No matter your level, you can easily find free Spanish e-books to suit your needs.
Even if you think you’re not quite at the right reading level yet, challenging yourself with something a little harder than you’re comfortable with can have exponential benefits.
You are reading: Free spanish books for beginners
here’s a short and quick guide to show how you can take advantage of this tool, including a list of my top 10 free ebook recommendations in spanish.
content
- why will reading in spanish improve your language skills?
- why read ebooks in spanish?
- how to learn spanish with free ebooks
- where to find free spanish ebooks online
- free spanish ebooks
-
- 1. “an elementary spanish reader” by earl stanley harrison
- 2. “Mythology for children” by Fernán Caballero
- 3. “Fortune: The Story of a Grateful Dog” by Enrique Pérez Escrich
- 4. “the strange works of paulino and eusebio” by eloy barba dominguez
- 5. “short novels” by pedro antonio de alarcón
- 6. “Spanish Short Stories for Beginners” by Louis Reinhardt and E.C. hills
- 7. “life of lazarillo de tormes” by anonymous
- 8. “the three-cornered hat” by pedro antonio de alarcón
- 9. Alarcón’s “Captain Poison”
- 10. “Don Quixote” by Miguel de Cervantes
download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable pdf that you can take anywhere. click here for a copy. (download)
See Also: Download All John G. Lake Books PDF (1870 – 1935) The Preachers&039 Portal
why reading in spanish will improve your language skills
- reading is considered more effective than watching television. Even reading at a slower pace than you’re used to exposes you to more sentences per minute than the average soap opera.
definitely don’t stop watching TV in Spanish, but start balancing it with reading time. Also, the sentences in these books are often more developed and complex than just casual conversation you might overhear.
- reading also teaches you new vocabulary words through context clues. think about it… when you read in your mother tongue and a new word comes up, you can somehow guess its meaning simply from the syntax or sentence structure.
For example, take the sentences, “he had a keen sense of smell! he could identify a dozen flavors with a single inhalation.” the word “sharp” obviously means something positive and well developed. This trick also applies to Spanish, so use it to learn new words without relying on a dictionary all the time.
- conversational learning is not enough to reach a higher level of competence. this includes mastery of more complex verb tenses as well as vocabulary acquisition.
Conversation is usually very informal and topics are left to the discretion of all parties involved. Relying on others for your language instruction not only limits you, but can be a real gamble.
- Reading books is intellectually stimulating. Developing storylines and diverse genres will keep you interested for an extended period of time.
Think of your favorite book in your native language. didn’t you go through it because you were so engrossed in the story? this is what reading in a second language can be like!
- experience great literary works in their original language. Once you reach mid-to-high proficiency, you’ll be able to enjoy works by acclaimed Hispanic authors such as Gabriel García Márquez, Isabel Allende, and Pablo Neruda that deserve to be read in their original language.
why read e-books in spanish?
So we know reading is important, but what’s so special about e-books?
- ebooks are affordable (and often free). if money is not an issue then by all means pay for books and e-books – you will get a wider variety of selection.
But for most of us, we need to start getting more creative with our learning strategies. It’s much easier to peruse free e-books on the internet than it is to look for cheap Spanish paperbacks at your local goodwill.
plus, many public libraries have digital lending programs, so you can even make reservations and “check out” ebooks online!
- ebooks are mobile, compact in volume and convenient. While I’ll always be a fan of print, I can’t deny the usefulness of eBooks and the simplicity of highlighting and defining new phrases or words. I can access the same eBook on my smartphone, tablet, and laptop. there really is no excuse not to read.
- can be printed. If you’re still not sold on e-reading, keep in mind that you can even download free e-books in PDF format and print them, if you like.
While this isn’t very cheap, nor is it eco-friendly, (and I wouldn’t recommend it unless you have access to a corporate-style industrial printer), I’ve done it before and find it useful, too. Or, for a detailed read, just print out a page or two and then go to town and mark it up with colored pens.
- you can use them to reinforce other learning methods. Of course, you can’t learn Spanish through reading alone! but e-books are great supplemental learning material and can help you check if the things you’re learning really stick in your memory.
how to learn spanish with free e-books
You can definitely learn Spanish on your own with ebooks if you start slow and take the time to read the syntax and context clues. here are some tips to help you get started.
- start small. Start with fables and folk stories that he is already familiar with, such as Aesop’s fables. If you already have an idea of where the plot is heading, it’s easier to follow along if the vocabulary gets confusing.
- think local. Read about your area in Spanish. for example, i am reading “the shadow of the wind” right now and i live in barcelona. If you don’t live in the exotic setting of a Spanish novel, choose one of the places you would like to visit. Many authors are inspired by the Caribbean and Latin America, for example.
- toggle between English and Spanish copies. If you find the reading a bit difficult, but don’t want to go down a level, read a chapter in English and then read the same chapter in Spanish. I like to use this technique with fantasy novels because there’s a lot of new vocabulary specific to that genre.
- download a Spanish dictionary. Use a Spanish-Spanish dictionary to make the definition appear in Spanish when the word is highlighted, or simply change your Kindle app settings to “Spanish” and restart the app. now, when you highlight a word, the definition will also appear in Spanish.
- highlight, highlight, highlight. Highlight new vocabulary words you don’t know and at the end of each chapter write them in your notebook for future review. you can also highlight your favorite passages and use them for a future project, like a room decoration or holiday cards.
- look for new vocabulary used in natural contexts. you should stay away from every book email with a complete list of vocabulary words. now it’s time to see how these words exist outside of your book. context is everything, so if you really want to understand how to use the vocabulary words in your book, it’s important to see how they’re used as naturally as possible.
