Grammar pages and practice
Nothing beats Bowdoin College's grammar pages, targeted specifically at intermediate and advanced students of Spanish. This site is comprehensive, but it's grammar explanations are concise. Still, if you want to delve deeper or have additional questions, you can click on "See more detailed explanation." Plus, each topic includes practice exercises so you test yourself on how much you've learned. And while the topics are listed in alphabetical order in Spanish, the explanations of the grammar are written in English (with Spanish explanations on the side.) Click here.
Grammar review in spanish by topic
Every grammar topic you need to review or relearn—or learn for the first time—is listed in alphabetical order on Zona ELE. The thing is, it's all in Spanish (so, for example, "presente de subjuntivo" is what you need to click on for the "present subjunctive.") The explanations are also all in Spanish. But the site is targeted at Spanish language learners— "Español como lengua extranjera" (ELE)—not native speakers, so the explanations are clear and concise. The examples included are also excellent. Still, as everything is in Spanish it may be a challenge for some—but well worth checking out! Click here
Grammar practice in Context
Colby College professor Barbara Kuczun Nelson has created "Spanish Language and Culture," an essential site that has some of the best grammar practice I've seen—in-depth and in context. Practice activities on common troublesome grammar are listed in alphabetical order—and if you get an answer wrong, you'll get a brief explanation (in Spanish) of why it's incorrect. Don't miss the preterite vs. imperfect exercises featuring Superman and Goldilocks. Plus, there are first-rate content on culture. So, if you're at the IB level, this site will help you prepare for the assessments, learn about important cultural traditions in the Spanish-speaking world, and increase your vocabulary. Click here.
A+ Dictionary and verb conjugator
VOCABULARY AND GRAMMAR: Wordreference.com is the best online dictionary around—and it's also an app. (Do NOT use Google Translate! Get the Wordreference app for your phone!) Plus, in addition to vocabulary, common expressions, and idioms, Wordreference also has the invaluable "Verb Conjugators" tab where you can look up ALL conjugations of all VERBS! Click here. V
While SpanishDict also has a Spanish-English dictionary (do NOT use it's translator!), this web site has some great topics like "12 Cognates You Wish Were Real," "10 Slang Words You Need to Know," and "10 Spanish Sayings with no English Equivalent" and "Common Mistakes in Spanish" (Click on "Miscellaneous" for these and more.) There's also help with conjugation and topics like "ser vs. estar." Click here.
Tutorials on Grammar topics
Looking for tutorials and a few practice exercises on some grammar topics such as the preterite vs. the imperfect ? Check out this site from Penn State's Center for Learning and Teaching. Topics are listed in alphabetical order. Click here.
Grammar explained by a native speaker
GRAMMAR: Practiquemos (Let's practice) by Catalina Moreno has about 45 videos that will improve your understanding of Spanish grammar and more. Cata (short for Catalina) is a native speaker who speaks slowly and clearly and, in case you miss something, has added subtitles in Spanish to help you. Click here.
Or try the videos on The Spanish Forum, which also features grammar activities and helpful tips: Click here
Or try the videos on The Spanish Forum, which also features grammar activities and helpful tips: Click here
¡Sí, señores! Señor JORDAN makes grammar simple
Señor Jordan is the cool dude in the funny t-shirts whose upbeat and easy-to-understand tutorials on grammar topics are invaluable for learning or bushing up on topics ranging from the preterite to double object pronouns, and "ser" vs. "estar' to "the personal 'a'." Watch his videos and you may not need to come to class! (JK!) Often his videos include practice, so you can judge for yourself how on much you're learning. For a list of his videos, click here. For one of my favorites—learning reflexive pronouns with a song--click here.
Brush up on Verb tenses & essential grammar
When it comes to brushing up on verb tenses and must-know grammar, Purdue University Northwest's "Spanish Verbs and Essential Grammar Review" has you covered.
Be sure to check out this concise "go-to" resource.
For a list of topics, check out the index at left.
Click here.
Be sure to check out this concise "go-to" resource.
For a list of topics, check out the index at left.
Click here.
Super simple
One grammar guide—all in Spanish—claims it can clear up your questions on any grammar topic in a minute. It's called "Gramática (super) fácil de la lengua española. Does it live up to its billing? You be the judge. Click here.
