Author Description

Hola, ¿Qué tal? A Communicative Approach to Learning Spanish provides beginning Spanish speakers with real-world communication activities to help them develop and practice their language skills. Through this unique and effective approach, students induce and discover grammatical rules through exercises that require them to negotiate meaning and to interact with others in a meaningful way. Each chapter features communication-based activities in which they can practice their speaking, reading, and listening skills altogether. Opening chapters teach students how to greet other people, tell time, form questions, talk about college life, describe the locations of people and things, and express possession. Students practice inviting others to activities, talking about feelings and emotions, paying for items during shopping trips, discussing daily routines, and much more. The chapters leverage short movies, which better engage students and help them learn new vocabulary, review grammar, and practice their listening comprehension skills. Student learn how to adapt their language according to the context, such as when to use formal or informal speech and when to use language appropriately for written as opposed to spoken communication. The book also provides students with short readings that allow them to better understand Hispanic cultural habits. Emphasizing practical application and offering students a holistic approach to language acquisition, Hola, ¿Qué tal? is an innovative and effective textbook for beginning Spanish courses.