VIC LANGUAGES


My Books



Here is where my training in Linguistics and my experience teaching languages converge. Throughout my years of teaching, I saw many students struggling with grammar rules that were explained in their textbooks and that they were told to memorize. This way of learning was not really effective. So very early on, I began writing materials to clarify concepts and rules for my students or to present the grammatical system in a completely new way. This led me, over the years, to write the books I posted below, some of which were coauthored with Arie Vicente.



The Written Accent Marks in Spanish


Have you ever had doubts on when to write e with accent in Spanish? or i with accent in Spanish? Why is Mario without accent, but María carries one? or when to use a with accent, or o with accent? Why is joven without accent, but jóvenes needs one?

You will find answers in The Written Accent Marks in Spanish.

And no, we don't need to memorize accented words, nor to remember what "aguda, llana, esdrújula y sobresdrújula" mean. The premise of this book is that there are no rules for writing the accent marks. There are, however, rules for speaking and placing the stress--oral emphasis given to certain syllables in speech. In this book you will find:

  • Explanations in English
  • Multiple examples in Spanish
  • Differences between Spanish and English
  • Exercises for practice
  • If you wish to delve deeper, look for boxes named “FOR MORE.”

Whether you are a Spanish learner or a teacher who wants to teach this topic in a simple way, this book is for you.


Buy it on Amazon

Spanish Grammar for Independent Learners



A complete reference grammar book of Spanish.

Readers on Amazon call it "one of the best." Among its qualities are "precision, organization, clarity," and a different approach to tricky grammar points, such as por vs para, pretérito vs imperfecto, and much more. Some of the features are:

  • Explanations provided in English, examples translated, for easy understanding
  • Completely cross-referenced for quick access to further information if needed
  • Summary charts for an overview of each topic
  • Complete conjugation tables for immediate access to verb forms
  • Appendix with a list of more than one thousand verbs with their complement structure
  • Self-correction strategies to help users diagnose and correct their own errors, as they learn the language and use it to communicate their thoughts orally and in writing.

This book is a good companion to any language textbook and a useful tool for learners and teachers alike.


Buy it on Amazon

Spanish TOPT Study Book


This book was originally designed for the preparation of the Texas Oral Proficiency Test.

The test has changed, but the book is still a good tool to help learners develop oral proficiency in Spanish in a fast and effective manner. It is best used in conversation classes or independent work for intermediate to advanced learners, with:

  • 15 communicative functions: give directions, describe, narrate in present, past, and future time, give instructions, state advantages/disadvantages, give a brief factual summary, support an opinion, hypothesize, speak with tact, persuade someone, propose and defend a course of action, give a professional talk, give advice.
  • Vocabulary, grammatical structures, discourse strategies, and practice situations for each function.
  • Tips for independent learning, a TOPT Culture Guide on Hispanic Culture, and a few newspaper articles on topics relevant to 15 functions.
  • Two CD's with oral exercises for practice and reinforcement.

Great, used in combination with the Spanish Grammar for Independent Learners.


Out of print

Spanish Workbooks


This is a set of workbooks that were developed to accompany the Spanish Grammar for Independent Learners (SGIL).


SGIL Workbook (147 pages) is an intermediate level exercise book which follows the general perspective adopted in SGIL. The exercises are sequenced from understanding the concepts to mastering the forms and integrating them into full communication.


Subjuntivo (53 pages) exclusively focuses on the uses of the Spanish subjunctive in all its tenses. Starting with the concept of mode and the difference between indicativo and subjuntivo, we move to communicative exercises using the subjuntivo.


Pretérito & Imperfecto (53 pages) elucidates the difference between these two tenses, with exercises on identifying the concepts of event and background. We then work on building full stories, using all tenses of the indicative.


Auto-corrección (53 pages) builds the step-by-step strategy that will help the learner to identify his/her own errors and correct them.

Out of print



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