The Street-Wise Spanish Survival Guide: A Dictionary of Over 3,000 Slang Expressions, Proverbs, Idioms, and Other Tricky English and Spanish Words and Phrases Translated and Explained

I am a high-intermediate, low-advanced Spanish speaker living in Los Angeles, CA. I've had the opportunity to speak with many native Mexicans, both living here in the US and those still in Mexico. Comparing this book to say, the "Speaking Spanish Like A Native" pair of books and the Savvy Gringo books, as well as several other "street-wise" approaches, I rank this at the top of my list, both for its organization and its fidelity to the subtle meanings of Mexican Spanish. To give an example, from the Speaking Spanish Like A Native books I was given to believe that "¡Qué gacho!" means, "What a bummer!". Yet from using that phrase with Mexicans, I find it corresponds more often with how this book defines "gacho": a bad dude, not someone worth befriending.


It should be stressed that this book is aimed at the person who's interested in the nuances of Mexican Spanish, as the title of this review suggests. I'm sure it would serve as a useful book for general Spanish, but it excels in teasing out the everyday meanings in Mexico.

As for the organization of the book, it provides Spanish to English lists for phrases, English to Spanish lists for those phrases, lists of phrases that can stand alone, phrases that are usually accompanied by other clauses or structures, and phrases that are always accompanied by other clauses. Having tried so many other books, all of which have something to offer, it's my opinion that this book is the best place to jump into Mexican Spanish. ¡Ándale pues!

Have you ever been in a Spanish conversation where you just don't understand why everybody is laughing? This book can't explain every innuendo but will give you an understanding of the basic concepts behind common plays on words.

Do you already speak some conversational Spanish and wish to avoid sounding dumb? This book can help. Some words are fine in the classroom but inappropriate in some conversations. If you need to discuss eggs, don't use the word 'huevos', for example.

Are you planning to visit Mexico and need some blunt advice? This is also discussed. For example, when to bribe and how much. Answer: Best to have some friendly native arrange the details. It's too easy to insult the cop and end up in more trouble. But if you must, the phrase used is 'what can we do to take care of this situation?'

I can't vouch for the accuracy, since I'm a Spanish language enthusiast and not an authority, but I enjoyed it.

This book was printed in China. There are hundreds of other books on this subject printed in the US, Canada or Mexico. I know because I have over forty of them myself. Are we going to give yet another industry away to those wonderfull people who eat cats and dogs?
And no, I have nothing to do with the printing industry other than buying and reading lots of books.

Thanks!!
Tom