After learning German from scratch, I realized about eight months later that my unwieldy and large German-English dictionaries were a drag. They were slow and clunky. When I decided to learn Spanish, the first thought I had was to find the right reference book for starting out with the basic vocabulary. This book has the perfect form and function for the beginning student. When I'm doing exercises, I can find the word I need in this book without skipping a beat or losing my train of thought. Buy this book if you're looking for efficiency. It has, for the most part, all the vocabulary a beginning student needs without the clutter of word entries a student doesn't need. It's easy to work with because I know from the moment I need it whether it will have the word I need or not. It's a two dollar workhorse that's a pleasure to use.

Particularly useful for intermediate-level speakers of the Spanish language. This book very concisely presents a wealth of vocabulary and demonstrates the grammar of each palabra introduced. For a very small price, it represents a terrific value.

A great resource for people learning or refreshing their Spanish vocab. Can't afford to buy expensive software? This is the book for you! Words arranged by easy-to-find categories and a small dictionary is included in the book.

What makes this book so great? Cheap. Small. Useful.

Is this booklet worth the $2 that Amazon currently charges? Most certainly. I wouldn't place an order just to buy it, of course, but you should throw it in with anything else you might be buying.

If you do not speak any Spanish at all, this book will probably have limited usefulness to you until you get a fair grasp of its grammar. Once you're there, though, this book shines.

Here's how I recommend you use this: instead of a guide to 1001 words, use it as a guide to 1001 *sentences*, because each word has a sentence example for it. Put all the sentences in a flash card program such as Anki or Mnemosyne. (If you've never used such a flash card program, you really should. They're great.) You can skip over sentences that are too easy, of course, but a lot of the sentences will be interesting even if you already know the word.

However, you have to be a bit careful, because the entries do contain some mistakes, and this is why I must give it 4 stars instead of 5. For instance, the entry for "alcoba" has the sentence "Buscamos un apartamiento con dos alcobas" ("We're looking for an apartment with two bedrooms") -- "apartamiento" should be "apartamento". The entry for "amigo" has "Quiero presentar algunos amigos míos" has at least one mistake (there should be an "a" after "presentar"), but a native speaker told me it still sounds awkward and should be something like "Quiero presentarles a unos amigos míos". There was another sentence where the "a" was omitted with presentar, but I can't find it right now. So if you use this book, you have to stay on your toes a bit and accept that there may be a couple of mistakes in it. I think that, and the $2, are small price to pay for having 1001 sentences at your fingertips, though.

A totally useless book with words selected haphazardly with only one explanation given, which hardly covers the different meanings of some words depending on the context. You could do better to yourself by opening a dictionary and selecting words in random. I got lured by its low price and wasted my money.

The English translations are not exact , and because they are not , they cause confusion as to what is actually being stated as an example of word usage. The English translation needs to be word for word in order for this book to be useful.

This book is set up so you look up the word in Spanish, so it is for people who already know some Spanish or for translating. It didn't work for me.

Look. This handy little book 1001 Spanish Words is more than a dictionary for one major reason. Each word is presented in alphabetical order with a simple and illustrative sentence next to it, followed by an English translation. This is much more useful than 'just a dictionary'.
If this approach pleases you, and if you truly aspire to speak Spanish, you must hear and repeat the language and understand while you're doing it.
I recommend Behind the Wheel Spanish/Complete Illustrated Text/Answer Keys/8 One Hour as the main focus of your learning. The CDs are great alone because they have an American instructor and a native Spanish speaker so you don't have to look up anything.
The other great part is that it comes with a complete book in Spanish and English.
By all mean, do buy 1001 Most Useful Spanish Words. For the price it's a steal. But then go on to learn really speak the language fast with Behind the Wheel Spanish/Complete Illustrated Text/Answer Keys/8 One Hour

I need to learn spanish but do not have the time for school...this book will give you spanish word with the english word next to it, its basically a english/ spanish dictionary,but does not show you haw to pronounce them. The biggest PROBLEM with this book is it has the spanish words first and in alphebitical order not the english words! So unless you know spanish you have to skim the entire book to find the word you need!

This book is practically useless for someone traveling in a Spanish speaking country. It is just a short list of Spanish words in alphabetical order accompanied by the English equivalent and a Spanish sentence containing the word. There is no conjugation of verbs or declension of other words. There is no pronunciation guide. If you are an English speaker hunting for the right word you cannot find it unless you know it and then there is little additional information about the word when you do finally happen upon it. Get a good Spanish-English dictionary instead.