Watch for new words in TV shows, movies, and other books. or you can add the words to your vocabulary lists in the fluentu language learning program: it will create flashcards, give you contextual definitions of those words, and find all the videos in your library where that vocabulary is mentioned, so you can see it in action .
Authentic fluentu videos, including trailers and clips from movies, music videos, commercials, and other native Spanish media, will give you plenty of context through these media cards. You can also study the words through the program’s personalized quizzes, which keep up with your learning and present you with questions that are most relevant to you.
where to find free spanish ebooks online
There are many different websites and formats to choose from. Every time you think you understand how vast the internet is, it honestly gets bigger.
to name a few websites:
- loyal books: loyal books is a free public domain audiobook and ebook download in a wide variety of genres and languages. the interface is in english so it might be good to start here for lower level speakers.
- Free Spanish eBooks: This is a Spanish site that requires free registration, but has a larger selection of Spanish books.
See Also: Our Favorite Science Fiction and Fantasy in Translation | Tor.com
They also send you weekly emails to remind you of their deals, so that could be a good way to keep up with your readings.
- gutenberg: the gutenberg project has nearly 50,000 free e-books for download. the interface may look dated, but I’m sure there are some great reads waiting to be found here!
- many books: many books has over 33,000 free e-books available for all e-reading formats and a wide variety of languages to choose from. they also ask you to sign up for an email list, which again could be a good reminder to keep up with your studies.
- amazon kindle books: everyone knows and loves amazon. they literally have it all and are as easy to use as social networking sites, and there are plenty of free and cheap options to be found.
if you didn’t already know, they have a section for free ebooks and if you just switch to the spanish version of the website, the free ebooks will be in spanish.
The easiest way is to download the Kindle reading app (available for desktops, tablets, and smartphones) and then transfer the files to your devices; mobi or epub files work. of course ebooks from amazon will go directly to your reading app.
free e-books in Spanish
My recommendations below are ordered from easiest to hardest, with approximate levels for each to give you an idea. however, they all have individual strengths and weaknesses, so feel free to jump to different levels!
1. “an elementary spanish reader” by earl stanley harrison
a1 | 123 pages
This Amazon eBook is made up of 21 short stories, all designed for the novice Spanish speaker. there’s even a vocabulary index in the back!
This is a good place to start because the stories are short, so you’re less likely to get discouraged.
2. “Mythology for children” by Fernán Caballero
a1 | 248 pages
Remember high school mythology class with all the battles, love triangles and magical creatures? well, this is a basic manual to give children an introduction to mythology.
It’s a bit more advanced than the elementary reader above, but it’s a good starting point as it’s designed for kids. Most of us are already somewhat familiar with Greek mythology, so some of the stories may be more understandable.
3. “fortune: story of a grateful dog” by enrique pérez escrich
a2 | 80 pages
Do you love animals? “fortuna” is probably the most popular dog story in Spanish. it makes for a pleasant read, it keeps the reader’s interest at all times and its language is clear and simple.
Pérez was a master of the serial story (or feuilleton) in which fictional dramas are characterized by an intense pace, an unlikely plot, and a psychological simplicity that make his works both entertaining and easy to understand.
4. “the strange works of paulino and eusebio” by eloy barba domínguez
a2 | 80 pages
This is a story about working for your dreams. It’s about two friends trying to become rock stars by buying the perfect drum set. however, they need money and the story follows all the odd jobs they find along the way.
This story is relatively short compared to the other suggestions, but it’s great for practicing past tenses. friendship, adventure, music. who could want more?
5. “short novels” by pedro antonio de alarcón
a2 | 251 pages
Written by acclaimed Andalusian author Pedro Antonio de Alarcón, these novels were originally published in 1882 and offer insight into the life and history of Spain.
See Also: Where to Buy Large Print Books for Visually Impaired Readers – OrCam
They are also short stories, making them easier for a new learner to follow. if you like historical fiction, this could be your choice!
6. “Spanish Short Stories for Beginners” by Louis Reinhardt and E.C. hills
b1
This collection contains multiple works by acclaimed Hispanic authors, including some poetry. this is another build you can jump through to find something that catches your eye.
I know the title says “beginners”, but the content includes the subjunctive and other advanced tenses, which I think is more suitable for learning at a b level.
7. “life of lazarillo de tormes” by anonymous
b1 | 85 pages
If you’ve taken formal Spanish literature classes during your studies, you’ve probably heard of the guide. This piece is the first known modern Spanish novel, and its author is considered the founder of the picaresque literary genre.
This style of prose describes the adventures of a low-class rogue hero who lives by his wits in a corrupt society. The story follows a little boy, a guide, who becomes the apprentice of a blind man, while he also serves other teachers.
8. “the three-cornered hat” by pedro antonio de alarcón
b2 | 283 pages
Written by the same author as the “Novelties” in #5, this story depicts the story of a wealthy magistrate in love with a miller’s wife and his attempts to seduce her. different century, same problems.
The story became so popular that it was eventually made into a ballet.
9. “Captain Poison” by Alarcón
b2 | 219 pages
another one from alarcón, this is the story of a famous fire eater. Set in mid-19th-century Spain and based on historical fact, the story follows a captain’s “taming” through love during a time of social change, eventually leading to the strengthening and rethinking of social principles. /p>
10. “don quixote” by miguel de cervantes
c1 | 425 pages
Considered a Spanish masterpiece, Miguel de Cervantes’ novel follows a nameless hidalgo who goes on an adventure under the name of Don Quixote, and is later joined by the farmer Sancho along the way.
Anyone with a c2 level is ready to peruse a bookstore and read like a native speaker!
so there you have it. a free and easy way to continue investing in your language education. Now get to work!
download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable pdf that you can take anywhere. click here for a copy. (download)
See Also: Download All John G. Lake Books PDF (1870 – 1935) The Preachers&039 Portal
