Spanish Stories / Cuentos Españoles (A Dual-Language Book) (English and Spanish Edition)

When I started reading book I had to regularly refer to the english page for a translation. At the end of the book, I seldom need to check the translation.

I assume that the stories written in the 16th and 17th centuries were re-written to update them into current Spanish, as I would think the older Spanish would be much more difficult to understand. As a result, this made the stories easy to read at the same time I could appreciate the skill of the writers.


A great learning tool and a fun read   December 15, 2005
Edwin Durham (Pasadena, Maryland USA)
16 out of 16 found this review helpful

I bought the book with a view towards,

1) improving my Spanish

2) reading interesting new thoughts by Spanish writers

It achieved both goals admirably.

I also learned that apparently the Spanish language has not changed nearly as much as the English language from the time of Shakespeare and Cervantes to the present day. I understood more of the Cervantes -- in Spanish -- than in my first readings of Shakespeare in English, my native tongue.

Some of the stories were more difficult than others to be sure. Just as there is a huge style difference between writings of Earnest Hemingway and Nathaniel Hawthorne in English.

Like a previous reviewer, I found myself referring to the English side of the book less and less as I continued to read.

One improvement should be made in future books of this type, however. The definitions of the Spanish words in the back should do more than just restate the original translation. This where the author can truly help a student understand the nuances of the language. Give the reader the origin of the word -- Latin, French, Greek, etc. -- along with a general definition, not just the repeat the same english translation used in the body of the story. If that's all the author is going to do, he should save the paper.


enjoyable   March 25, 2006
Tracy L. Smith (Upstate NY)
7 out of 7 found this review helpful

I'd like to consider myself an intermediate spanish student. This book is just a tad over my spanish reading level. I really enjoy a challenge, so I enjoyed trying to read the spanish side. The stories were a good read in english, but I think it would have been better for me to start with "First Spanish Reader".


Review of Spanish Stories / Cuentos Españoles   August 21, 2009
James Williams (San Diego, CA)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful

This is James from James Spanish (the learning Spanish blog). This bi-lingual book is great for intermediate Spanish students wanting to apply what they have learned to a genuine context. The book is filled with stories from renowned Spanish authors such as Cervantes, Alarcon and Borges in the original Spanish and a faithful English translation.

This type of dual-language book encourages reading fluency and translational skills as well as helping to build vocabulary and give a fuller understanding of the Spanish language.

The format of the book allows for quick reference and translation, with the Spanish on one page, and the English translation on the facing page. This means you can read the stories more naturally, without flicking to different sections of the book to look up words that you are not familiar with.

The style of the authors vary, and you may find some writing easier to understand than others, just as you may find some of the stories more interesting than others. This will be due to your personal preference as well as your level of Spanish, so don't be too disheartened if you find yourself struggling to make it through one of the stories while others seem to flow easily.

A glossary in the back of the book provides a quick reference for many of the words covered in the stories so that you can reinforce what you have learned. You may also want to have a good English-Spanish dictionary to hand while you read the book so that you can have a more in depth translation of any words that are causing you trouble as well as another example of context so that you know how to use the new word you have learned.

These are the three Amazon products that I have found most helpful in my pursuit to learn Spanish.

1. Lights, Camera, Spanish (Book + DVD): Learn Conversational Spanish by Watching a Romantic Adventure This is actually a 90 minute movie for Spanish-language learners. It gives the option to watch the movie with subtitles but I'd recommend not using them to improve your Spanish. This "movie" also includes a workbook so that Spanish-language can reinforce the dialog from the film. The workbook also has lots of exercises to keep you engaged in
the film and to reinforce the Spanish that you learn.

2. Verbarrator Version 1.1 (Windows Version) This is a excellent piece of software which replaces the traditional verb conjugation books and makes learning how to conjugate Spanish verbs an interactive and fun activity.

3. Diccionario esencial de la lengua espanola de la Real Academia Espanola (Spanish Edition) I am not going to say that you have to get this particular Spanish dictionary
but if you are really serious about speaking the language fluently, then at some point you will need to replace your Spanish-English dictionary and get a pure Spanish
dictionary with both the vocabulary words and the definitions are entirely in Spanish.





Cuentos Buenos   December 15, 2009
C. wood (Frankfurt am Main, Germany)
An anthology/ dictionary/ translation/ textbook with questions/ historical reference...many things in one small book.

This collection of short stories spans the time of Chaucer to the modern Existentialist period: Cervantes, Clarin, Palma, Lynch, Borgenos,Cela, Pardo Bazan, Alarcon, Quiroga, and Unamundo. Many of the stories are hard to follow because of vague plots. I was often left wondering about where the end of the stories was ...leading me to wonder if they have been over edited. These stories have a charming atmosphere and give us cultural insights into the the world of Spanish literature spanning time and geography to include medieval Europe and modern South America.

One story in particular sticks out. Quiroga's THE ROOF reminds me of the old Bradbury story about a rain drenched Venus so daunting that explorers have to find refuge in golden sun domes replete with heat lamps and hot chocolate. Quiroga's descriptive talents match Bradbury's or maybe even Conrad's looming dark jungle. Forgive my aside.

The book is user friendly, but the Spanish is not for beginners or even intermediate level readers. The dictionary in the back is good, but buying a good dictionary may be indicated while reading this book. I regret spending more time on the English and content and not concentrating on the Spanish vocabulary as I should have.