Whereas many books about learning foreign languages are content to teach vocabulary and a few grammatical tricks to avoid speaking in a broken fashion, this third collaboration between these respected authors provides the reader with a more functional understanding of verbs, adverbs, and prepositions. Containing nearly 500 pages of syntactical information, conjugations, and sample sentences, this dictionary can be a guide to a better understanding of the unique linguistic subtleties that separate Spanish students from native speakers. While some of these concepts may be confusing for those who are not experts in grammar, the first two chapters of the book explain the symbols used and give an understanding of the language and syntactical concepts used throughout the dictionary.

Like any other reference book, this is not meant to be read from cover to cover. However, the authors have used a great deal of grammatical shorthand in the interests of saving space, and so readers will probably be best served by working their way through the introductory chapters to get the most from this book. Many of the words in this dictionary may not be applicable depending on how advanced the reader’s Spanish is, but by including English and Spanish for each of the sample sentences, there is ample opportunity to practice what is learned and pick up new words in the process. Spanish conjugation can be tricky at first, and so a dictionary like this is extremely helpful to work out the details. Though most of the text is taken up by the verbs, the sections on prepositions will give the student an arsenal of correct language to work into their repertoire. This book is a thorough companion piece to textbooks or coursework for students and teachers alike.

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