When learning a new language, there are many challenges we have to face: different grammar, new idioms and expressions, spelling and …pronunciation. Today we want to focus on pronunciation: to read correctly and make yourself understood by native speakers, a good pronunciation is fundamental. In this article you’ll learn:
- Why you should learn to properly read in Spanish
- How to properly read in Spanish
- The best books and audio books for beginners
- The best books and audio books for intermediate students
- The best books and audio books for advanced students
- How to improve your Spanish with General Español!
Read on to get some ideas about how to read in Spanish with the correct pronunciation!
Why you should learn to properly read in Spanish
Reading is an important part of the language-learning process. Why is it important to learn to read in Spanish? Here’s some benefits you will get:
Enrich your vocabulary
Reading is a great way to learn more words and enrich your vocabulary. While reading, you can write down the words you don’t know and look up their definitions. You can create lists of words and study them later on. Reading new words in contextualised sentences is a great method to memorize them.
Learn more grammar structures
In books you can find countless grammar structures. Native writers use sentences in creative ways, they use idioms and expressions and they perfectly know Spanish grammar (they are native-speakers and they are writers, so they know what they are doing!). Reading books is a fun way to discover new grammar structures and learn them while relaxing with a good book!
Improve your pronunciation
You can improve your pronunciation in Spanish while reading. How? Reading aloud! Put yourself to the test: read aloud with your best accent and pronunciation! If you have any doubt, you can use some online tools like How To Pronounce and listen to a native speaker pronouncing in Spanish the word you want to listen to!
How to properly read in Spanish
After learning Spanish accents, Spanish vowels, and the pronunciation of all the letters of the alphabet, If you really want to learn to properly read in Spanish, you should follow these four tips:
#1 Read slowly
Don’t rush, take your time and relax. If you feel stressed and under pressure, you won’t focus on what you are doing. This is a general rule that perfectly works for reading, too. Read slowly, pay attention to each word and think how it is pronounced. This is the best way to read correctly.
#2 Look up the words you don’t know
If you don’t know a word, look it up! Make sure you understand its meaning and pronunciation. If you need it, you can listen to the proper pronunciation on How To Pronounce or a similar tool.
#3 Read several times
Don’t hesitate to read the same sentence again and again. This is a great way to practice and feel confident with your pronunciation. Read aloud and try to have a very Spanish accent!
#4 Listen to the audio book while reading its paper version
An effective way to improve your reading skills is to listen to the audio book while reading. You’ll have the printed version under your eyes, and at the same time you’ll listen to a native Spanish speaker reading aloud. You will be able to look at the written form while listening to its proper pronunciation.
The best books and audio books for beginners
The best option is to find audiobooks with texts, so that you can read and listen to the audio version at the same time. Here are a couple of suggestions for beginners:
Caperucita Roja
The classic tale written by the Brothers Grimm is about a little girl encountering a wolf in the woods on the way to her grandmother’s house. Surely you know the story, which is important in the beginning of your adventure as a Spanish learner, and you will love this standard Spanish version!
Spanish Short Stories for Beginners
This seven-hours collection of short stories is ideal for beginners. You can choose between two different speeds: slow and normal. The narrators have a clear pronunciation in Mexican Spanish. Try to start with the slow mode and when you feel confident pass to the normal one!
Spanish novel for upper-beginners: Enigma en la Playa
This audio book with texts is perfect for an A2 level. The chapters are short and the action moves along quickly. It has summaries in both Spanish and English and a bi-lingual vocabulary at the back of the book, very useful to learn new words.
The best books and audio books for intermediate students
If you are an intermediate student, then these audiobooks with texts are for you:
El Principito
The Little Prince is a classic. You will certainly love this Spanish audible version lasting 2.5 hours. It tells the amazing story of a boy who comes from a tiny planet, who asks many questions and sees beauty in details adults find banal. This inspiring story is a perfect choice for intermediate students.
Learn Spanish with Stories (B1): ¿Me voy o me quedo?
¿Me voy o me quedo? is a short story written for students with an intermediate level of Spanish (B1). This funny story is about James, a young English man who is really obsessed with studying Spanish: he wants to be Spanish! He stops drinking tea and only drinks coffee and sangría; he is learning to dance flamenco by watching videos on YouTube, only eats paella and tortilla and sleeps siesta every day. It is no surprise that people in the village think he is crazy!
Spanish Novels: El robo del siglo (B2)
This book is perfect for students with a B2 level. A gang of robbers steals 390 million dollars from the Central Bank in Mexico D.F. They hide from the local police in Tijuana and then try to go to California. Jealousy and betrayal will creep in and make things harder for each member of the gang.
The best books and audio books for advanced students
Even advanced students can benefit from audiobooks. Here are three amazing books for advanced learners:
Tus huellas son mis pasos: Learn Spanish with Improve Spanish Reading
This book has summaries in both Spanish and English for each chapter, a bi-lingual dictionary and reading comprehension exercises.
The story is about Gonzalo, a boy who begins his medical studies in Salamanca. There he meets Celia who will manage to cure the serious disorder that the young man suffers from.
Spanish Novels: El día del juicio (C1)
Carlos Estrada is one of the richest businessmen in Argentina. The morning after his birthday party he is found dead in his swimming pool. Amanda -the judge in charge of the case- is willing to do the impossible to find out. This Spanish Book for Advanced Learners will show you the most used grammar structures in different situations.
Spanish Novels: Tsunami (C2)
This book is for advanced students with a C2 level. The story is set in the year 2034: a terrible tsunami strikes the shores of Miami and the whole city is now under water. Karen, a journalist living in Punta del Este (Uruguay), will be asked to travel there to document the outcomes of the tragedy.
How to improve your Spanish with Global General
Reading books and listening to audiobooks will for sure help you improve your reading skills. But this is not enough! To train all of your competencies in Spanish, you need Global General. This online course offered by the e-learning platform GlobalExam offers a dynamic and modern yet effective approach. Global General is dedicated to beginner and intermediate students: this method has classes that go from A1 to B2 level. We offer 5 languages: English, Spanish, French, Italian and German. Every level of every language is developed according to the CEFR standards. Here are more details on what we offer:
- Countless flashcards to train your memory and learn new vocabulary
- Simulations to help you train in real context, for all the competencies: spoken, written and oral
- A “did you know” section to help you deepen your knowledge of the language
- 5000 detailed corrections
- Personalised feedback from our native coaches
- Online conferences with our coaches, with a practical part where you’ll be required to complete some exercises and you’ll be given immediate corrections
- Validation of the acquired competences every 5 simulations
- 150 hours of unique content
- 500 audio tracks
Why us?
With Global General you can learn Spanish from your home or office, whenever you want, at your own pace! You’ll be given all the tools you need to work on your skills and improve quickly and consistently. Our modern and dynamic method is created to suit your needs and adapt to your schedule. Our offer is unique and guarantees high quality content and personalized feedback from native coaches!
Do you want to learn Spanish and become fluent in a flash? Sign up and start learning Spanish with GlobalExam today!
