important to understand the sense.

I think Harry Potter is a very good idea, because I saw the first episode on tv (but in german). English is foreign languages for me:):):).

Hasta pronto en ese foro

Angel;)

[Acosta]

Another suggestion for one that is neither too difficult nor has too many pages: El Alquimista (http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_alquimista_%28novela%29) by Paulo Coelho.

Juanjo gives good advice regarding not interrupting the flow of reading. I remember hearing a piece of advice a few years ago: that you should take a leap of faith, and not stop reading to look up any words. You might not understand every detail, but if by the end of the book you have at least grasped the gist of the story, then you will have made an achievement. And, according to the theory, the use of various words in context and structures of language will have seeped into your subconscious. Worth giving it a go, at any rate.

Well el alquimista was the first and only book I have read cover to cover in spanish.

[Kralizec]

Juanjo gives good advice regarding not interrupting the flow of reading. I remember hearing a piece of advice a few years ago: that you should take a leap of faith, and not stop reading to look up any words. You might not understand every detail, but if by the end of the book you have at least grasped the gist of the story, then you will have made an achievement. And, according to the theory, the use of various words in context and structures of language will have seeped into your subconscious. Worth giving it a go, at any rate.
You can actually check that theory in English by reading A Clockwork Orange; you'll end up understanding the Nadsat words in the book even if you don't look them up.

[gastephen]

You can actually check that theory in English by reading A Clockwork Orange; you'll end up understanding the Nadsat words in the book even if you don't look them up.

Horrorshow!

[Heather]

Haven't posted for a while so hello again everyone and back to learning Spanish. had to post on this though as i find not looking up the words almost impossible. whilst i get the general gist it really annoys me that i don't understand exactly what is happening and can find i am thinking one thing has happened when in fact something altogether different is going on- very frustrating.

However as so many people say to do this I am going to take that leap of faith and try a little bit harder - thanks for the advice.
Heather

[Culebronchris]

I just borrowed one from the local library called Tinto de Verano by Elvira Lindo.

It's loaded with everyday Spanish but it's got really big print and each chapter is only 3 or 4 pages long (they were originally a daily column in a newspaper.) It's dead easy to read without being simple and it would please Ben in its use of "really useful Spanish."

[Lobo]

Hallo everybody,

I want to read my first book in spanish. Does somebody can give me an advice which book is writen very simple.

Thanks for an answer

Angel;)
You estoy leyendo New Penguin Parallel Text Short Stories in Spanish. Disponible de Amazon.

[Angel1968]

You estoy leyendo New Penguin Parallel Text Short Stories in Spanish. Disponible de Amazon.

Hola Lobo,

he leído unos textos pequeños como cuentos de hadas. Empiezo a leer un libro (Posdata: te amo - P.S. I love you). Pienso que es un contentido más dificil (espero que si - pero solamente he leído dos paginas).

Hasta luego

Angel;)

[katieee]

Um, when I was learning German I found that Harry Potter was a really good first book to read. I knew the plot already and the vocabulary was very simple... not very Spanish though. :/

[Nitram]

Hi Book Lovers,

I picked this novel up in BCN airport, whilst on the way back to London and wanted to have something to keep my Spanish ticking over whilst here for 2 weeks.

I have read the odd book in Spanish and lots of newspaper articles, but this book has gripped me from start to ...so far ...... 2/3 of the way through. It is a laugh out loud tale of a man, whose life seems happy and stable until, he ends up being coaxed into a pyschiatric consultation with his brother-in-law. This begins a chain reaction of events, leading to his life unravelling.

It explores themes of normalcy, the family and human behaviour.

The language is quite advanced, but because just about every page is full of witty humour, it makes you want to keep reading on and on, instead of going to the dictionary to look up the words that you do not understand. Having said this - some words and phrases do sustain my curiosity, so I tend to underline them and look them up in the dictionary later.

Anyway, I hope you like this recommendation and if you do let me know,

John.

