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Diccionario del estudiante (RAE) (Spanish Edition)

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Every intermediate and advanced student of Spanish, at some point, needs to add a monolingual dictionary to their basic arsenal of reference books, i.e., a dictionary that defines words using only Spanish, without the need for translation into other languages. Still, a good, monolingual dictionary is so much more than just a list of words with definitions: yes, it explains meanings of words, but it also provides students with extensive usage examples, addresses common dilemmas (e.g., the word listo to be used with SER or ESTAR?), and often provides synonyms of words (listo = inteligente).

There are dozens of monolingual dictionaries available on the market, and unfortunately most are really bad, virtually useless, and often quite expensive on top of that. Several are quite expensive, and awkward to use. The "Diccionario del estudiante" published as a result of a joint effort between the Real Academia Española and Santillana is the unquestionable king of the hill in this category. It is reasonably priced, big enough, so it lists most the entries that intermediate or even advanced students of contemporary Spanish language and literature may need, and it is also handy enough to be easily browsed.

The range of vocabulary covered here is extensive, and individual entries are very well and clearly written; each word is accessibly explained using fairly basic vocabulary (so even low-intermediate students will understand the definitions), and each definition is accompanied by a generous amount of well thought-out (i.e., illustrative and not generic) usage examples. The listing of words uses the so-called MODERN SORT, where ll/rr are not treated as separate entries, but fit within the letter l and r, respectively. Unlike so many other, poorly designed dictionaries, this one lists the necessary syntactic information for each word, including prepositional extensions of verbs (Esto no depende DE mí.), and adjectives (dependiente DE), and often includes common collocations for nouns (la conclusión: llegar a ~). Prepositional extensions are one of the most difficult aspects of vocabulary, since they are arbitrary and unpredictable, and therefore are impossible to guess even for fairly advanced students. For example, Eng. "to look for" does not translate into Span. *"buscar por" - buscar requires no prepositional extension in Spanish. Additionally, prepositional extensions often change between verbs and other parts of speech derived from them. This dictionary has it ALL covered.

One of this dictionary's unique features is the inclusion of the pronunciation key for words that may cause problems for learners and native speakers alike. Most dictionaries assume that Spanish words are pronounced the way they are spelled; but this rule does not hold true for many recently imported words of foreign origin: for example, "handicap," although still spelled in Spanish with an h, is pronounced as [jandicap] and not as [andicap], which this dictionary points out. It also indicates that the word is a recently imported Anglicism, and it provides useful, and better alternatives for each of its several meanings.

IN SUMMARY: The best single-volume monolingual dictionary on the market today ('09), with clear definitions, usage tips, syntactic info, and common collocations. An absolute, essential must for any serious student of Spanish, and with its clear, two-color, easy-to-read layout, it's a real pleasure to use. Oh, and unlike many others in this category, it's actually affordable for an average student.

I really recommend this dictionary, and not only as a resource for students of Spanish but for Spanish speakers generally. I am a native Spanish speaker, and it is currently my preferred single-volume dictionary in the market. What stands out the most is the fact that there are plenty of usage examples for each word, and in them words that are necessarily used in association with others are highlighted (think of the need to say "married to" in English; the "to" would appear capitalized in this dictionary, to signal that "to" must be used when "married" is used with such a meaning). This is a constant source of mistakes in Spanish, as the also wonderful Diccionario Panhispánico de Dudas demonstrates (the DPD is also a must-have for committed Spanish speakers). These two features (recurrent usage examples, and showing words necessarily used in conjunction with others), which make up some of the main strengths of the Diccionario del Estudiante, are sorely absent from the heftier Diccionario de la Real Academia Española (DRAE).

This is a wonderful dictionary for the intermediate and advanced
student. It's big advantage over others in its class is its many examples.
Each word form is followed by a useful phrase or sentence.
Be aware though it's an all Spanish dictionary.

It is so worthwhile having a Spanish language dictionary (instead of an English-Spanish translation dictionary), and this one is very good. Simple but thorough, with lots of usage examples. I haven't checked out all the grammar info in the back yet, but just having this handy as I read has already given my vocabulary a huge booster shot. I love this dictionary!

This is an invaluable resource if you are in college studying Spanish language or literature.

This diccionario is excellent! It is entirely in Spanish, so there are more opportunities to learn more even as I look up simple word definitions. Get this dictionary!