Madrigal's Magic Key to Spanish: A Creative and Proven Approach

The media could not be loaded. In the preface to this book, the author, Margarita Madrigal, promises that if you complete this book, you will then be able to go to a Spanish speaking country and understand them. I will now go that far and agree with the author because I believe that in order to speak and understand Spanish with confidence, you will need a learning-Spanish audio program to supplement this book. But as the author promises, I honestly believe that this book will help you to do the following:1. Speak Spanish2. Read Spanish3. Write in Spanish4. Think in SpanishThere are so many things that I like about this book. For starters, the author of this book uses a very interesting method to help you quickly learn Spanish. What she does is teach the reader how to add hundreds and hundreds of Spanish words to his or her vocabulary by simply using the English words that you already know. For example, did you already know that the following words are both Spanish and English words:ActorPopularAnimalCapitalhotelRadioConductorProbableCableIdealFlexibleThe only difference is the pronunciation is different in Spanish. But the words are spelled the same way and have the same meaning in both Spanish and English.In addition to showing the reader that he or she already knows many Spanish words because there are so many English words that are spelled the same and that have the same meaning, the author also shows how the reader can take many English words that he or she already knows and convert them into Spanish words just by making small changes in the words. For example, the author shows how we can convert many English words that end in “ist” into Spanish words by adding the letter “a” to them:Pianist – el pianistaViolinist – el violinistaDentist – el dentistaOculist – el oculistaCapital – el capitalistaCommunist – el comunistaNovelist – el novelistaOptimist – el optimistaI also found it beneficial that there is a helpful pronunciation key at the beginning of the book. Another thing that I really like about this book is that after every 9 or 10 lessons, there are a series of tests that help you test your progress and see how far you have come.Near the end of the book, there is also a section called “Common Spanish Expressions” where you’ll find five pages packed with helpful Spanish expressions, such as:Acabar de (plus infinitive) - to have justA pesar de – in spite ofBuena suerte – good luckClaro – of courseDar la mano – to shake handsEchar la culpa – to blameEsta vez – this timeMe alegro de verlo – I am happy to see youNo lo haga – don’t do itNo es justo – it isn’t fairOtra vez – againPoco a poco – little by littleYa lo creo – now I believe itAt the very end of this book, there is a handy 35-page “Vocabulary” section that is organized like a dictionary. You will find Spanish words from “a” (to, at) all the way to “zoologia” (zoology).Out of the 45 chapters covered in this book, my favorites were Chapter 41 and Chapter 42. In chapter 41, the author teaches The Present Subjunctive and breaks down how to express hope, fear, doubt and desire in Spanish. In chapter 42, the author teaches The Past Subjunctive and breaks down how to express past hopes, fears, doubts and desires in Spanish. She even explains how to use the conditional and past subjunctive together. In other words, you will learn how to express the following in Spanish:I would write a letter if I had the time.She would buy an airplane if it were possible.They would watch the movie if were interesting.In chapter 42, Madrigal also covers the Past Perfect Subjunctive which enable you to express the following in Spanish:I would have known the lesson if I had studied.We would have spoken Spanish if we had studied.If they had had time, they would have traveled to Spain.The reason why Chapters 41 and 42 are my favorite chapters is because these are the chapters that teach the Spanish subjunctive. I, like many native English speakers, find that the Spanish subjunctive is one of the most difficult areas of Spanish. In Chapters 41 and 42, Madrigal does a fantastic job breaking-down the complex topic of the Spanish subjunctive.The only thing that I did not like about this book is that the vocabulary does not cover modern technology. The first edition of this book was written in 1951. This book seriously needs to be updated. You will learn how to say the Spanish words for telephone, newspaper and telegram. But don’t expect to learn how to say cellphone, website or email in Spanish.Although this book does not teach you any Spanish words related to modern technology, I still recommend that buy this book because it will allow you to quickly learn hundreds of Spanish words quite easily – just by using the English words that you already know. By the way, this same author, Margarita Madrigal, has another helpful book that you will find available here at Amazon:In closing, I’ll leave you with a list of my current favorite learning-Spanish resources. (My list of favorites changes from time to time so you may want to check my list periodically. Updated 07-13-2023):1. 501 Spanish Verbs If you think you can accomplish fluency in Spanish as an adult without mastering conjugating Spanish verbs, you are only fooling yourself. This book is an absolute essential resource for learning how to conjugate Spanish verbs. It will show you how to conjugate every Spanish verb tense imaginable. This is my NUMERO UNO resource for learning Spanish.2. How To Speak Spanish Like a MF This is Patrick Jackson's newest learning-Spanish program. Despite the unusual name of this audiobook, it's the best program I have found for learning how to do both, speak and comprehend Spanish just like a native. From my experience, it's much better than any free or paid mobile app for learning Spanish. You will not hear any of that old, obsolete Spanish that sounds like something from 19th Century Spain. Instead, you'll learn to not only understand but actually partake in Spanish conversations discussing technology, veganism, ride-sharing apps, life as a digital nomad, using social media apps, etc. There are also two bonus lessons covering what many would consider "woke" Spanish – which involve a woman and two gay content creators who work on an adults-only online platform. Another plus about this program is that all the voice actors are native Spanish speakers to make sure you develop a true Latin American Spanish accent and proper pronunciation. Make sure you download the free Audible mobile app to get the most out of this audio program.3. Practice Makes Perfect: Spanish Verb Tenses This is another resource that you truly need if you are serious about mastering conjugating Spanish verbs. Conjugating Spanish verbs is by far the most challenging area of learning-Spanish for native English speakers. After studying with "Practice Makes Perfect: Spanish Verb Tenses" you will find that you can confidently conjugate Spanish verbs in any verb tense, from easier tenses such as the present tense ("I run") and the preterit ("I ran) all the way to the most challenging Spanish tenses, such as the pluperfect subjunctive - which is known in Spanish as "pluscuamperfecto de subjuntivo" (I would have run).4. Learning Spanish Like Crazy Level 1 - NEW & Improved Version or Learning Spanish Like Crazy Level 1 - ORIGINAL Version At one time, these two were my favorite learning-Spanish audio programs. There's a "NEW & Improved Version" and an "Original Version". Although I found the "NEW" version a bit more interactive and engaging, I have a slight preference for the "Original" version because the narrator's voice was more interesting and entertaining. Both the narrators are native Spanish speakers as well as the voice actors - which really helped me to develop an authentic Latin American accent. But what appeals to me most is that there is a major emphasis on everyday, conversational Spanish unlike the Spanish taught in most audio programs which teach more academic or formal Spanish. Besides the two beginner programs (NEW & Improved Version vs. Original Version), there is also an Intermediate version and an Advanced version available. Regardless of which program you invest in, you’ll need to download the free Audible mobile app to get the most out of it.5. Practice Makes Perfect: Spanish Pronouns and Prepositions This little-known book is the go-to guide for mastering Spanish Pronouns and Prepositions. Most Spanish-language learners have no idea that mastery of Spanish pronouns and prepositions is an area of Spanish grammar that is essential for effective communication with Spanish-speakers. Another major advantage of this book is that it is accompanied by flashcards and audio recordings (available online and via app) which will further help master the Spanish language.

