I moved to Spain not long ago and have been wanting to learn Spanish systematically. Otherwise, running errands and shopping is a real struggle, and it’s just so inconvenient. Taking a class wasn’t flexible enough for my schedule, so I decided to start self-studying from the A1 level. But when I searched for textbooks online, I was completely overwhelmed. ‘Modern Spanish,’ ‘Español en Marcha,’ ‘Aula’… so many series were recommended, and I had no idea where to begin.
After a lot of painful indecision and trying different things, I’ve finally figured a few things out. Today, I’m posting to share my insights with fellow forum members, hoping it can help others who are also at the beginner stage of self-study. I focused my research on the three most popular textbook series on the market. Each has its own focus; there’s no absolute best or worst, it’s all about finding what suits your learning style.
Textbook Comparison and Analysis
To make it clearer for everyone, I’ve created a simple table to compare the features of these books:
| Textbook Title | Key Features | Best For |
|---|
| ‘Modern Spanish’ | Very complete and rigorous grammar system, detailed explanations | Students aiming for systematic learning and a solid grammar foundation |
| ‘Español en Marcha’ | Focuses on listening, speaking, and daily conversation with practical scenarios | Learners who want to start speaking quickly and handle everyday interactions |
| ‘Aula Internacional’ | Taught entirely in Spanish, immersive learning, rich with images and text | Self-learners with some language background or those who prefer an immersive environment |
Personally, I ended up choosing ‘Español en Marcha’ as my main textbook. My primary goal was to be able to ‘survive’ in Spain as quickly as possible—things like going to the supermarket, the bank, and greeting my neighbors. The lessons in this book are based on these real-life scenarios, so you can use what you learn immediately, which is very rewarding. Its grammar explanations are a bit scattered, but for the A1 level, especially for someone learning Spanish A1 for free, it’s more than enough. I supplement it with some grammar apps, and the combination works really well.
As for ‘Modern Spanish,’ it feels more like a university textbook—very academic. If you want to approach Spanish as a serious academic discipline, it’s definitely the top choice. But for someone like me who just wants a quick introduction, especially when self-studying for DELE A1, it was a bit daunting at first and the progress felt slow. ‘Aula’ is used by many language schools and the content is great, but for a beginner starting from scratch, the full-immersion Spanish environment might be a bit overwhelming when you’re self-studying Spanish, and it requires more perseverance. In conclusion, everyone should choose based on their own goals. I hope my little bit of experience helps you all! Feel free to share any other useful learning resources you’ve found!
