10 Best Books to Learn Spanish on Your Own in 2022
Do you want to learn Spanish on your own in 2022 but don’t know which book to get?
Or maybe you don’t even know if you can teach yourself Spanish and that’s the reason you keep postponing your goal of learning a second language.
Either way, I’m here to help you.
First, let me assure you that you can learn Spanish on your own—and these days you have all the needed resources easily available.
Secondly, I’m introducing you to the 10 best books to learn Spanish on your own to help you choose the right one for you!
Table of Contents:
- Can You Teach Yourself Spanish?
- 10 Best Books to Learn Spanish
- Start Learning Spanish on Your Own Today
Can You Teach Yourself Spanish?
Learning Spanish on your own may be a challenging project, but it’s totally doable. Nowadays, with all the resources available for language learners, it’s common to find people trying to teach themselves Spanish.
So, how can you learn Spanish on your own, and which books can help you to achieve your goals?
If you’re going to go down the “books route,” instead of using other self-study options such as an app or a software program, it’s important that you use a combination of textbooks, workbooks, lesson books, grammar books, and literature to cover all the areas of the language learning process.
10 Best Books to Learn Spanish
With this in mind, I’ve put together this diverse top 10 lists with the best books to learn Spanish by yourself, which includes books for beginners and intermediate students, as well as useful links to Amazon where you can buy them.
Neither I nor HSA are Amazon affiliates or receive any benefit from recommending or linking to these books. I’m a Spanish teacher, and I’m sharing my professional opinion with you as part of my passion for helping people to learn my beautiful language.
1. Living Language Spanish, Complete Edition
The Living Language Spanish, Complete Edition is a thorough multimedia program that includes three books with 46 lessons, a notebook, a grammar summary, and review exercises. It also comes with nine audio CDs and an online learning option where you can study flashcards, play games, and take quizzes.
If you’re planning to teach yourself Spanish, this is one of the best options on the market, as it includes a little bit of everything and gives you the help you need to achieve your goals. According to ThoughtCo, this method was created for the US State Department. Now, people who want to learn a language all around the world use it.
Buy on Amazon.
Try the Essential Edition.
2. Madrigal’s Magic Key to Spanish
This is a classic Spanish learning book for English speakers. Published in 1953 by Margarita Madrigal and illustrated by pop art icon Andy Warhol, Madrigal’s Magic Key to Spanish has stood the test of time and continues to be one of the most sought-after Spanish textbooks.
Madrigal’s approach avoids memorization and focuses on cognates to help you to identify Spanish words easily. This book helps Spanish learners form sentences in the first lesson and includes a helpful pronunciation key. The only con with this little Spanish learning gem is that it doesn’t include anything to help you develop your listening skills.
Madrigal’s Magic Key to Spanish has been chosen by the readers of Storyteller. Travel as “the best book to learn Spanish.”
Buy on Amazon.
3. Easy Spanish Step-By-Step
Easy Spanish Step-By-Step is an excellent option for beginners (level A1), as it takes you through the 15 steps of learning a language, according to the author’s approach.
This book introduces you to the most important Spanish grammar rules and helps you to learn over 300 verbs and other key terms. It also includes exercises and interesting readings, covering most aspects of the Spanish language learning process.
The Times of India states that Easy Spanish Step-By-Step “will help you get your hands on the language in a systematic and step-by-step manner.”
Buy on Amazon.
Intermediate students may also buy the complete version of this collection here.
4. See It and Say It in Spanish
Another classic book by Margarita Madrigal, See It and Say It in Spanish is the ultimate Spanish pocket guide based on the word-and-picture method. For every new word, it includes a picture to help you automatically learn the meaning of that word.
This delightful book is designed for beginners and includes useful everyday words and phrases, a traveler’s world list, a pronunciation guide, and a detailed grammar section.
A renowned Spanish blog notes that See It and Say It in Spanish “gives you the vocabulary you need to start expressing yourself quickly and meaningfully in Spanish.”
Buy on Amazon.
5. Collins Easy Learning: Spanish Conversation
One of the most popular and successful approaches to learning a language is the one that focuses on developing students’ conversational skills. Collins Easy Learning: Spanish Conversation does exactly that, taking the student through real-life conversations and the terms and phrases needed for those situations.
The book includes 12 units centered around a theme such as business, school, home, or social media and includes much-needed verb and grammar lessons to help you build your own phrases. Spanish Conversation also provides students with a glossary and free audio downloads to help you develop your listening skills.
On Goodreads.com, it has an average rating of 4.04, and one user called it “one of the best books for learning Spanish by yourself.”
Buy on Amazon.
6. Practice Makes Perfect: Complete Spanish Grammar
Complete Spanish Grammar is one of the most comprehensive Spanish learning books on the market. Its part of the recognized Practice Makes Perfect series that includes Spanish Verb Tenses and Spanish Vocabulary, among many other language learning books.