[lazarus1907]

The first time I tried to read a book in English, my vocabulary was rather rudimentary, and I chose a normal novel, not one for beginners. I had to look up easily between 5 to 10 words per line, or more (I didn't know words like "so", "since",...), and I wrote them all down as I went along. I didn't really enjoy what I read, and it was hard, but half way through the book I was only checking a few words per page, at worst. After that, I started enjoying the books I read, but I'm sure my method is not the ideal one.

In German I used simplified books for students with the translation on one page, and the key vocabulary at the bottom of the German page. I avoided the translated page most of the time, and I found it quite useful, almost enjoyable (when I realized I could actually understand what I was reading).

[Angel1968]

The first time I tried to read a book in English, my vocabulary was rather rudimentary, and I chose a normal novel, not one for beginners. I had to look up easily between 5 to 10 words per line, or more (I didn't know words like "so", "since",...), and I wrote them all down as I went along. I didn't really enjoy what I read, and it was hard, but half way through the book I was only checking a few words per page, at worst. After that, I started enjoying the books I read, but I'm sure my method is not the ideal one.

In German I used simplified books for students with the translation on one page, and the key vocabulary at the bottom of the German page. I avoided the translated page most of the time, and I found it quite useful, almost enjoyable (when I realized I could actually understand what I was reading).

Hi,

the idea is not the ideal one, that`s right, but I do it so, too. I just read a few pages of my first spanish book. I have a piece of paper next to my book and the dictionary. Every word I don't know, I look at the dictionary and write the spanish and the german word next to each other. If one page is full I take it in the kitchen and while I cook I learn the vocabulary. I hope that the book would became easier same pages later.

Angel;)

[Melocoton]

Here's an idea that might work if, like me, you tend to read favourite books over and over again.

Choose an English book that you really like, you've read at least twice, and would be happy to read again - then get the Spanish translation.

I'm currently reading Donna Tartt's 'The Secret History' in Spanish: 'El Secreto'. In theory, the language in this novel should be way beyond my intermediate level Spanish, but because I am so familiar with the plot, dialogue and descriptions in the English version, words and sentence-constructions that should be too difficult just jump out at me. I also keep the English version at hand if I get stuck, but try to treat this as a last resort.

The disadvantage of this method is that you are reading Spanish translated from English, but unless you are very advanced I don't think this matters too much.

My problem with reading unknown Spanish books is that I find it very difficult and frustrating to 'read for gist' and ignore unknown words, and so far this has been a way round that. But it only works if you enjoy re-reading novels.

[stella]

I agree with Melocoton. The first book I read from cover to cover in Spanish was El incidente curioso del perro a medianoche by Mark Haddon. It was translated from English, which some people would prefer not to read, though. I'd already read the English version a few years before, but even without this, the book is fairly simple due to the protagonist's Ausperger's Syndrome, which means that he doesn't employ idioms and such-like.

I'm now reading Como agua para chocolate by Laura Esquivel, and that's going great too, so I'd recommend that.

[xan]

i find not looking up the words almost impossible. whilst i get the general gist it really annoys me that i don't understand exactly what is happening and can find i am thinking one thing has happened when in fact something altogether different is going on- very frustrating.


I too suffer from this compulsion, but I try to limit myself to say, one lookup every couple of pages. If you´re into the book it gets easier not to stop and look up words.

You can always take such a book along where you have no dictionary or internet connectivity, and preferably few other distractions. Walking trips, for example. A couple of years ago I was in the backcountry of Baja California when I came down with the flu. Nothing to do but doze all day, and read the rather longLa Catedral del Mar, which proved to be a real lifesaver...by the time I was well enough to walk again I had got through the whole thing with some degree of enjoyment, and without reference to a dictionary. I did write down a few words on the book jacket but of course never went back to look them up.

[sampedrena]

I know it's not very "highbrow" but I've read a few Dannielle Steele books translated into Spanish. They're not usually my cup of tea, but are easy reading, with lots of dialogue - which is (for me, anyway) more useful than lots of description. At present, I don't think I could cope too well with something by a Spanish author, as the language is likely to be too difficult - that's why I've gone for translations. I've also read "El nino con las pijamas de rayas" - (another translation) which is written from the point of view of a child, so the vocabulary is quite straightforward.

