In the previous post, we talked about the mistakes our students make when writing. One of the most frequent ones is accents, and here we make a point: they learn spanish better than native speakers.
When asked how to learn accents, knowing which words are stressed, the most common answer is READ. Read whatever you want, read what you like in your language. You don’t have to start with Don Quixote, in fact, that’s the least advisable.
There are leveled readings, you can start with basic things, children’s stories. Read things you’ve read in your language and read them in Spanish. You don’t always find them, but why not give it a try.
Literature as a Gateway to Knowing the Language and Culture
Reading is a good way to learn spanish, not just the language or accents, but you also learn about Hispanic culture. You get to know landscapes, cities, expressions, and characters. You get an idea of what Spanish speakers are like.
Literature tends to reflect society, its behavior, its customs. Reading opens a door to understanding Spanish speakers. It brings you closer to their culture, their way of speaking, and even eating. Everything related to culture is in literature.
Recommendations
The most important thing is that you enjoy reading. If you don’t, stop reading this post. And if you like reading a bit, continue reading this post to spark your interest in reading in Spanish. We’re going to recommend some readings for you to choose from.
The recommendations can be very diverse. What you enjoy reading in your language is what you should look for in Spanish. And if you can’t find it, we’ll leave you with some recommendations to dive into the magical world of Spanish literature.
Fray Perico y su borrico, Juan Muñoz Martín. Colección El barco de vapor. Serie naranja.
«Fray Perico and His Donkey» by Juan Muñoz Martín. Steamboat Series. Orange series.
Although it’s a children’s book, I don’t think there’s a Spanish child who hasn’t read it. And if they haven’t read it, they’re taking too long to do so. We highly recommend it. It’s a fun way to learn Spanish. It doesn’t matter how old you are, it always brings a smile to your face.
It tells the adventures of Friar Perico and his donkey, Calcetín, who move to a convent in Salamanca, and this convent gets involved in countless adventures with these two unique characters.
Como agua para chocolate. Laura Esquivel.
«Like Water for Chocolate» by Laura Esquivel.
A delightful book that teaches you Spanish through the palate. It takes it through your mouth and taste buds. It’s a shame we can’t smell the words to know what’s being cooked.
It’s a good way to learn recipes, the way it tells how to cook, it even helps with the tedious grammar of the imperative, ordering and way of doing an activity, in this case, cooking.
Moreover, by learning about the most traditional customs of culture, both in the kitchen and in romantic relationships, it’s a beautiful love story, with a certain surrealistic touch, which makes its reading more interesting.
La sombra del viento. Carlos Ruiz Zafón
«The Shadow of the Wind» by Carlos Ruiz Zafón.
If you like to read and your level allows you to understand the language, this is one of the books you should have on your nightstand to have it always at hand. Well, it depends on whether you like to read during the day or at night, you can place it wherever suits you best, but close by.
Knowing mid-century Barcelona, mixing reality and imagination. Attractive to then use the book as a map to discover an intriguing and imagined Barcelona. The development of the story helps in learning to navigate Spanish.
La fiesta del Chivo. Mario Vargas Llosa
«The Feast of the Goat» by Mario Vargas Llosa.
A mix of literature and politics that make this novel an interesting way to learn vocabulary about two aspects of society, politics, and the maneuvers made within a country’s leadership.
It talks about the political life of a tyrant in Santo Domingo. This way, we get closer to the culture, language, and life of this country. An interesting account of people’s transformation.
Other Recommendations
There are countless books to recommend. We leave you with a few more titles so you can choose: “Cien años de soledad” de Gabriel García Márquez «One Hundred Years of Solitude» by Gabriel García Márquez. One of the great classics of Spanish-speaking literature, full of imagination and great stories.
“El tiempo de las mariposas” de Julia Álvarez «In the Time of the Butterflies» by Julia Álvarez, this book can be read to learn more about that dark period in the Dominican Republic during the dictatorship of Rafael Trujillo.
“El tiempo entre costuras” de María Dueñas «The Time in Between» by María Dueñas. A fascinating story set in the Spanish Civil War, which unfolds in different environments. Politics, society, deals, fashion, love, everything mixes in the closed environment where it is appreciated that victory has an owner.
Final Considerations for Learning Spanish Thorugh Literature
We’re going to give you some recommendations on how to learn Spanish through Spanish literature. Choose the book you like the most. It may be your level or not. We recommend starting with one that’s close to your level so you don’t get too frustrated too quickly.
Don’t read with a dictionary beside you. Read slowly, it’s not a race. It’s not your language, there will be structures, words, or phrases you won’t understand. Underline or write in a notebook the words, phrases, or whatever you find most difficult to understand.
Read a paragraph every day, when you think you can move forward, read a page a day. After reading, notice how many words you’re no longer underlining because you understand better. Learning Spanish through literature is learning from what you like. This is the main recommendation we wanted to make with this post.
If you read any of the books we recommended, write to us, and if not, write to us anyway and tell us what books you like to read, and we’ll help you find the one that best suits your level.