Spanish: Short Stories for Beginners

By: Claudia Orea, Daniel Alvares

Narrated by: Lucia Bodas, Abel Franco

Length: 7 hrs and 13 mins

Publisher's summary

Learn Spanish and improve your Spanish reading and listening skills with these short stories. You have at your fingertips the Spanish audio recordings and its accompanying PDF. You can follow along with the written text or have an audible and hands-free learning experience with the English translation for the more difficult words.

• Gain a greater vocabulary that you can use immediately, every day. You will add 1,500+ Spanish words and expressions to your repertoire through the encounter of descriptive sentences and casual conversations woven throughout the stories.
• Sharpen your comprehension of the spoken word by listening to the audio via two native Spanish speakers (male and female voices).
• Learn how to pronounce Spanish words properly by comparing the written word to the audio recording.

Beginners can easily memorize vocabulary words with the audio Spanish flash cards. You receive audio in three formats:

• A slow version of the stories in a male voice which helps beginners improve their pronunciation.
• A normal speed of those stories in a female voice for intermediate and advanced learners. Train your ears to understand what is being said.
• Learn the vocabulary with enough time to repeat the words with their English translation with the audio flashcards!

These stories are perfect for beginners as well as for those who want to brush up on their Spanish language skills.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2017 My Daily Spanish (P)2017 My Daily Spanish

Wonderful Book

This book was amazing.  It was so helpful to be able to listen along while reading to help build my proficiency. The people were very fluent and had wonderful voices to listen to. It was also very helpful since it taught me the proper way to pronounce words.  

Great use of learning what you've learned--

I took Spanish classes throughout high school and college, but none of it really stuck because the classes were essentially rote memorization. Comparatively, this audiobook is designed to teach people the Spanish language through the use of stories.

Initially, you read through the stories on your own. The story does not have a side-by-side English translation, which is good—if you’re like me, you are more likely to defer to the easier read, versus forcing yourself to work through the story in Spanish with the use of the English glossary. The glossary is randomly dispersed throughout the different stories. The nice thing is that the stories are short enough that you actually feel like you accomplished something when you are done with the story and in such a short amount of time. The audio component is there for you after you read through the story on your own so that you can read through it a second time but hear the correct pronunciation. The narrator also speaks slowly enough that you can follow along while reading the story at the same time.

Refreshing!!

Studying Spanish has always been an interest of mine. I've practiced the Spanish language in high school many years ago and remembered a few phrases. This audiobook is great for refreshing your knowledge on using the correct tenses when reading, speaking, and writing. The narrators spoke very clear and slow that you are able to understand and hear each pronunciation of the words. The book came with a PDF attachment and it was only available on my laptop and not my phone. But overall, this audiobook is great for readers that have studied Spanish language before and can use this tool as a refresher.

This is a great book

I got this audiobook before I plan to go to Mexico for a while and wanted to improve my comprehension of spoken Spanish as well as increase my vocabulary. I am definitely happy I got this book. This book is great for improving your listening comprehension in Spanish. The speakers weren’t too fast to understand but also move at a good pace so you can stay entertained and challenged. I enjoyed how they incorporated questions and vocabulary at the end of chapters which helped reinforce some new vocab words.

Great Book for Spanish Learners

This book is very ideal for Spanish learners who want to better familiarize themselves with the language. With the stories narrated slower at the beginning and faster later on, listeners can select the pace they’re comfortable with and will gradually gain the ability to process the language at a faster pace. The native speakers’ pronunciations sound perfectly natural and not monotonous, making the experience immersive-as if the listener is hearing an actual conversation.

Overall, I really liked this audiobook. For someone who has taken Spanish classes, the stories were a relaxing and enjoyable way for me to brush up on my skills. I would recommend this to anyone who is interested in learning Spanish!

I want to prefer that for all

The audible is absolutely helpful to practice pronunciation. I would recommend this for anyone who wants to learn Spanish quickly!

Wonderful way to get a second language

This is a wonderful way to learn a second language, I took Spanish in high school so this was a great review on the Spanish language. I would purchase the second installment of Spanish so I can have a conversation with someone.

Excellent beginner/intermediate resource for kids!

What made the experience of listening to Spanish: Short Stories for Beginners the most enjoyable?

This compilation of short stories is excellent for children, and even as an adult, I enjoyed reading through the little adventures in both Spanish and English. The translations are incredibly accurate, and in all that I read, the meaning and excitement remained despite the inherent differences in the language. This is a great resource for those that have beginning or intermediate Spanish to really see a variety of vocabulary, conjugations, and other grammar techniques in action rather than reading them straight from a textbook. As someone who is a grammar fanatic, I am impressed with how many nuances of the language are incorporated into each story, a detail that really develops the language as a multi-dimensional experience for the reader rather than a simple translation from their native tongue. The childlike sense of wonder within the stories is well reflected in both languages and would help young readers immensely to connect with the material and their second language.

Great for Beginners!

I really enjoyed listening to this audio book! The narrators of the stories were pleasant to listen to and really enunciated each word so that they were easier to understand. I feel like the audio books really help to immerse you into the Spanish language and will be helpful for beginners or even those wanting to brush up on their Spanish.

The Best Way to Learn a Language is to Speak It

What did you like about this audiobook?

Immersing the listener immediately into conversational Spanish leads one to listen with intent, which is often the steepest hurdle in guiding learning. Ramping up the speed of the speech between Abel and Lucia's performances gives the listener an indication of real-world application, and the addition of the vocabulary lessons caps off this brilliant course.

How has the book increased your interest in the subject matter?

Giving several speeds, inflections, and practical usages has increased my awareness of how often I've already heard many of these words but stood oblivious to their meanings. Armed with understanding, I am anxious to learn more so that I may be more involved in the conversations around me.

Does the author present information in a way that is interesting and insightful, and if so, how does he achieve this?

Nestling the lessons within short stories allows the listener to garner immediate practicality. It's not rote repetition with no context; it's a narrative that one wants to follow, and must learn to do so. This clear-cut approach aligns the learner's interests instantly, which is rare and vital in learning a language.

What did you find wrong about the narrator's performance?

Though the stories offered a narrative for the listener to anchor themselves to, and the dialogue within was frequent and practical, they often sat esoteric for one of the chief reasons an individual chooses to learn a language: travel. Yes, I learned important words that relate to a travel experience, but a listener would benefit directly from a tale of, say, a business-man/woman landing at the airport and catching a cab to their hotel.

Do you have any additional comments?

This is a wonderful way to immerse oneself in language and learn from a listener's perspective. I highly recommend it to anyone who is in a Spanish-speaking environment and wants to learn more about this beautiful language.