This article may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. For full information, please see the disclaimer here.
Remember those marvelous creations you’d make in your early years? The cardboard boxes and tissue paper stuck with glue and covered with paint? I bet your teachers praised your ideas and composition and never mentioned the glue that held it all together.
That’s how we can view grammar when learning a foreign language. The vocabulary and phrases are your cardboard boxes and tissue paper, and the grammar is your glue. The paint? Perhaps that’s your accent.
Nevertheless, what I’m trying to convey with this analogy is that grammar is supplemental. It’s not the main component of your language learning, but that doesn’t mean it’s not important. Essentially, grammar is what holds it all together and makes it all meaningful.
Let’s remember though, grammar isn’t as easy as putting a spatula in some PVA. It can be difficult to grasp and takes some effort before the rules are embedded.
Often, general Spanish learning books include grammar as a side note, but if you’re really keen to perfect your “glue,” you’re going to need a Spanish grammar dictionary or grammar book for Spanish.
In this article, we’ll introduce 12 of the best Spanish grammar books. We’ll mainly focus on the best Spanish books for beginners but will also look at ones for intermediate and advanced levels.
Best Spanish grammar books for beginners
As a beginner, learning grammar can be daunting and the last thing you want is to start sitting down with a huge Spanish grammar dictionary full of all sorts of things that you don’t need to learn yet.
Here are seven best Spanish grammar books that have beginners in mind.
1. Practice Makes Perfect: Complete Spanish Grammar
This book covers the most important grammar points that beginner Spanish learners will master. The book really does embody its ‘practice makes perfect’ stance as it contains 2,500 practice questions as well as 26 grammar lessons.
Essentially, this is a hands-on approach to learning Spanish grammar and contains clear explanations with practical examples.
This book is best for:
- Those who prefer clear explanations
- People who want to combine grammar learning with audio support (online or on the mobile app)
- People who want to do lots of practice exercises.
2. Spanish Complete Grammar, Verbs and Vocabulary
This Collins book is a 3-in-1 reference book that contains grammar and verbs as well as vocabulary. This is designed for beginners no matter whether they’re school students, adult learners, or those learning for leisure or work.
The grammar section is well-laid out with key points highlighted for reinforcement. There are lots of real-life examples and a great glossary explaining grammar terminology.
What’s more, there are 120 Spanish verbs fully conjugated on their own double-page spread. There are idiomatic phrases and major constructions included as well as real examples.
This book is best for:
- Beginners who want a clear guide.
- Those who love grammar when it’s put into context and examples.
- People who like learning about idioms in grammatical structures.
3. Spanish Grammar for Beginners
This book is ideal for beginners as it both a textbook and a workbook. The content is broken down into twenty-five lessons and there are over 200 grammar exercises too.
This book is best for:
- People who want a grammar reference book as well as linked exercises
- Improving your Spanish grammar in an accessible way
- Beginners or those who want to go back to basics as a refresher.
4. No Nonsense Spanish Workbook
This ‘no nonsense’ approach to Spanish grammar is what makes it one of the best Spanish grammar books for beginners. This is designed in such a way that those who don’t enjoy traditional learning methods will get something out of this book.
The book contains ‘take-it-apart’ grammar sections, verb charts, quizzes at the end of each chapter, and more.
This book is best for:
- People who don’t like traditional learning methods
- Beginners who want to progress to intermediate level in the future
- Those who like things broken down into manageable chunks.
5. Spanish Verbs Made Easy Workbook
If you’re looking for a Spanish grammar book that focuses on verbs, this is a great one. There are conjugations, verb lessons, and many examples.
The book also has hi-res images to help with understanding.
This book is best for:
- People who want to focus on verbs
- Those who want a variety of different exercise types.
- Learners who want an in-depth answer section.
6. Beginning Spanish Grammar: A Practical Guide to 100+ Essential Skills
This Spanish grammar book is ideal for beginners as it has a clear guide that explains concepts clearly. The approach is unintimidating with each chapter presenting one specific grammar point, which is then followed by practice exercises.
