best books to learn spanish

17 Best Books to Learn Spanish in 2024

One of the best resources for learning a language is books.

Old-fashioned, I know, but books are some of the most valuable tools you can use while learning Spanish—they don’t expire, you don’t need a monthly subscription, they’re in-depth and they’ve been trusted for decades.

This post is a compilation of our personal recommendations for the 17 best books to learn Spanish this year.

Keep reading to find out why these books made the cut, considering that we’re avid language learners here at FluentU who have experimented with a myriad of Spanish resources.

Best Books To Learn Spanish in 2024

If you like getting your information from videos, you might want to check out our video round-up of excellent books to learn Spanish.

You’ll find even more resources, allowing you to top off your Spanish textbook library!

"Best For" CategoryBook
Best Overall"Practice Makes Perfect Complete Spanish Grammar"
Best Book for Absolute Beginners"See It and Say It in Spanish"
Best Book for Beginner Conversation"Collins Easy Learning: Spanish Conversation"
Best for Beginner Grammar"Easy Spanish Step-By-Step"
Best Guide on How to Learn Spanish"Spanish Language Learning: The Ultimate Guide"
Best Study Dictionary"Oxford Picture Dictionary English-Spanish"
Best Spanish Stories"Spanish Short Stories for Beginners"
Best Easy Reference Guide"Spanish for Dummies"
Best for Fast Learning"Madrigal’s Magic Key to Spanish"
Best for Learning Verb Conjugation"501 Spanish Verbs"
Best for Learning Spanish Tenses“Practice Makes Perfect” Series
Most Comprehensive Vocabulary Book"2000 Most Common Spanish Words in Context"
Most Complete Textbook Series"Living Language Spanish, Complete Edition"
Best for Self-Studying"Practical Spanish Grammar"
Best Conversational Spanish Book"Practice Makes Perfect: Spanish Conversation"
Best Book for B2-C2"Advanced Spanish Step-by-Step"
Best Book for Advanced Learners"Practice Makes Perfect: Advanced Spanish Grammar"

1. Best Overall: “Practice Makes Perfect Complete Spanish Grammar”Complete Spanish Grammar (Practice Makes Perfect Series)

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This edition of the “Practice Makes Perfect” series is a 350-page workbook covering the most important Spanish grammar rules.

There are clear explanations, many realistic examples and free online audio recordings to practice your listening skills.

The good thing about this book is that it offers various exercises for different learning styles, like multiple-choice questions, fill-in-the-blank games and creative writing exercises.

Plus, the structure is easy to follow.

Highlights:

  • Covers the most essential grammar rules you need to know
  • Offers easy-to-access online audio recordings
  • Wide variety of reinforcement exercises

2. Best Book for Absolute Beginners: “See It and Say It in Spanish”See It and Say It in Spanish: A Beginner's Guide to Learning Spanish the Word-and-Picture Way

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This book teaches level-one Spanish vocabulary through pictures using two specific techniques.

First, it uses the word and picture method. Each new word or sentence is accompanied by a line drawing that instantly explains its meaning.

Second, the ready-made vocabulary presents you with everyday Spanish words and phrases that look and sound like their English equivalents to ease you into conversational Spanish faster.

These two methods pack a powerful punch, and the book gives you the vocabulary to express yourself quickly and meaningfully in Spanish.

Highlights:

  • Focuses on teaching you Spanish naturally, without word-for-word English translations
  • Teaches relevant Spanish words and phrases you can use daily
  • Also includes a traveler’s word list, pronunciation guide and a grammar section

3. Best Book for Beginner Conversation: “Collins Easy Learning: Spanish Conversation”Spanish Conversation (Collins Easy Learning)

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The book consists of 12 units, each focusing on a specific situation (formal or informal).

They include themes such as school, home, social media and business. Each unit’s key phrases are compiled at the end, forming an accessible, quick-access glossary.

Of course, when learning conversation, you’ll need to do more than memorize sentences. The book also provides quick grammar and verb lessons to help you break down the phrases.

Plus, plenty of example sentences are provided to illustrate points.

This book can make a great resource that gets you comfortable with the essentials and expectations of Spanish conversation.

Highlights:

  • Lessons are theme-based with highly relevant vocabulary
  • Includes short grammar lessons
  • Can be used as a stand-alone course

4. Best for Beginner Grammar: “Easy Spanish Step-By-Step” easy spanish step by step book cover

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This book’s main goal is to get you speaking Spanish confidently, without having to translate too much in your head or worry about making mistakes.