This is a very useful book for review or for a quick check to see if you remember a word correctly. Having done several audio courses (Pimsleur I and most of "Learn Spanish in Your Car"), I was amazed at how many of the words I already knew. I keep it next to the TV to scan during commercials.

These 1001 words are truly an essential vocabulary lesson for a beginning Spanish speaker. Each common word is defined and exemplified in a sentence of everyday conversational Spanish, illustrating proper grammar as well. A mastery of this book (assuming one knows how to pronounce the Spanish alphabet), along with a basic understanding of Spanish grammar (and a well-tuned ear), enables a student to converse readily in Spanish.

While the book does what it says...it barely qualifies as a book...it's more like a pamphlet.

It would be helpful... IF I could speak Spanish first! There is no glossary to help me find the word in English first. If it had cost more, I would have sent it back... unused

A better than fair, useful beginner's book. Translates the words and uses them in sentences.
However, I could use perhaps another thousand or so words! Still, better than a lot of beginner Spanish books!

I love this book! It is very easy to use to help increase one's spanish vocabulary!

It includes verbs and many daily common words. It's not extremely deep or complicated, but it is definetly useful if you are trying to learn spanish. Definetly worth it

Our online course at SayHola dot com teaches you how to speak the Spanish Language but this book is a great tool building Vocabulary. We recommend it.

This is the easiest way to learn vocubulary period. I am using Rosetta Stone Spanish and complimenting that with some easy reading. It's fun to read the Spanish word and sentence, make a best guess at a the translation, and then have the whole sentence translated right there. Used this way, you create instant chemical (long term memory) without tedious memorization. Happy learning.

I agree with Amazon's better with recommedation to buy Behind the Wheel Spanish along with 1001 Most Useful Spanish Words. I had to learn to speak and understand Spanish in just two weeks, due to an unexpected business trip to Mexico. This is not easy task but I did pull it off, more or less.
1001 Most Useful Spanish Words formed a part of the books and CDs I used which helped me to learn the most important 'basics' in Spanish. I particularly appreciated the small size and low cost of 1001 Most Useful Spanish Words. Most of the vocabulary was useful to me in Mexico, but there were some words that I found to be 'outdated'.
I also tried 'Spanish for Dummies' which was a huge disappointment.
The best course I bought which gave me the best results was Language Dynamics 'Behind the Wheel Spanish' with CDs.Behind the Wheel Spanish/Complete Illustrated Text/Answer Keys/8 One Hour

I had to learn to speak and understand Spanish in just two weeks, due to an unexpected business trip to Mexico. This is not easy task but I did pull it off, more or less.
1001 Most Useful Spanish Words formed a part of the books and CDs I used which helped me to learn the most important 'basics' in Spanish. I particularly appreciated the small size and low cost of 1001 Most Useful Spanish Words. Most of the vocabulary was useful to me in Mexico, but there were some words that I found to be 'outdated'.
I also tried 'Spanish for Dummies' which was a huge disappointment.
The best course I bought which gave me the best results was Language Dynamics 'Behind the Wheel Spanish' with CDs.

I was unsure about the book, never having seen it prior to ordering. It is OK, and I will find it more useful as I learn more Spanish. The book is a slender paperback, not too sturdy, but handy for sticking in a pocketbook or backpack to glance at in a crunch.

helps when reading or watchin novelas...quick way to look up common words

I started learning Spanish in February 2006 without any previous experience learning the language. When I started in February 2006, I just used 3 tools that got 4 or 5 star reviews at a popular learning Spanish product review site. This book (and the other book by the same publisher -- Easy Spanish Phrase Book) is one of the tools. The other was the Learning Spanish Like Crazy CD course. And the third was a reference book for verb conjugation.

Many native Spanish speakers find it hard to believe that I have only been learning Spanish for sixteen months now. And I am not a person that has a natural ability to learn languages. This book has really helped me by helping me build a large vocabulary of words so that I am rarely if ever at a loss for words or unable to say what I want to say in Spanish. Learning Spanish Like Crazy gave me the right foundation or structure to build upon my knowledge of the language, and also helped me to understand Spanish when I actually hear natives speakers conversing with each other. LSLC also helped me quickly develop an excellent accent and pronunciation in Spanish. And 501 Spanish Verbs and has made it possible for me to know how to express myself using different verbs and different verb tenses. I have now moved on to several other learning-Spanish resources but without this book, I'd have 1001 less words in my Spanish speaking repertoire.