[gastephen]

I'm now reading Como agua para chocolate by Laura Esquivel, and that's going great too, so I'd recommend that.

I've got a copy of that one in my (big) "to read" pile.

Have you seen the film? I quite enjoyed that.

[stella]

I've got a copy of that one in my (big) "to read" pile.

Have you seen the film? I quite enjoyed that.
I haven't seen the film yet, but I bought it a few weeks ago so maybe it's now time to move it up the pile a bit.

[elinec]

Hallo everybody,

I want to read my first book in spanish. Does somebody can give me an advice which book is writen very simple.

Thanks for an answer

Angel;)
Hi Angel,
my first book was EL NIÑO CON EL PYJAMAS DE RAYAS by John Boyle. I´d recommend it, it's not very long and easy enough to read. Good luck!

[Dany]

Hallo everybody,

I want to read my first book in spanish. Does somebody can give me an advice which book is writen very simple.

Thanks for an answer

Angel;)
Te propongo Pippi Langstrumpf, en espanol Pipi Calzaslargas :D

Me gusta mucho leer este libro en espanol porque no es demasiado dificil comprender el texto.

Saludos, Dany

[delgado]

If you happen to be living in Spain then join the local library (a fairly simple process involving your NIE number and passport)and you will be able to borrow 5 children's books and 5 adult books per time. If you go to the children's section the books are colour coded (much the same as in the UK). Currently I'm reading the yellow ones (12 years +), which are not the most stimulating read but great for learning common vocab and improving your grammar.

Hope this helps!

[shopaholic]

:thumbs-up:Thanks Delgado, after struggling to write this in spanish I realized the post was in english, I suppose it would have been good practice in spanish.
However I have chosen the easy option..

!Well guess where I am going next week!!!!!

In the past I have bought one or two childrens books, but it takes time to choose the right ones This way I can spend as much time as I want in the library,and I expect it is free.
All that is left for me to do is to find one near me.
Thanks again:):)

[ValenciaVal]

Could I make another suggestion for a book which is very simple to read and the story is quite short. It was a book originally written for children so the vocabulary is simple. the book is called "El nino de las pijamas de rayos" by John Boyne.


Hallo everybody,

thank you very much for all the advices. I think I would find now the right book for the first time. And it's right, I don't have to translate every word - it is just important to understand the sense.

I think Harry Potter is a very good idea, because I saw the first episode on tv (but in german). English is foreign languages for me:):):).

Hasta pronto en ese foro

Angel;)

[buteo]

Hi, I'm reading Carlos Ruiz Zafon's 'El Príncipe de la Niebla' which is easy to read and (perhaps more importantly) Spanish, rather than a translation. It is a prizewinning children's story, although I came across it having read 'La Sombra del Viento' first, which is by the same author but for adults (and a much more tricky read).

[Rizzo La Rata]

Hola Angel,

¿hablas aleman? ¿Conoces la editorial "Reclam"? Tienen una colección que se llama "Colleción Roja", "Rote Reihe". Son libros especialmente preparados para alumnos de lenguas, entre otras español. Es el libro original, pero en el fondo de una pagina se traducen la palabras difíciles. Mira en la pagina de web de Reclam! Entre otros ofrecen "Historia de una muerta anunciada".

Hay otro editorial, creo que es "DTV". Ofrecen libros traducidos. Una pagina en el idioma original, la de enfrente en aleman.

Y al fin una enlace:
http://www.spanisch-lehrbuch.de/


Saludos de Bremen
Don André

[gitanarosa]

Welsh is my 1st language and it was really some time before I read much English!! However, I became hooked on Enid Blyton's Famous Five and have a lot to thank her for!! ;)
I am now eagerly reading in SPANISH exactly the same and find that they are just "my level"!! Also reading, by same author, "Torres de Malory" (Mallory Towers) which I never did read when younger.....may be worth a try for some of you? A lot of conversation in them and I find use of the verbs etc helpful rather than descriptions (as someone else mentioned). Ana x

[eldiablito]

I am currently taking a Spanish short stories class. We are reading El cuento hisapnoamericano. It's a collection of cuentos (short stories) from many Latin/South American authors that covers many literary movements from el romanticismo all the way to el neorrealismo. I wouldn't recommend this for beginners, but it's a great way to expand your abilities once you've reached an intermediate level or higher. There is a lot of colloquial language in some of the stories, but not all. Lots of stories for around $10-15. I'll dig up some of the other cuentos and novelas I've read for classes and post them later.

