A Good Spanish Book

It’s been a while since I last wrote here. I’ve been very busy with lectures, projects, and all that stuff. One of the things that have kept me busy was writing a good book to learn Spanish

During the last years I have been so focused on writing articles for Spanish institutions, researching for ministries and teaching about advanced subjects, that I stopped paying attention to the basics: teaching Spanish to beginners. Before I started this book I had several colleagues telling me not to do it… Apparently if you write a book for elementary students you risk spoiling your research profile. As if only initial teachers should write about present tenses, the days of the week and things like those, while the university lecturers focus on more elaborate matters.

I see their point, but wouldn’t it very strange if after reaching a certain expertise in your field you refused to teach the basics of your discipline to others? I mean… yes, I enjoy writing an academic plan for the ministry of some small eastern country, it’s cool to mention that at the dinner table, but why would it be below us to cover the initial topics that make people interested in Spanish and Hispanic Studies?

In my humble opinion, it’s good that there are different methods and books available, and I intend to go on mixing specific or advanced research with books for people who start learning Spanish. It does not diminish our qualifications as experts in a field, it increases our reach and allows us to share our knowledge with many more people that are interested in what we might have to say, from a specialist’s perspective, about the subjects they are learning.

A Good Spanish Book! : Basic Spanish Course for Beginners
University Academic Editions, 2017 , New York

My editor tells me the book is already available in university libraries and other distribution channels, so feel free to have a look at it if you are interested in learning or teaching Spanish 🙂 See you all on the next article!