I like this book and am currently on page 120. It’s a solid read and very affordable as well. Unlike many other learning materials and apps, it doesn’t overwhelm or frustrate me, making it ideal for my needs.I often reach for it when I wake up in the middle of the night—it helps me burn off some mental energy before I try to go back to sleep (it doesn’t actually put me to sleep, but it’s a productive activity that helps me relax). It’s user-friendly and makes a great learning supplement. I keep it on my dining room table with my notepad, ensuring it’s always within reach.

Of all the Spanish learning books I've tried to learn from, this one made learning the language make more sense / easier to learn

Okay, I will jump into this right away and say that she takes an unorthodox approach from the vast majority of Spanish learning texts (and she states this early on), but I use her book much more than the other 5-6 books I have on learning Spanish. I am somewhat of an old fart and do not believe that everyone can learn in the same way (and certainly not like we did as a child). Madrigal takes a different approach and to me it make sense when you consider what made me at least (and perhaps a lot of Spanish learners stumble so much when first trying to converse with others. I will state what her approach was and why I think she did so.1. First she starts out with 2-3 chapters illustrating how familiar we are with hundreds (if not thousands) of Spanish words and how they can be constructed following a few simple techniques. This builds one's confidence that they literally already know or can easily guess at hundreds of words in Spanish.2. Then she goes into the simple past tense first, a quite different approach from almost all other teaching guides who first jump into the present tense in chapter one. Why does she do this?? I think for several good reasons. First, we generally converse with others using two tenses, the past and the future. Secondly, the present tense conjugations are where the vast majority of conjugation irregularities occur with Spanish. I think students often get overwhelmed with these irregular conjugations in the present tense. Thirdly, at least in my case, it was the change in accents that caused me to stumble the most when trying to converse with others. One can concentrate on learning the verb infinitives and they are always accented on the final syllable. Our ear and mind get used to this pattern with all the verbs. But when we conjugate the verb in the present tense, the penultimate syllable gets the accent...and often the verb will sound different to our ears So in a sense, you have to train your tongue to say each verb in two different ways or patterns. The simple past tense, for the most part, uses the same accent patterns as the present tense and of course there are far far fewer conjugation irregularities in the past tenses, so the student can rely more on the verb infinitive to know how to say conjugate the verbs. The untrained tongue stumbles less.To me, this gives the average student of the Spanish language a boost in confidence and shortens the learning curve. Obviously, sooner or later, one will have to tackle the present tense with all its learning problems, but at least it is not so immediately overwhelming to the beginner.Finally, Madrigal is one of the few authors who explains why some irregular endings are the way they are, which was helpful for me in learning patterns of irregular verbs, etc. Also, it was important for me to see how she used many exercises to form many sentences using 3 groups of words. The Spanish Learning Institute first course software also uses this approach for forming sentences from groups of words and it worked for me in the same way.My only complaint about the book is that it is/was a little hard to figure out where it goes from topic to topic (chapter to chapter)...but I felt it was more akin to a teacher standing in front of a class and often going into a new topic or maybe just reviewing a topic from a couple of days ago. All in all, I would highly recommend this book.

The best time to buy this book is before you start learning Spanish. The second-best time is right now. Don’t wait.

I use Duolingo for Spanish and this book is a really great supplement to that as it presents information in a more logical learning style.It starts with these lessons:Words ending in “or” doctor are the same in Spanish in English with different accents emphasizing the trilled R.Words ending in “al,” criminal same as with words ending in “or,” with different accent. Same for words ending in “Able” impossibleWords ending in “it’s,” dentist become dentista.It helps you learn what is already in your recall and with that it covers a large swath of words you pretty much already know. I don’t think it can teach you to perfectly speak Spanish, but it can really fast track the pace with its clear understanding of grammar and vocabulary.