[Hagrid]

There are some good tips about reading Spanish books here! I´ve read quite a few Spanish books although have struggled with some "adult" books. I´ve read "El Principe de la Niebla" y "El Sombra del Viento" de Carlos Ruiz Zafron although I found the latter had a lot of difficult vocab and it was very slow. The books I´ve found the easiest and most enjoyable to read are: Sin Noticias de Gurb"by Eduardo Mendoza and "Como Agua Para el Chocolate" by Laura Esquival.Can anyone reccommend a Spanish book/author that is interesting and isn´t slow? As I have said, I´ve read quite a few books in Spanish although it can be a grind as I find them to be quite slow and very detailed(I like immediate action where you find it hard to put the book down and/or humourous books e.g. Marian Keyes) I prefer not to read translated books as I like to read them in the original version!

[Hagrid]

Have just finished another Spanish book...it only took me an afternoon! It´s called Pedro y el Capitán by Mario Benedetti(although sounds like the author´s Italian!)It´s a play about a political prisoner being tortured by the Captain. The play is not too difficult to read and the best thing is it´s very short so you don´t feel bogged down by reading in Spanish! The actual story is ok...although wouldn´t put it down as one of my favourites.

[gastephen]

Mario Benedetti(although sounds like the author´s Italian!)

Around half the population of Uruguay is of Italian descent.

[eldiablito]

Here are a few easy reads. Most are around 50 pages. I think they are all mystery type stories that are kind of geared towards young adults or teenagers...very fast-paced with a fairly streamlined vocabulary. I read them for a summer class a couple of years ago. The first five are part of a collection titled "Leer en español."

Asesinato en el barrio gótico Óscar Tosal
La chica de los zapatos verdes Jordi Surís Jordá
Carnaval en Canarias Fernando Uría
La Sombra de un fotógrafo Rosana Acquaroni Muñoz
El misterio de la llave *my favorite* Elena Moreno

El desorden de tu nombre by Juan José Millás is another that I read for the same class. It's the same type of read, but is a little over 200 pages.

[Hagrid]

Thanks eldiablito! I´ll have to try some of these books though I don´t know if I´ll be able to find them in the library here!

[eldiablito]

No problem, Hagrid. If you can't find them at the library, you could probably buy them at amazon or somewhere for a couple of dollars each.

[Cristen]

I enjoy reading books by Paulo Coelho in spanish. I do not believe that they are tough reads (and I am beginner to intermediate in spanish), but the stories and plots make you think a lot. I highly recommend them in any language but as this is for spanish... they are wonderful and not too difficult to read in spanish. :blush:

[elsenorbw]

While we're recommending books in Spanish, I'm currently reading 'Guía del autoestopista galactico' by Douglas Adams. I'm only a little way through it so far but it's easy enough to understand since I know the story so well.. the language constructions seem fairly simple, worth a look.

[Hagrid]

Thanks for the suggestions everyone...keep them coming in please!Didn´t really want to buy any books seeing as I´m not working at the mo, eldiablito...but it´s a good idea, thanks! As I enjoyed Como Agua Para Chocolate so much, I´m now reading another book by Laura Esquival, Malinche. I´d recommend it as it´s very interesting and fairly easy to read apart from some of the Mexican/South American vocab! It´s about the Spanish conqueror, Cortés and an Indian, Melinche, and seems a bit like the"Pochahontas" story.