It’s grammar-based, so you’re learning the foundations of Spanish structure and verb conjugation from the get-go while also engaging with readings that reinforce what you’ve learned through context.

Plus, the vocabulary and verbs introduced are based on spoken frequency to ensure you start communicating and understanding as soon as possible.

Highlights:

  • Grammar-focused with the goal of increasing speaking confidence
  • Introduces more than 300 frequently used verbs and key terms
  • Includes various exercises to reinforce the material

5. Best Guide on How to Learn Spanish: “Spanish Language Learning: The Ultimate Guide”Spanish Language Learning : The Ultimate Guide to Selecting the Best Spanish Lessons and Spanish English Dictionary as you Start the Path to Learning Spanish ... Verbs, Spanish Grammar, Spanish Vocabulary

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Think of this book as the first guide to pick up before considering other self-study Spanish books.

It lays out the pros and cons of top Spanish learning resources, such as dictionaries and self-study books, to name a few.

It provides a comprehensive collection of thoughtful reviews so you can select the resources that will work best for your needs.

Highlights:

  • Helps you map out the most effective resources for your Spanish study plan
  • Find cost-effective resources for all aspects of learning: vocabulary, grammar, conversation and advanced Spanish
  • Highest ranked books are listed first

6. Best Study Dictionary: “Oxford Picture Dictionary English-Spanish”Oxford Picture Dictionary (Oxford Picture Dictionary 2E)

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This book is a bilingual picture dictionary where every term is illustrated with contextual drawings.

It’s organized into 12 themed units that cover various aspects of life like people, housing, food, recreation and more.

The dictionary features stories, role plays, clear visual descriptions of words and dialogues to help you learn new vocabulary quickly.

It’s not a classic dictionary—you can easily read a page per day and get a lot out of it.

Plus, it’ll take you three to five minutes!

Highlights:

  • Highly organized
  • Teaches you relevant content you’ll use in daily life
  • One page is enough learning material for an entire day’s lesson

7. Best Spanish Stories: “Spanish Short Stories for Beginners”Spanish Short Stories for Beginners: 20 Captivating Short Stories to Learn Spanish & Grow Your Vocabulary the Fun Way! (Easy Spanish Stories) (Volume 1)

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Every short story in this book is formatted to teach you specific Spanish language concepts.

Although the title states that the book is for beginners, it may be more suitable for intermediate learners.

The Spanish used in some stories can be challenging, so the book may not be the best first choice for true novices.

Highlights:

  • Each story is written with beginners in mind and has a specific learning goal
  • Questions at the end of each story help you form sentences and improve your reading comprehension
  • Glossaries and summaries help you pick up on new vocabulary and grammar and ensure you understand

8. Best Easy Reference Guide: “Spanish for Dummies”

Spanish For DummiesCheck availability on Amazon

Whether you want to learn about different varieties of wine and how to identify them, how to operate your new computer software or, in this case, about the Spanish language, the “For Dummies” series is here to help.

These books are ideal to be used as a supplement to the main textbooks you are studying.

The short chapters, helpful tips sections and easy-to-navigate index intermingle to provide a stress-free learning experience.

Highlights:

  • Covers grammar, verb conjugations and pronunciations
  • Includes a mini-dictionary with extra vocabulary and exercises
  • Includes a CD that features real-world Spanish dialogues

9. Best for Fast Learning: “Madrigal’s Magic Key to Spanish”

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Madrigal's Magic Key to Spanish: A Creative and Proven ApproachPeople rave in this book’s review section, stating that its format and presentation are unbeatable and that it helps clarify often-murky Spanish topics and teaches in a fun way.

It highlights how many Spanish words English speakers already know and demonstrates a few rules on how to “Spanishify” them.

As much as this seems like an obscure method, the author provides extensive examples throughout the guide and exercises to practice and master this approach.

Highlights:

  • Promises to help you read, write and speak Spanish in only a few weeks
  • Gives you the knowledge to start forming sentences after just the first lesson
  • The teaching method allows you to learn thousands of Spanish words in a few weeks

10. Best for Learning Verb Conjugation: “501 Spanish Verbs” barron's 501 spanish verbs book cover

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This book is similar to the 2,000 Most Common Spanish Words book in that it teaches you the most frequently used Spanish verbs—501, to be exact.