The book covers gender, adjectives, articles, possessives, and verb tenses and is a great pre-cursor to the intermediate and advanced books by the same author.
This book is best for:
- Those who want to cover the very basics without being overwhelmed by the more advanced grammar points
- People who want a book that is in a series (intermediate and advanced books are available)
- Learners looking for a bite-sized approach to grammar topics.
7. Basic Spanish: A Grammar and Workbook
No products found.
This book contains twenty grammar topics in realistic contexts. It is an accessible grammar reference and workbook that is easy to follow. The topics progress nicely through the book and each section has examples and exercises for reinforcement.
This book is best for:
- People who want authentic texts in a grammar book
- Those seeking reference to Latin American Spanish
- Learners who want a reference book that they won’t ‘grow out’ of.
Best Spanish grammar books for intermediates
If you’ve been learning Spanish for a while, you might want to look into more difficult grammar concepts than basic guides offer. In this section, we’ll show you two grammar books with intermediate learners in mind.
8. Intermediate Spanish Grammar
No products found.
This intermediate Spanish grammar book is the 2nd in the series from McGraw-Hill Education. It is written in clear Spanish and has English for key concepts. The chapters each focus on an individual topic and have exercises to practise at the end.
The book covers, gender, adjectives, articles, possessives, and tenses in greater depth. There are 116 different units, each on a double spread, and there are over 400 different grammar exercises.
This book is best for:
- Learners who have worked through the McGraw-Hill beginner book
- Those who want to learn grammar in more depth
- People with a basic knowledge of Spanish grammar already.
9. Practice Makes Perfect: Intermediate Spanish Grammar
This book delves a little deeper and goes into Spanish grammar in greater depth. Despite this, the language used is easy-to-understand and concise. The book covers and builds upon the learner’s understanding of moods and tenses too.
This book is best for:
- People who like realistic examples
- Learners who want to compare the language to English grammar usage
- Those who are looking for extensive, engaging practice activities.
Best Spanish grammar books for advanced learners
As promised, we’ll also introduce you to three grammar books Spanish advanced learners can enjoy. Let’s take a look:
10. A New Reference Grammar of Modern Spanish
No products found.
This is the fifth edition of the Butt & Benjamin Spanish grammar book and has been updated to include up-to-date information from the Royal Spanish Academy’s La Nueva Grramática de la lengua Española.
This book is loved by students and teachers alike and is aimed at those studying in greater depth – like university-level. It also contains references to Latin American Spanish and includes up-to-date vocabulary.
This book is best for:
- University students
- People who want an in-depth grammar reference book
- Teachers of Spanish.
11. Practice Makes Perfect: Advanced Spanish Grammar
This book is the third in the ‘Practice Makes Perfect’ series.
It focuses on the nuances of the language and tackles things like adjectives used as adverbs, quantity determiners, subject pronouns and their omission, prepositions, and more besides.
This book is best for:
- University students
- People who have completed the beginner and intermediate book
- Teachers who want an in-depth book to share with students.
12. Collins Advanced Spanish Grammar with Practice Exercises
With up-to-date coverage of the Spanish language, this grammar book is designed for college and university students who need to know the more intricate parts of Spanish grammar.
The layouts are user-friendly and have illustrative examples with practice exercises for reinforcement.
This book is best for:
- College and university students who need more in-depth knowledge
- Teachers who want an up-to-date reference
- Anyone who enjoys the Collins style and layout.
Conclusion
There are so many different Spanish grammar books out there that it can be difficult to know where to start. The best thing to do is determine your level (beginner, intermediate, or advanced) and choose one of the ones we’ve recommended. You can also use apps, podcasts, and other Spanish learning resources to guide you on your journey.
Good luck!
Top Spanish grammar books for language learners – Pin it!
There must be booksellers you ca. recommend that are not affiliated with Amazon?
Hi, Barbara! You can try Better World Books instead 🙂