Dictionary Purchasing Information

All of my students will need a small, pocket-sized French-English dictionary. Save the money you would spend on a nicer, larger one for a little bit down the line in your French-learning career. At this point, you shouldn't spend more than $15 dollars for a nice, solid dictionary that will definitely get you through your first year or so of your French career.

My favorite brand is "Le Robert & Collins" because those are the two definitive dictionary providers for each language. As they work together, they produce a great translation dictionary. It looks like this:













However, it is not always easy to find in the US, even online, and when it is available, it costs more (around $30) because it is imported. If you can find that specific brand combo for a reasonable price, great.

Otherwise, just purchase the Collins brand at any Barnes & Noble.

I have a feeling that the Collins editions available in the US have the same entries as the one I mentioned earlier.

In general, though, any dictionary will do. However, try to avoid brands that aren't either English or French! Lagenscheit, for example, makes really cool looking dictionaries (yellow plastic cover), but they are the result of a German person translating something from English to French or vice versa...not a good idea!

Great English and French brands are: Larousse, Webster, and Oxford.

Level 2 students will also want to invest in a Verb Conjugation book. Ask me for details.

You know how I always say that looking words up is the first step towards learning them? That is definitely still true and you should always use a real dictionary to look up words. There is just something about flipping through hundreds of pages to find your word that counts as an "investment" and you end up remembering it a lot better than if I just tell you what it means of if you look it up online.

That being said, if you want to have a nice dictionary on your iPhone so that it's always handy and you don't to always be sure you have your dictionary with you, I definitely recommend this application. It's a little pricey, but worth it since you'll always have the best French-English dictionary at your fingertips. However, when at home doing your homework, use a real dictionary if you want the word to really "stick" in your brain...

les liens à deux bons sites

il y a deux bons sites pour les dictionnaires en lignes français:

http://www.linternaute.com/dictionnaire/fr/ (avec le conjugaison des verbes)
et
http://www.mediadico.com/dictionnaire/ (où on peut écouter aux définitions en français!)

Renseignez-vous et jouez sur ces sites formidables!