¿Hablas español? (Do you speak Spanish?) Well, now we do! In just a few months, my family has gone from non-Spanish speaking to conversing with the basics. Though we are not yet fluent, we are gaining confidence and are well on our way to an understanding of the language. Best of all, we have a foundation to build upon thanks to Analytical Spanish Made Easier, created by Jim Hoover.
 
As Mr. Hoover states, this book can be completed in just a couple of weeks and then reviewed to refine your skills. You can work at your own pace, as we did this summer, and can easily pick up where you leave off. This curriculum comes with a 50-page workbook (comb-bound) and four CDs. In addition to these materials, you will need access to a basic Spanish-English dictionary.
 
This course effectively teaches eight verb tenses. With the first CD, you’ll start working with the basic Spanish alphabet and pronunciation of the letters. To save time, only the letters that differ from their English counterparts are studied. You will then study accent, pronouns, and regular and irregular verbs. The second CD begins with weather and numbers, days of the week, and months and seasons of the year. It then introduces reflexive and compound verbs, nouns and adjectives, and possessive adjectives.
 
The third CD covers irregular preterite verbs, imperfect verbs, regular present perfect verbs, and command form verbs. The fourth CD contains eight songs, including La Bamba, Vaya Con Dios and Las Mananitas (“The Beautiful Mornings”--A Birthday Song). An additional sheet provides words to “Jesus Loves Me” in Spanish, as well as several phrases for Christians, such as “Christ is my savior,” “Jesus lives,” and “Praises to God.”

As a bonus, Mr. Hoover included a ten-page booklet that he published to encourage “turned-off” students to discover their interests, determine goals, and get better grades in school. It has some wonderful ideas for students and teachers alike, but in my opinion it is more applicable for a public school setting. The website contains some testimonials and a few video excerpts of Mr. Hoover teaching his students. I would recommend this curriculum for anyone from sixth grade to adult. Mr. Hoover is an excellent instructor with years of experience who has created a method with fast, effective results. This is perfect anyone who wishes to learn the Spanish language in a short amount of time.