The entire course in Nuevo Ele 2 is in Spanish which really gets you immersed in the language but it can be tough if you are a complete beginner. Thus, I wouldn’t really recommend this text to someone who is coming to Spanish for the first time. As it is Nuevo Ele 2, it is unlikely that you will be a complete beginner as you may have already completed Nuevo Ele 1 (the authors assume this), so you should at least have some knowledge of the language in order to get the best from this book. Students will benefit from having a teacher when working through this book since much of the vocabulary will be new and it takes a lot of time to look everything up in the dictionary. However, there are exercises you can do on your own by listening to the CD or answering the questions about the text.
The book is split into three sections, and each section is split into five lessons. At the beginning of each section there is some information on what you are going to learn. This is followed by a brief description and explanation of the grammar and vocabulary structures you are going to use. Next come several different activities and question-and-answer sections to teach and test you on the topic in question. The exercises and activities are varied and the authors work hard to keep you motivated. At the end of the section is a test designed to see how much the student knows and where they need to work on to improve their skills.
I like the sections dealing with different aspects of the language as it is spoken in Spain and Latin America. These sections also provide cultural background to different topics concerning these countries, making for an interesting vocabulary practice as well as a test of your understanding of written Spanish.
The book doesn’t contain many vocabulary lists and it lacks a certain amount of flair when it comes to the design, although it is colorful – most of the pages look old-fashioned. You also miss out on detailed explanations of grammar structures and use. The authors perhaps assume that a teacher will fill in what is missing but this is not entirely helpful for someone looking for a complete learning experience.
"The book doesn’t contain many vocabulary lists and it lacks a certain amount of flair when it comes to the design."
The CD can also be difficult to understand because the voice actors speak very fast. Again, this assumes you already have some experience learning Spanish – or you are working with a native teacher - in order to be able to catch what native speakers are saying. Choose this book if you are a teacher with an intermediate class, or a learner with some grounding in the Spanish language. Nuevo Ele 2 is a good quality course but you definitely benefit from working with a teacher to get the best from the book.
