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As a professional Spanish language teacher, and as a learner of several languages, I regularly look for new dictionaries for myself and for my students.
The number of dictionaries on the market is quite overwhelming, and there are new ones coming out every month, so choosing the right one can be very time-consuming. These seven tips will help you find quickly the best dictionary for your needs.
7 tips on how to buy a dictionary
- To avoid frustration, get a dictionary with a high number of entries, roughly, no fewer than 60,000, if you’re planning to read and write in the new language.
- Always get a dictionary with full sentence examples. Single word translations are OK as a quick reference in phrasebooks, but for studying and reading you need to see words in context.
- Make sure the dictionary you’ve chosen is a recent publication so you can get new words and expressions related to gadgets, communications, transport, computers, etc.
- If you’re going to carry it around, check that it has a portable size. If it’s too big, you’ll soon find it awkward to take it with you and will be tempted to leave it behind.
- All good dictionaries have a few pages on grammar that will help you understand how verbs, gender, describing words, word order, etc., work in the new language, and how they compare with English.
- To save yourself time and energy, get a dictionary that links conjugated verb forms and their infinitives. For instance, it should link ‘to be’ with entries to ‘am’, ‘are’, ‘is’, etc.
- Ideally, get a dictionary that gives you information on the geographical use of phrases and words. This will avoid misunderstandings and even the accidental use of swearwords.
The author of these tips is by Maria Fernandez, an experienced Spanish teacher and creator of our Learn Spanish At Your Onw Pace, Spanish for Kids, Spanish Podcasts for Beginners, and other language learning courses.
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