And I have learned words and phrases for a variety of situations. Some of them are travel and transportation, shopping, stores, services, food lists, dining, health medical, emergency, entertainment and so many other situations.

If you need a book that will teach you lots of Spanish words and phrases at an excellent price then this is your book.

In my quest to speak Spanish, I have purchased a great number of books and courses, many of which I like and have been useful.
Among the best bargains for the money are Easy Spanish Phrase Book and 1001 Most Useful Spanish Words by Seymour Resnick.
I give 5 Stars to 1001 Most Useful Words for one reason only. The words are what another publisher (Language Dynamics) calls 'High Frequency'. This means that the words you find in 1001 Most Useful Words are among the most common and most frequently used, and are therefore 'more useful'.
Aside from this, the words are in alphabetical order, which is nice.
The major drawbacks are that there is no phonetic pronunciation guide given for any of the words (just an English definition).
The second drawback is that there are no CDs included to teach one how to actually put this all together and speak the language.
My solution to this problem has been to supplement all of my Spanish books with my favorite Spanish audio course, Behind the Wheel Spanish 8 CDs and Book. Most, if not all of the words included in 1001 Most Useful Spanish Words appear throughout Behind the Wheel Spanish 8 CDs, and even more important, they teach you how to pronounce them and use them in your own original sentences.
I recommend you buy both.

Of the dozen or so Spanish books that I ordered, this book is the most useful and most interesting.

I bought this to use as a quick reference guide on a recent trip to Mexico. While it did have some useful words, others were just not there. It was an inexpensive little book, but in the end I wished I would have just bought an English-Spanish dictionary, or an electronic translator. Also, the words are alphabetized in Spanish, so unless you know what Spanish word you are looking for, this isn't going to help too much.

This was a terrible CD. Not for anyone close to a beginner. It was spoken too fast to be able to be understood and too fast to repeat. It also contained some of the most inane things one might think of learning as a beginner. I played it once and never again.

1001 words will get you a long way, especially when this book also includes each word used in both English and Spanish sentences, as well as a list of all words broken down by category -- and basic vocabulary tips.

This book, along with Dover's "Easy Spanish Phrase Book" are a great introduction to basic Spanish.

I highly recommend spending a few dollars on these two "tools," which should get beginner to intermediate speakers a good start or "jump-start."

This was a terrible CD. Not for anyone close to a beginner. It was spoken too fast to be able to be understood and too fast to repeat. It also contained some of the most inane things one might think of learning as a beginner. I played it once and never again.

I have used lots of tools to help me learn Spanish. But there are only a handful that I would consider mandatory for learning how to speak Spanish with as little effort and time as possible. 1001 Most Useful Spanish Words is one of those tools. If you are serious about learning to speak Spanish I encourage you to get the following:

1. Practice Makes Perfect: Spanish Pronouns And Prepositions
2. Practice Makes Perfect: Spanish Verb Tenses
3. Learning Spanish Like Crazy CD course
4. 501 Spanish Verbs
5. A good Spanish dictionary
6. 1001 Most Useful Spanish Words and/or 770 Basic Phrases

That's how I built a solid foundation, using the above 6 tools. I have used other books and courses, but the above are the ones that helped me the most. Everything else is supplemental but these 6 tools are mandatory. I am not fluent but I am able to communicate confidently and say just about anything that I want to say in Spanish and understand native speakers unless they are speaking at the pace of rapid machine gun fire.

This book and the other book by the same publisher (770 Basic Spanish Phrases) has been a great help to me because both books have taught me lots of Spanish words and phrases that I can use to communicate with Spanish speakers. And both books are logically arranged so that you find just what you are looking for by alphabetical order with the first one and
by topic with the latter. Another good thing about the two books is that they are competitively priced.

1001 words will get you a long way, especially when this book also includes each word used in both English and Spanish sentences, as well as a list of all words broken down by category -- and basic vocabulary tips.

This book, along with Dover's "Easy Spanish Phrase Book" are a great introduction to basic Spanish.

I highly recommend spending a few dollars on these two "tools," which should get beginner to intermediate speakers a good start or "jump-start."

One problem with beginning a study in any language is that there are so many words to learn. Determining which vocabulary to build is difficult. Often a non-native speaker may focus on words which translate their daily native phrases, but in fact, include words that are seldom used in the target language.