[Maryse]

Hola a todos,
Desde hace un año o dos, leo todas las novelas que leo en español (no leo tanto, pero lo que leo debe de ayudarme). Al contrario de muchas personas aquí, busco cada palabra en el diccionario y lo escribo en un cuaderno. No sé si un día volveré para estudiarlas…
Leí "1984", "Como Agua para chocolate", "Los hombres son de Martes…", "La fortaleza digital (Dan Brown)", "Crepúsculo" y "Nueva luna" (Stephenie Meyer), "La casa de los espíritus" y ahora, estoy leyendo los "HP". El libro más difícil fue "La casa de los espíritus" pero estoy muy contenta de haberlo leído. Y me parece útil buscar todas las palabras porque no siempre significan lo que pienso. Ya intento adivinarlas antes de buscarlas, pero a menudo, me equivoco. O a veces, es un tipo de árbol, por ejemplo. Me gusta aprender que tipo de árbol es realmente.
Si, los niños no buscan las palabras en diccionarios, pero hacen preguntas a los adultos que les pueden enseñar que es que… (para mi, es el diccionario).
Pues, es mi opinión…
Adiós,
Maryse

[Petrichor]

Hola a todos,
Desde hace un año o dos, leo todas las novelas que leo en español (no leo tanto, pero lo que leo debe de ayudarme). Al contrario de muchas personas aquí, busco cada palabra en el diccionario y lo escribo en un cuaderno. No sé si un día volveré para estudiarlas…
Leí "1984", "Como Agua para chocolate", "Los hombres son de Martes…", "La fortaleza digital (Dan Brown)", "Crepúsculo" y "Nueva luna" (Stephenie Meyer), "La casa de los espíritus" y ahora, estoy leyendo los "HP". El libro más difícil fue "La casa de los espíritus" pero estoy muy contenta de haberlo leído. Y me parece útil buscar todas las palabras porque no siempre significan lo que pienso. Ya intento adivinarlas antes de buscarlas, pero a menudo, me equivoco. O a veces, es un tipo de árbol, por ejemplo. Me gusta aprender que tipo de árbol es realmente.
Si, los niños no buscan las palabras en diccionarios, pero hacen preguntas a los adultos que les pueden enseñar que es que… (para mi, es el diccionario).
Pues, es mi opinión…
Adiós,
Maryse

Leo mi primer libro español hoy en día (La Sombra del Viento) y ya que contiene muchísimas palabras que no entiendo consulto el diccionario muchas veces, como tú, y escribo los significados en el mismo libro con lápiz. Es un proceso laborioso pero necesario.

[Maryse]

¡Qué casualidad! "La sombra del viento" es el próximo libro que quiero leer... Parece que la historia es muy buena…

También, me parece que hay muchas palabras que se repiten al largo de un libro y saber su sentido correcto hace que la próxima vez que lo encuentras, hay mucho más suerte que vas a recordarlo...

[Cervecero]

I recommend reading a book that you´ve read in English. I read Ángeles y Demonios en ingles y en español. It was fairly simple en español.

[Purrdey]

Me encanta "Como Agua para chocolate"!

[ArielleRDJ1]

"Crónica de una muerte anunciada" Gabriel García Márquez.
Don't be tempted to look up every word in a dictionary it is not necessary and spoils the flow of reading.

I disagree...I think that looking up difficult words or those that just sound interesting will actually INCREASE your understanding of what you are reading. The "flow" of reading can't occur if you don't understand what you're actually reading. This will take much longer, but ultimately, you'll feel like you at least understood the book, and maybe at least learned a few new words along the way!

[Juanjo]

I disagree...I think that looking up difficult words or those that just sound interesting will actually INCREASE your understanding of what you are reading. The "flow" of reading can't occur if you don't understand what you're actually reading. This will take much longer, but ultimately, you'll feel like you at least understood the book, and maybe at least learned a few new words along the way!


Your choice!:D It is not the way that children learn to speak.

Context generally gives the clue to the nature of an unknown word. Still- whatever turns your page!;)

[Stephen]

I agree with you Juanjo. I get totally fed up looking words up. I'm delighted to have got to the point where it's often fairly slangy words that I don't recognise when I read my books in Spanish - usually thrillers - and I rarely bother to pick up my dictionary which weighs a ton to pick up anyway and is another reason not to be bothered. :)