You’ll also learn how to conjugate them in every tense and mood.

The book includes many bonus features—like the following mentioned in the highlights—and detailed instructions that explain how to use each verb (and the book).

Highlights:

  • The 501 verbs are the most frequently used verbs in Spanish and were professionally curated
  • Each verb also comes with lists of synonyms, antonyms, idioms and example sentences
  • Comes with access to online content like audio programs for pronunciation, listening comprehension and four practice quizzes

11. Best for Learning Spanish Tenses: “Practice Makes Perfect” Series

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Practice Makes Perfect Spanish Verb Tenses, Second Edition (Practice Makes Perfect Series)These workbooks have clear explanations while still including important grammatical details that often get simplified in other resources.

After introducing each topic, there are plenty of practice exercises with solutions in the back.

In the grammar and verb-focused workbooks, the creators did a fantastic job of gradually teaching and integrating vocabulary while focusing on the grammatical topic.

Workbooks available in this series include: Basic Spanish, Spanish Pronouns and Prepositions, Spanish Verb Tenses, Complete Spanish Grammar and Spanish Vocabulary.

Highlights:

  • A glossary and verb tables are included in the back of the grammar workbooks
  • Complete with five Spanish workbooks focused on different skills
  • Includes more than 250 exercises for vocabulary building and material reinforcement

12. Most Comprehensive Vocabulary Book: “2000 Most Common Spanish Words in Context”2000 Most Common Spanish Words in Context: Get Fluent & Increase Your Spanish Vocabulary with 2000 Spanish Phrases (Spanish Language Lessons Mastery) (Volume 1)

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This book teaches you the most frequently-used 2,000 Spanish words, allowing you to quickly understand most words used in everyday conversations.

Every word comes with example sentences showing how to use it in conversation—a feature that will likely be the most useful.

Finally, it’ll set a foundation for your Spanish vocabulary before you move on to more advanced terms and phrases.

Highlights:

  • Learn the most frequently used words to start understanding the majority of conversations fast
  • Teaches each word in context, not in isolation
  • Includes tips and tricks for improving your Spanish learning throughout the book

13. Most Complete Textbook Series: “Living Language Spanish, Complete Edition”Living Language Spanish, Complete Edition

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Living Language is a huge multimedia Spanish program that contains three books (beginner, intermediate and advanced) and nine CDs (three for each level).

It’s well organized with topic-based chapters (instead of lesson-based chapters like in most courses), and the goal is to teach you conversational Spanish more than anything else.

The CDs are high-quality, clear and well-modulated recordings with the speaking rate set at a learner-appropriate speed.

As you progress, you’ll learn new words, sentence structures and conjugations in each chapter.

Highlights:

  • Covers all three levels of Spanish (beginner, intermediate, advanced)
  • Heavy focus on conversational Spanish skills
  • Accompanying CDs let you practice listening comprehension and correct pronunciation

14. Best for Self-Studying: “Practical Spanish Grammar”

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Practical Spanish Grammar: A Self-Teaching Guide, 2nd EditionThis book merges the concept of a traditional phrasebook with grammar, vocabulary lessons and corresponding activities to ensure readers grasp the concepts.

This book has been said to be so comprehensive that it could be the base of a Spanish study program.

Highlights:

  • Uses an interactive format that has been tested and rewritten to help you teach yourself at a pace optimal for progress
  • Teaches over 1,000 of the most common Spanish words
  • Sample dialogues include culture notes

15. Best Conversational Spanish Book: “Practice Makes Perfect: Spanish Conversation”Spanish Conversation (Practice Makes Perfect)

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This book is organized into 12 units that present realistic conversational situations like making introductions, giving opinions, going on a date or telling a story.

Each chapter starts with a dialogue, followed by various exercises to put what you learned into practice.

An English-to-Spanish and Spanish-to-English glossary is also included to help you along.

It’s important to note that this book is intended for intermediate learners.

Highlights:

  • Focuses on realistic conversation topics you’ll use frequently
  • Each chapter contains a dialogue and exercises
  • Clear instructions for correct pronunciation, syntax and word usage

16. Best Book for B2-C2: “Advanced Spanish Step-by-Step”Advanced Spanish Step-by-Step: Master Accelerated Grammar to Take Your Spanish to the Next Level (Easy Step-by-Step Series)

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This book covers intermediate to advanced Spanish grammar in an easy, progressive manner.

