If you are learning French, then a dictionary will be one of your must-have learning materials. The dictionary will help decode unknown words, advise you on word usage and even help with conjugation.
Increasingly, dictionaries are moving online, often as applications for a smartphone or electronic note pad. Despite this, I’d like to make a stand for the paper dictionary.
You can take the non-electronic dictionary anywhere, it’s easily accessible, doesn’t rely on internet access and never runs out of power. It also looks good on the bookshelf with your other French books.
The Collins Easy Learning French Dictionary (2009) is a classic English-French dictionary that is a good choice for beginners comfortable in English.
Coming in at a little over 600 pages, this softback dictionary is small enough to carry to class, yet big enough to hold sufficient vocabulary for early learners.
The bulk of the book is divided into French and English sections. Look in the French section if you have a French word you need to know the meaning of. Alternatively, look in the English section if you want to translate an English word into French.
The pages have an easy-to-read format. Target words are in bold blue in the French section and bold black in the English section. The explanatory text is in black in the French section and blue in the English section.
Apart from direct translations, the dictionary also gives information about gender and the type of word (noun adjective, etc.) and provides expressions and examples of how to use a word or expression in a sentence. For example, « remarquer » is defined as « to notice ». The accompanying sample sentence is: « J’ai remarqué qu’elle avait l’air triste, » meaning « I noticed she was looking sad. »
There is also a guide to grammar with useful conjugation tables. Another section includes handy snippets including a map of France, and subject-oriented French-English translations such as relationships and feelings, describing someone, time, numbers and writing letters and emails.
This is a great dictionary for beginning learners of French. A word of caution however: Try not to overuse the dictionary. When reading a French text, try to guess what a word means from the context. Alternatively, just try to pick up the sense of a sentence or paragraph – initially it’s not necessary to know what every word means.
Summary advice: Use the dictionary as one of your language comprehension tools, but don’t overuse it.
Increasingly, dictionaries are moving online, often as applications for a smartphone or electronic note pad. Despite this, I’d like to make a stand for the paper dictionary.
You can take the non-electronic dictionary anywhere, it’s easily accessible, doesn’t rely on internet access and never runs out of power. It also looks good on the bookshelf with your other French books.
The Collins Easy Learning French Dictionary (2009) is a classic English-French dictionary that is a good choice for beginners comfortable in English.
Coming in at a little over 600 pages, this softback dictionary is small enough to carry to class, yet big enough to hold sufficient vocabulary for early learners.
The bulk of the book is divided into French and English sections. Look in the French section if you have a French word you need to know the meaning of. Alternatively, look in the English section if you want to translate an English word into French.
The pages have an easy-to-read format. Target words are in bold blue in the French section and bold black in the English section. The explanatory text is in black in the French section and blue in the English section.
Apart from direct translations, the dictionary also gives information about gender and the type of word (noun adjective, etc.) and provides expressions and examples of how to use a word or expression in a sentence. For example, « remarquer » is defined as « to notice ». The accompanying sample sentence is: « J’ai remarqué qu’elle avait l’air triste, » meaning « I noticed she was looking sad. »
There is also a guide to grammar with useful conjugation tables. Another section includes handy snippets including a map of France, and subject-oriented French-English translations such as relationships and feelings, describing someone, time, numbers and writing letters and emails.
This is a great dictionary for beginning learners of French. A word of caution however: Try not to overuse the dictionary. When reading a French text, try to guess what a word means from the context. Alternatively, just try to pick up the sense of a sentence or paragraph – initially it’s not necessary to know what every word means.
Summary advice: Use the dictionary as one of your language comprehension tools, but don’t overuse it.