Complete Spanish Grammar is a comprehensive guide to all grammar-related things in Spanish. It comes with detailed explanations, lots of examples, and a multitude of exercises. I like that it also includes online resources where you find audio recordings, flashcards, and an extensive glossary. It even comes with its own app!
FluentU says that “the good thing about this book is that it offers a wide variety of exercises for different learning styles like.”
Buy on Amazon.
7. No Nonsense Spanish Workbook
I consider No Nonsense Spanish the best workbook on the market for self-learning Spanish. Its 200+ pages are full of useful information and tons of exercises focused on helping you understand Spanish grammar by working with Spanish grammar.
This excellent workbook includes chapter quizzes, vocabulary learning activities, grammar practice sections, verb charts, creative writing activities, answer keys, and bonus holiday activities.
My colleague Rafael Parra calls it “one of the best books to learn Spanish” and adds that “this book is great because it doesn’t pretend the internet doesn’t exist but it embraces it instead.”
Buy on Amazon.
8. Complete Spanish: A Teach Yourself Program
This Spanish textbook provides students with so many resources that it merits the Teach Yourself name of this series. With 25 learning units that cover the four language skills of speaking, listening, reading, and writing, Complete Spanish is really a complete option.
This teach yourself program includes two CDs with audio material, cultural notes, tests, tracking system, and a full-color book. Complete Spanish is designed to take beginner students from level A1 to the B1/B2 upper intermediate level.
Popular language learning author and recognized polyglot Benny Lewis says about Complete Spanish, “I like the process that they use more than other courses, because they don’t try to overload you with grammar, and they try to give you some example conversations.”
Buy on Amazon.
9. Getting Started With Spanish
As it says on its cover, this lesson book is a great option for beginners and self-taught students. This book was designed with the homeschooling student in mind, taking into consideration the common difficulties this kind of Spanish learner may encounter.
Getting Started With Spanish introduces only one new word or concept in each of its 178 lessons and includes exercises, answer keys, pronunciation guides, audio files, and glossary.
ThoughtCo. says that “students enjoy this book because it is simple and clear.”
Buy on Amazon.
10. Mastering Spanish Vocabulary
This one is a huge collection of Spanish vocabulary with over 13,000 entries and around 10 hours of audio. If you’re just starting your Spanish learning journey, Mastering Spanish Vocabulary is a useful tool.
The book is divided into 24 subject themes including medical terms, business terms, clothing, food, and art and culture.
According to Benny Lewis, “the power of this book is if you have certain conversations you know that you’re likely to have, then you can flick ahead to that category. This has been great for me.”
Buy on Amazon.
Start Learning Spanish on Your Own Today
If you really want to learn Spanish on your own, there are many ways to do it. Reading free online Spanish books is one way, learning grammar at home is another way, and getting one of the best books to learn Spanish from this list is one more way to do it.
Supplement your learning with the help of a certified professional who can take your fluency to the next level in flexible, affordable, and easy-to-access online Spanish classes. Sign up for a free trial class at Homeschool Spanish Academy with one of our certified, native Spanish-speaking teachers from Guatemala. They teach over 24,000 actively enrolled students every month, offer flexible scheduling, and tailored Spanish programs.
Join one of the 40,000 classes that we teach each month and you can experience results like these
“HSA offers very affordable, quality, one on one classes with a native speaker. My son has greatly benefited from taking classes. We have seen his confidence increase as well as his pronunciation improve, because he learns from a native Spanish speaker. HSA has quick, personal customer service. Our family has been very pleased with our experience so far!”
– Erica P. Parent of 1
“HSA offers very affordable, quality, one on one classes with a native speaker. My son has greatly benefited from taking classes. We have seen his confidence increase as well as his pronunciation improve, because he learns from a native Spanish speaker. HSA has quick, personal customer service. I have appreciated the one on one interaction and teaching that my son gets from his teachers. He has gotten to know his teachers, which has increased his confidence in speaking Spanish. Our family has been very pleased with our experience so far!”
– Maple, Parent of 3
“I love that my children have the opportunity to speak with a live person. They get to practice Spanish in a 1-1 setting while improve their speaking, writing and reading skills during their lessons. HSA is a great way to learn Spanish for all ages! My children are 6, 9 and 11. My oldest two (9 and 11) have been taking classes with HSA for almost 2 years now. They love seeing their teacher each week. They understand the importance of learning several languages. I’ve seen them grow and learn with HSA. I’m excited to see how they will improve the more classes they take. I highly recommend them. You can’t bet learning and speaking with a live teacher. I’ve tried other programs. It’s just not as motivating.”
– Karie Ann, Parent of 3
Want more Spanish resources and listening practice? Check these out!
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- 7 Creative Ways to Maintain Spanish Fluency at Home — Perfect for Elementary Kids
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- 5 Proven Strategies to Help Your Middle Schooler Excel in 1-on-1 Online Spanish Classes
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