Study Spanish SITE
"Grammar is your friend," says StudySpanish.com. Choose from this site's handy—and comprehensive—list of topics. You'll find easy-to-follow explanations, examples, and practice quizzes so you can test how much you've mastered. This site has all the grammar topics you need, starting with "nouns" and going all the way up through the "imperfect subjunctive." Don't be concerned that some of the activities and resources are for paying members only. You don't need a membership to get what you need from this site. Click here.
Cuaderno de alumno - Gramática
"Modern Spanish Grammar Workbook" by Juan Kattán-Ibarra and Irene Wilkie—uploaded here as a PDF but also available as a print book—is a terrific tool for brushing up on grammar. Choose a topic, complete the exercises—from imperatives to subjunctive in relative clauses—and then check the answer key at the end of the book (no peeking before you're done!). Click here.
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all vhl grammar topics here!
From "Nouns and Articles" through "Summary of the Subjunctive," here you'll find ALL the powerpoint presentations on each and every of VHL's 65 grammar topics. (Can you believe you learned 65 of them in class?!?) Many of the presentations have been significantly enhanced by la profe with youtube links, memes, and much more. (D1=Descubre, D2=Descubre 2, and C=Chapter).
Click here.
Click here.
A frequency dictionary of Spanish
From the first entry—"el, la"—to the 5,000th—"armario," "A Frequency Dictionary of Spanish: Core Vocabulary for Learners" by Mark Davies and Kathy Hayward Davides presents the top 5,000 most frequently used Spanish words. It also has a glossary of these words in alphabetical order. As the cover states, this book is "learner friendly" and "gives you the core vocabulary for Spanish quickly." It also includes 30 thematic boxes that offer the top words for specific topics, from "Sports" to "Subjunctive triggers" and "Adjectives of Emotion" to "Adverbs." The second edition, available at booksellers and online, has been updated and revised to include more than 500 new words). For an older version, click here.
And speaking of dictionaries, if you need to look up a word or want to reference verb conjugation charts, use wordreference.com. And for answers to your questions on, for example, when/how to use the upside down question mark and exclamation point, click here (it's the Diccionario panhispánico de dudas) —and afterward click on the "artículos temáticos" for the answers to just about any question you've ever had about Spanish.
And speaking of dictionaries, if you need to look up a word or want to reference verb conjugation charts, use wordreference.com. And for answers to your questions on, for example, when/how to use the upside down question mark and exclamation point, click here (it's the Diccionario panhispánico de dudas) —and afterward click on the "artículos temáticos" for the answers to just about any question you've ever had about Spanish.
MUST-see MAESTRO KAPLAN
In his You-Tube tutorials, Maestro Kaplan scribbles on an electronic blackboard while explaining a wide range of grammar topics in an upbeat, easy-to-grasp way. You'll feel like there's a teacher or tutor right there teaching a lesson just to you. Stop the video at any time to jot down notes—they're organized and succinct. You'll find topics ranging from from "saber vs. conocer" to "por vs. para." Be sure to scroll down past the "verbos del día" to get to more advanced grammar such as "the subjunctive in adverbial clauses." For a list of his videos, click here
Bueno, buen, Bien—how to choose correctly... & More
"Bueno, Buen, and bien—three words that without a doubt cause a great deal of consternation in the head of every student of the Spanish language," begins a blog post by Gordon and Cynthia of Light Speed Spanish (https://lightspeedspanish.co.uk/). After explaining when to use each, the authors appear in a VideoBlog to further clarify. To the right of this post, find links to other great posts such as ser vs. estar, por vs. para, preterite vs. the imperfect, listening practice and much more. (While some of this site's resources are available only by subscription, many useful ones are not. So be sure to check it out.) Click here.
Muy or Mucho—That is the question
A common error Spanish language learns make is to mix up "muy" and "mucho." ¡Es muy importante saber la diferencia! ¡Y no cuesta mucho trabajo aprender! This short blog is part of the "Spanishland School: Think like a Native" web site that has scores of posts and podcasts on important grammar points that are accessible and free. (There is also a membership available, but currently there's a waiting list to join).
