Teaching Choral Concepts

Review

Here are more than 400 pages of advanced Spanish-English translation aids--exaclty what a person learning either language needs to communicate with real fluency.

Written by two highly experienced multi-lingual journalists from Mexico, this book provides extremely useful language information not readily available elsewhere. Spanish-speaking people in the United States and world-wide will find it an invaluable tool for developing real proficiency in English. Americans and other English speakers in Spanish-speaking countries will find it equally helpful as they grow in their quest to master Spanish.

Section 1 covers hundreds of unique idiomatic expressions from both languages--such as "to button up," "to give food for thought," "to fight a losing battle," etc.

Section 2 treats slang, including 75 pages of common slang expressions. A unique coding system tells whether the term refers to a person or a thing, or both; whether it should be taken literally or figuratively; whether it is used in written Spanish only; whether it is commonly used by teenagers; and whether it is used in Spanish-speaking countries world-wide, or used mainly in Mexico. It even cautions when a phrase has a vulgar connotation--information that can save one a lot of embarassment!

Section 3 deals with False Cognates--expressions in both languages which, thought they look or sound alike, actually have very different meanings. This "blooper-prevention" section is invaluable!

Section 4 gives very useful grammer hints, pointing out common errors in pronunciation and spelling that people learning Spanish must overcome, and giving more detailed guidance than is found in most textbooks.

Section 5, Living in Mexico, is filled with the "valuable trivia" people really need to know if they are going to spend time abroad: introductions, greetings and other courtesy situations; modes of address; talking on the telephone; talking with one's hands; bargaining; measurements; surnames; driving tips; Christmas customs; the Mexican attitude toward death; Mexican food; and much more.

Truly, this book is a cultural and linguistic gem. No serious student should be without it!

Table of Contents

I. EXPRESSIONS, 1
A. Common Expressions in Spanish, 1
B. Common Expressions in English, 56
C. Proverbs and Sayings, 115

II. SLANG IN MEXICO, 128
A. Common Slang Expressions, 128
B. Not for Polite Society, 199

III. FALSE COGNATES, 206
A. Basic False Cognates, 206
B. More False Cognates, 246
C. Is It or Isn't It?, 256
D. Some Special Cases, 293
E. It's not Always the Same..., 299

IV. GRAMMAR HINTS, 324
A. SER and ESTAR, 324
B. PARA and POR; PERO and SINO, 331
C. Dual Words, 335
D. Some Dubious Accents, 338
E. The Diminutive in Spanish, 339
F. Abbreviations, 341

V. COMMON EXPRESSIONS IN SPANISH, 349
A. Latin Words in Spanish, 349
B. The Use of Prepositions, 352
C. Homophones, 354
D. Pronunciation, 367
E. Spelling, 374
F. The Infamous Subjunctive, 376

VI. LIVING IN MEXICO, 387
A. Polite Phrases, 387
B. Modes of Address, 393
C. On the Telephone, 395
D. Cultural Curiosities, 396
E. Pre-Columbian Words, 409
F. Mexican Food, 417
G. The Mexian Albur, 427
H. Where Are You From?, 430

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