That is why this is the best book for a Spanish student who plans to go on to a deeper study of the language. I took this book and made flash cards for every word, memorized them and was subsequently able to move onto to reading magazine and newspaper articles.

This book makes the vocabulary dilemma simple: just memorize every word in this book and you'll have a solid basic Spanish vocabulary. I wish every language had a corresponding text like this.

This is the ideal book for every serious beginning student of Spanish!

I am deeply saddened to learn of the recent passing of Prof. Seymour Resnick, noted language teacher and the author of this extremely helpful Spanish book. I have used 1001 Most Useful Spanish Words and found it to be a really useful tool in vocabulary reinforcement and review, and I certainly recommend it with great enthusiasm. I also have the good fortune to own three of Professor Resnick's other books--Essential Spanish Grammar, Nine Centuries of Spanish Literature (A Dual-Language Anthology, with Jeanne Parmentier), and Spanish-American Poetry (A Dual-Language Anthology), all published by Dover and available from Amazon. His Essential Spanish Grammar has also been of great help to me in studying Spanish, not only because of the grammar review, but also because of the highly unique feature in the back of the book: a list of 2400 cognate Spanish words similar to or exactly the same as their Engilsh counterparts. A virtually instant vocabulary expander! His two dual language anthologies are most valuable as well, in that they allow a person with less than stellar or highly advanced language skills to penetrate some serious classical literary writing which would otherwise be too difficult.
I am really sorry I never had the opportunity to thank Prof. Resnick in person for the tremendous help he has given me through these books, or to take a class from him. I hope it will be of some consolation to his family to know that his books will go on helping language students for many years to come. ¡Que en paz descanse! May he rest in peace.
As for 1001 Most Useful Spanish Words--buy this book, it is a real gem !!

1001 Spanish Words is a good reference text with lots of USEFUL vocabulary.
I recommend you buy this very inexpensive, compact and useful manual for learning Spanish.
To actually learn to speak the language, you will need a good CD course.
The best by far is Behind the Wheel Spanish 8 CD and text by Language Dynamics.
Together they make a winning team.
Highly recommended.

I am an advanced Spanish student but even so I thought that this book would have several words I didn't know. Going through the entire book, I was only unfamiliar with less than a handful and I felt that it did not give me anything more than my basic Spanish/English dictionary. Another complaint is that Amazon sells it for $3.99 which along with the shipping makes it cost over $ 6.00 but the book itself is marked $2.00. Also, in many instances a word has more than one meaning but the author was lax in not providing all meanings as a good dictionary would. Lastly, as having travelled throughout Mexico and South America there are many Spanish words in those countries that are used more frequently to signify the same English translation given by the author and the author never explains which countries his words are prevelent in.

The good thing about it is that it simplifies culling out of a dictionary for the beginning student, some of the very common words. As I would prefer to have a pocket dictionary with me I think it is an unnecessary expense to have to also add this book.

For new

Very useful book, however I found the pages to be of a low grade. The book looks like it will oxidize quite quickly. Otherwise, the content is very, very good and useful.

I am sorry to hear of the passing of the author of this book. My condelences to the family.

Sometimes the best things made are simple - and Seymour Resnick demonstrates that well with this book.

This book is wonderful for someone learning spanish - just to have around and pick up and learn a few useful phrases at a time. Small, concise and it is exactly as advertised in the title. It is so inexpensive, I might get another for the bathroom.

I found it hard to believe another reviewer said it was overpriced and gave it one star. I would recommend this book to anyone learning spanish on their own.

I regret to announce that my father, Prof. Seymour Resnick, the author of 10001 Most Useful Spanish Words and other books, died on January 14 2007, the day before his 87th birthday. In addition to writing this title, he wrote some 20 other books, including Spanish and French textbooks and collections of translations of Spanish poetry and literature.

I want to express my appreciation for everyone who has left comments about Dad's books. He never did get the hang of the computer or Internet, but I could see the joy in his eyes when I showed him printouts of these reviews. Reading your reviews was a source for comfort for Dad in his last months of life.

-Mason Resnick

I bought this as a gift for my Aunt and Uncle and was shocked to see that the original price is $1.00, yet Amazon charged a lot more for it. Not a very useful book, but if you want a cheap little guide, it fits the bill.