For the lowdown muy vs. mucho—and to explore the site--click here.
For the lowdown muy vs. mucho—and to explore the site--click here.
Learn the most common verbs
GRAMMAR and VOCABULARY: In English you learned verbs like "to speak" and "to eat" before memorizing the meanings of "to discombobulate" or "to skedaddle. Likewise in Spanish start with the top 100 most frequently used verbs. Linguaorb.com has a list (and ads, too--ignore them). Click on any verb for its pronunciation and conjugation; irregulars are in red: Click here. Or view all verbs on one page (and click to conjugate), courtesy of the Spanish Institute of Puebla: click here.
Or try Vocabulix which has a list of the most common verbs in Spanish. Click on a verb and the site conjugates it for you in different tenses. Get these verbs down cold and you'll punch up you communicative power. Click here.
VERY IMPORTANT verbs
Got a few minutes? Use them to brush up on these good-to-know verbs. Click here
IDIOMATIC EXPRESSIONS
Are you a smart cookie? Do you get madder than a wet hen when it rains cats and dogs? Is this web site over the top? If you can answer those questions, you know the meaning of the idiomatic expressions. So, if you really want to speak and write well in Spanish—and be able to read everything from Don Quixote to the latest news on Twitter—you need to learn idiomatic expressions en español. There are thousands. Here's a few to get you started:
click here
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click here
click here
click here
Super simple "study guide" to the subjunctive
Need to quickly review uses of the subjunctive (not the actual verb forms)? Then peruse this 19-page "Super-Simple Spanish Subjunctive Rule Book." While it may not be super simple, this resources does boil the uses of the subjunctive down to the basics. Click here.
NOTE: I edited out one page about verbs that are irregular in the subjunctive because it included links to web pages that no longer exist. However, at left is a screenshot of the irregular verbs—the DISHES!
NOTE: I edited out one page about verbs that are irregular in the subjunctive because it included links to web pages that no longer exist. However, at left is a screenshot of the irregular verbs—the DISHES!
How to memorize vocabulary
For tips and timesavers, click here.
READY, "STUDY" SET, GO!
GRAMMAR and VOCABULARY: Practice with pronouns. Bone up on body parts. Become nimble with numbers. And more! It's easy and free on Quizlet, where teachers have created study sets to view, study, and play. Click here.
DUOLINGO, FluentU and YABLA
VOCABULARY AND GRAMMAR: Duolingo is a free language-learning site/app where you earn points for correct answers, race against the clock, and level up. Create an account and log in. Click here.
FluentU is a language-learning service that uses real-world videos featuring native speakers on a wide range of interesting topics—you have to pay for a subscription—but for free it has great blog posts on topics ranging from "How to Immerse Yourself in Spanish When You Don't Live Abroad" to "15 Common Spanish Idioms to Sound like a Native." For FluentU blog posts, click here.
Yabla is another language learning service that also uses real-world videos on a wide range of interesting topics, but it's also by paid subscription only. Click here.
FluentU is a language-learning service that uses real-world videos featuring native speakers on a wide range of interesting topics—you have to pay for a subscription—but for free it has great blog posts on topics ranging from "How to Immerse Yourself in Spanish When You Don't Live Abroad" to "15 Common Spanish Idioms to Sound like a Native." For FluentU blog posts, click here.
Yabla is another language learning service that also uses real-world videos on a wide range of interesting topics, but it's also by paid subscription only. Click here.
PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT
GRAMMAR: Practice online with Babbel.com (click here), part of the website "123Teachme.com" which has great games including this one on the "preterite vs. imperfect" that'll have you hooked (click here).
SPANISH4STUDENTS
While the site Spanish4teachers.org is ostensibly for teachers—as the name clearly states—there's also lots here for the motivated Spanish student. Find powerpoints to help you with grammar topics you're struggling with—or read texts on cultural themes to help you for the IB test. Click here.
get down to basics
(VOCABULARY AND GRAMMAR: Family, food, and feelings are just a few of the many themes of vocabulary activities you can practice on Conjuguemos.com. The site also offers grammar games and more. If you're in Spanish 1, go to our textbook and for each chapter you'll find printable vocabulary flashcards and practice on each grammar concept. Click here.