Spanish language information resources

If you need help, please contact Ivana Niseteo, Liaison Librarian for English, French, French Programs (FASS), Global Humanities, Linguistics, and World Languages & Literatures at 778.782.6838 or iniseteo@sfu.ca or Ask a librarian

Background

Spanish is a Romance language, spoken in Spain and 22 other countries, with approximately 470 million speakers.  [Reed more in Omniglot].

The World Factbook - Select a Spanish speaking country to get information about its history, people, geography, environment, communications, etc.

Easy reads

  • Short stories in Spanish (parallel text in Spanish and English) [print]
  • The leper bishop = El obispo leproso / by Gabriel Miró (parallel text in Spanish and English) [print]
  • Stories from Mexico = Historias de México (parallel text in Spanish and English) [print]

SFU library has a small number of easy books in Spanish, such as fairy tales, children's books and short stories.  You can try browsing the Curriculum Collection: in the Library Catalogue / Advanced Search, type in 'Spanish', select 'Books' as a 'Resource Type', and on the left-hand side under 'Location' select 'Curriculum Collection'.  

Public libraries usually have a larger selection of easy books. Check, for example, the Vancouver Public Library and search in 'Call numbers' by SPA J, or SPA J FIC.

Movies in Spanish

To find a movie at the SFU Library, use the Catalogue / Advanced Search.  In the 'Resource Type' choose 'Videos', in the 'Subject field' type in 'feature films' and add a keyword 'Spanish'.

A selection of movies available at the SFU library:

  • Amores perros (Love's a Bitch) [DVD]
  • Cría cuervos [DVD]
  • El espíritu de la colmena [DVD]
  • Fresa y chocolate (Strawberry & chocolate) [DVD]
  • La historia oficial (The official story) [DVD]
  • Lengua de las mariposas [Butterfly] [DVD]
  • Kamchatka [DVD]
  • El laberinto del fauno (Pan's Labyrinth) [DVD]
  • No habrá más penas ni olvido (Funny Dirty Little War). Argentina, c2001. [DVD]
  • Relatos salvajes [DVD]
  • Un cuento chino [DVD]
  • Y tu mamá también, c2002. [DVD]

Films by Pedro Almodóvar:

  • Carne trémula (Live flesh), 2000. [DVD]
  • La flor de mi secreto (The flower of my secret), 2000. [DVD]
  • Hable con ella (Talk to her). [DVD]
  • La ley del deseo (The law of desire), c2007. [DVD]
  • La mala educación (Bad education), c2007. [DVD]
  • Matador, c2007. [DVD]
  • Todo sobre mi madre (All about my mother), c2007. [DVD]
  • Volver, c2007. [DVD]

Newspapers and radio stations

Dictionaries

  • WordReference - Spanish dictionary and an active language forum where you can ask native speakers questions about grammar, style, expressions, translations, etc. Recommended!
  • Collins Spanish dictionary [print]
  • The Oxford-Duden pictorial Spanish-English dictionary [print]
  • The Facts on File English-Spanish visual dictionary [print]
  • The Oxford paperback Spanish dictionary [print]

Grammar and writing

Public libraries have a good selection of audio tapes for learning and practicing Spanish. Search, for example, the Vancouver Public Library catalogue by Subjects: 'Spanish language--Sound recordings for English speakers'; 'Spanish language--Spoken Spanish--Interactive multimedia'; 'Spanish language--Study and teaching--English speakers'.

Pronunciation

Useful websites

  • Easy Spanish: Learn Spanish From the Streets!
  • lingQ by Steve Kaufmann, Vancouver, BC - Books, podcasts, news, sports, entertainment, food, culture; audio lessons with matching transcripts.
  • Learning and teaching Spanish - History, culture, pronunciation, vocabulary, writing skills, grammar.
  • Learn Spanish with SpanishPod101.com
  • SpanishDict - Spanish-English dictionary, translation, and learning website
  • StudySpanish.com
  • Ver Taal - Vocabulary, grammar, listening exercises, movie trailers, reports, and cultural information with transcripts to follow along.

Fun section