Lessons cover important Spanish grammar topics like complex verb tenses, parts of speech, sentence structure and more.

And along the way, you’ll learn plenty of vocabulary you’ll use in real conversation.

Before choosing this book, make sure you’ve reached an intermediate Spanish level. Otherwise, you may get a bit overwhelmed by the content and exercises, as they’re quite detailed and extensive.

Highlights:

  • Perfect for more advanced learners who don’t want to spend time relearning basic grammar concepts
  • Learn new vocabulary on top of grammar
  • The step-by-step approach makes the path from intermediate to advanced more clear and easy to follow

17. Best Book for Advanced Learners: “Practice Makes Perfect: Advanced Spanish Grammar”Practice Makes Perfect: Advanced Spanish Grammar

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This book goes into the intricate details of Spanish and is aimed at intermediate to advanced students.

It features many practical exercises to help you communicate more naturally.

This breaks free from the ready-to-use sentences found in other books and encourages you to create more sophisticated phrases as you go along.

If you already have a good grasp of Spanish and want to go beyond the fundamental principles, this book is a great option!

Highlights:

  • Provides various practice exercises
  • Focuses on natural communication
  • Encourages you to produce the language on your own

More Book Resources for Learning Spanish

If reading is your jam, there are plenty more book resources you can use to enhance your Spanish skills.

Check out these posts to explore more variations of Spanish book genres:

Keep in mind that to ensure your Spanish studies are completely balanced and you become well-rounded in all skills, it’s best to supplement your book studies with more audio or video-based learning, whether it be through Netflix or online immersion programs like FluentU.

FAQs About Books in Spanish

Which books are good to learn Spanish?

The best book to learn Spanish is one that is suitable for your level (or just slightly above) and that teaches you vocabulary and/or grammar relevant to your goals.

If you’d like books to be your primary resource, I suggest starting one of the books we’ve listed in the post.

Can I learn Spanish from a book?

Yes! You can learn vocabulary, grammar, reading skills and in some cases, listening skills if the book comes with an audiobook version, online resources or CDs.

But as I mentioned earlier, be sure to balance your book studies with more authentic Spanish immersion to develop all your language skills.

What is the fastest method to learn Spanish?

Immersion is the fastest way to learn Spanish. Consuming content meant for native speakers but is still appropriate for your level is the best way to achieve immersion from home. This includes reading Spanish books, watching TV shows and movies, listening to music and more.

It’s also great to pair immersion with another resource, such as these textbooks.

How can I learn Spanish quickly by myself?

You can speed up your Spanish learning progress on your own by combining traditional learning (like textbooks and online courses) with at-home immersion methods, like we discussed above.

Try to spend 30 minutes to an hour each day learning Spanish and keep track of your study habits and learning progress to achieve the fastest results.

 

So, there you have them!

Pick some Spanish learning books from our list or find your own picks, and use the advice in this article to get the most out of each title.

Don’t be afraid to branch out and read books written in Spanish that aren’t specifically for learners to broaden your horizons, either.

And One More Thing…

If you've made it this far that means you probably enjoy learning Spanish with engaging material and will then love FluentU.

Other sites use scripted content. FluentU uses a natural approach that helps you ease into the Spanish language and culture over time. You’ll learn Spanish as it’s actually spoken by real people.

FluentU has a wide variety of videos, as you can see here:

learn-spanish-with-videos

FluentU brings native videos within reach with interactive transcripts. You can tap on any word to look it up instantly. Every definition has examples that have been written to help you understand how the word is used. If you see an interesting word you don’t know, you can add it to a vocab list.

learn-spanish-with-interactive-subtitled-videos

Review a complete interactive transcript under the Dialogue tab, and find words and phrases listed under Vocab.

learn-spanish-with-songs

Learn all the vocabulary in any video with FluentU’s robust learning engine. Swipe left or right to see more examples of the word you’re on.

learn-spanish-with-music-videos

The best part is that FluentU keeps track of the vocabulary that you’re learning, and gives you extra practice with difficult words. It'll even remind you when it’s time to review what you’ve learned. Every learner has a truly personalized experience, even if they’re learning with the same video.

Start using the FluentU website on your computer or tablet or, better yet, download the FluentU app from the iTunes or Google Play store. Click here to take advantage of our current sale! (Expires at the end of this month.)

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