1001 Most Useful Spanish Words is a must buy when used as a supplement to something larger and more linguistically rich.
Used alone, 1001 Most Useful Spanish Words is a convenient, light and easy to use reference of some of the most useful words in the Spanish language. Inexpensive and small enough to carry anywhere, this handy little manual can accompany you while you eat in a restaurant, backpack through the Andes, or bask on the white sandy beaches of Cancun.
If you really want to learn to speak Spanish and know how to pronounce the words used in 1001 Most Useful Spanish Words, then I would also buy and use two of my favorite recorded language courses (both come with written material as well).
Learn in Your Car Spanish and Behind the Wheel Spanish. Both come in CD format and are wonderful for learning the proper accent.
Of the two, Behind the Wheel Spanish gets my highest recommendation for the easiest way to learn Spanish. The book is also great, but since it is larger than your pocket, you would do well to use 1001 Most Useful Spanish Words while on the road.

Very Cool Book! A great resource for any person where Spanish is their second language. Recommended!

This book helped me more than any other I used to pick up the phrases I needed for my trip. A little more help on pronunciations would have been good but it worked for me! I managed to make myself understood in many situations and to ask for help learning other words.

This tiny book is an excellent compilation of Spanish vocabulary. The reader does not get lost in a number of alternative explanations for the same word. Often the most frequent usage of each word has been given in one or a few words. A complete sentence in Spanish demonstrates the word's usage. An English translation of the sentence comes as a bonus.

The book is very handy for a quick look up under time pressure, for a review of the vocabulary, or for refreshment of memory without any apparent reason: just randomly select words and go through them at your convenience aboard an airplane, at a subway station or in the bed just before falling asleep. It, however, is not a dictionary. It can only complement a full-fledged dictionary such as Oxford's or Collins' Spanish dictionaries.

Given its size and price, I recommend this little big book to everyone who considers to start or has started learning Spanish.

I picked up this book, and the other book by the same publisher (Easy Spanish Phrase Book) after learning lots of Spanish already with Learning Spanish Like Crazy. This book and Easy Spanish Phrase Book have been a great help by teaching me countless Spanish words and phrases. This book is arranged alphabetically, like a dictionary. And the other book is arranged by situation. For example, "At the Restaurant."

The best thing that I can say about the two Dover Publication books is that they cost very little compared to the amount of content that you will learn. I admit that if I hadn't first learnt Spanish with Learning Spanish Like Crazy, I would not be able to properly pronounce the words and phrases in these books with a near perfect accent. And if I hadn't done the LSLC course I would not have had the confidence to take the words and phrases from these two books and use them in everyday conversation with native Spanish speakers. But even if you haven't done the LSLC course, I still recommend this book and the other book by the same publisher (Easy Spanish Phrase Book) in order to build your Spanish vocabulary quickly and inexpensively.

This little book defines the everyday words. One of the best parts of this book is that it gives two example sentences for the use of each word, one in English and the translation in Spanish. The book is thin enough to stuff in a book binder, a purse, or a briefcase. I am a beginner in Spanish and I have learned a lot from this little book. Well worth the small price.

My opinion of this beginner's guide is that anything for this price with a decent word or two of Spanish on it is worth the few bucks it costs to purchase it.
That said, 1001 Most Useful Spanish Words is basically a mini-dictionary of very useful Spanish words that you can conveniently use in many typical situations. How to use the words in sentences is left up to you.
Two good courses for learning to speak the language are: Behind the Wheel Spanish and Learn in Your Car Spanish.
I prefer Behind the Wheel Spanish because of its complete text and sentence building techniques. The native speaker's voice and the American instructor are also big pluses.
If all you want is to learn or reference some basic Spanish words, then
1001 Most Useful Spanish Words is for you.
Convenient price, small and easy-to-carry size.
I use it mostly for a fast reference of common words.
For more complete references, I would refer you to Christopher Kendris's works.

this book has all the basics. Good morning, good night, how are you. Most people know this already. If you are going to a spanish country and staying in a nice resort then this book could help. but if you want to learn to speak spanish this is not a very good book for you.

I'd highly recommend it for building your vocabulary. I just wish it were more comprehensive. However, if you're just beyond the beginners' stage, just learning 75% of this material will take you a long way.

A nice mini dictionary for the most common words in Spanish, it's Spanish to English dictionary.
It has a sentence example for each word in Spanish and English.
I check it from time to time to learn new words and sentences.

I recommend it for new learner of the language.