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A New Reference Grammar of modern Spanish 3rd Edition (Routledge Reference Grammars)

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'A New Reference Grammar of Modern Spanish' is widely recognised as the standard English-language reference grammar of Spanish. It provides teachers, students and other users of Spanish with a comprehensive, accessible and jargon-free guide to the forms and structures of the Spanish currently spoken and written in Spain and Latin America.



This new edition has been updated throughout, with new material on points of particular interest to English-speaking learners. A host of new examples has been introduced, drawing on contemporary Spanish, and where possible contrasting Peninsular with Latin American usage. The most common levels of usage (formal, colloquial, familiar and popular) are distinguished, and special attention has been given to student needs, with extended explanations of difficult grammatical points.

592 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1989

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About the author

John Butt

86 books6 followers
Translator of Voltaire

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5 stars
92 (66%)
4 stars
31 (22%)
3 stars
12 (8%)
2 stars
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
Profile Image for Mahin.
72 reviews9 followers
February 1, 2019
I’ve borrowed the fifth edition of this title from the library so many times that it might as well be a part of my personal collection. When I learnt that a sixth edition was to be released, I knew I had to buy it. (Incidentally, the publisher Routledge sells it on their site and there was a Boxing Day sale at the time.)

There have been a few changes from the previous edition. In particular, the addition of advice for speakers of Romance languages is welcome. As a francophone, learning Spanish has been easier in some respects; but Spanish is very much its own language and mistakenly importing grammatical concepts from French has led to negative interference, in my case. The authors did an excellent job of indicating where these bifurcations occur.

Also welcome was the addition of examples from Latin America. Though this is an English book focusing, rightly, on peninsular Spanish, one cannot dispute the importance of Latin America on Spanish today. The previous edition did have several Mexican examples, but the authors did a great job of adding examples from the Southern Cone (for which I am delighted as I’m learning the Rioplatense dialect).


This is the most comprehensive - and well written - reference on Spanish grammar. I highly recommend this book to anyone learning Spanish, irrespective of the dialect one chooses to learn.
Profile Image for Isabelle.
32 reviews5 followers
March 11, 2024
This grammar book is so impressive in its scope, its plethora of detailed examples, and in the recognition of the nuances of Spanish across different countries. I literally read this for fun and came out learning a lot from it. I will 100% use this as reference for years to come.
Profile Image for Michael.
165 reviews11 followers
April 15, 2012
Hardly a page-turner, but an extremely thorough treatise on Spanish grammar. There's one hell of a lot of trees in this fuckin' forest, and the authors painstakingly observe everyone. Occasionally the example sentences are pretty funny. You certainly don't need this book if you're not an advanced learner or bilingual (perhaps knowing Spanish from home but not school).
267 reviews19 followers
August 11, 2018
5 stars

I mean, it's pretty clear that this is THE authoritative Spanish-language reference grammar, coming especially useful for those learners of Spanish from English looking for a comprehensive review of grammar, and by God they'll get it. There is nothing in any facet not touched upon in this edition, and from having a quick glance at the fifth edition, there's even more detail to cover.
Profile Image for Jayde.
13 reviews
June 17, 2024
This is probably one of the best books I have purchased in my Spanish learning journey. A bit pricey but highly recommended! Good explanations and deep dives into grammar concepts.
Profile Image for Mahin.
72 reviews9 followers
December 26, 2018
This is the best book on Spanish grammar. It's aimed toward intermediate learners and above, but I think that a beginner with a Romance-language background would be able to benefit from it as well. This is a compendium of basically everything there is to know about Spanish grammar and it's written very succinctly too. I highly recommend purchasing this book.
Profile Image for Jeannette.
8 reviews1 follower
July 5, 2012
Used this book for an advanced grammar course in college. Very good explanations. Years later, I still keep this book close at hand.
Profile Image for Hunter.
7 reviews
May 3, 2025
Beginners beware!
Widely regarded as the most comprehensive Spanish grammar resource. It leaves no stone unturned. It's a great reference for diving deep into grammar areas you have problems with.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews

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