Customer Reviews

Langenscheidt's Pocket French Dictionary: French-English, English-French (Vinyl Edition)

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I had the opportunity to be a foreign exchange student in France from 1991-1992 and thankfully found this before I left. Not only is this a great dictionary but logistically you can actually take it with you. Many translation dictionaries are so big that taking with you while on vacation, a business trip or any other reason would not be possible because of it's size and weight but this fit into the pocket of my coat. It's a little too big to fit into the back pocket of your jeans but it's size is still small.

Overall this is a wonderful dictionary and one that I personally used extensively during my year and France and now use it again while trying to teach my daughters to speak french (the memory fades a bit after 13 years!)

Special Note: This is a new updated French/English English/French dictionary released in 2005. Previously the last update was in 1980 so be sure if you're shopping around to get the new version vs. the old version.

I'm a college professor, and I both use this dictionary myself and highly encourage my students to buy it.

It is absolutely the BEST small French-English dictionary I've found, and has many features of larger dictionaries at a reasonable cost (it's also much longer lasting than plain paper back dictionaries, of which I"ve seen many ratty copies--missing 1/2 of the "a" section-- in my career). While some smaller dictionaries offer not much more than one-word definitions for terms (which lead to many mistranslations), Langenscheidt's offers numerous contextual examples that help students choose the correct word, and also shows many idiomatic expressions.

An A+!

(Note: Langenscheidt's offers many sizes of dictionaries. This review applies only to the one list-priced at $13 .95. Some of the smaller versions are as incomplete as other dictionaries).

I've had this dictionary since high school and am still using it in University. It's great! The book cover IS different, plasticky. I've recently lost my copy and am now using a friend's Larousse French-English dictionary, it is not the same at all, the definitions are not as helpful, and it's bigger in size! go figure! So I guess I'll be buying a new copy now!

I bought this dictionary for a recent trip to rural France where few people speak English. This dictionary is very portable and the font type is very readable. It was small enough to carry in a purse or a waist pack. It is divided into two parts: French-English and English-French. I found it very helpful in deciphering road signs, menus, touring sites, brochures, and conversations. I consulted it daily. It contained most of the words that I wanted to translate either in English or French. Now back home, I use it regularly instead of my big French dictionary when reading French news and magazines. It has additional information about basic verb conjugations and a list of conjugations of common verbs. I highly recommend it.

If everything one might ever need from a foreign-language dictionary could be put in book form that fits in a pocket or purse, this is it. The Langenscheidt series is known for its concise format covering pronunciation, usage, idiomatic expressions, cross references and examples. The examples are particulary useful when determining how a particular word or expression fits into specific situations. There are also special sections dealing with proper names, weights and measures, numbers and abbreviations

I lost my Langenscheidt's French pocket dictionary the last day of a month's tour of Le Midi and I was devastated. Besides the compact size and solid construction, the French idioms and useful phrases are quite complete and easy to find as variants under the main roots. The chart of irregular verbs is very helpful. The type face is easy to read. When you open the book, it stays open. The use of a so-called universally recognized pronunciation chart is the only weakness. Most users of this book are not attuned to such symbols. It would be much more helpful if the words were spelled out phonetically.

Easier to use than the Larouse -- it just feels better. Whether it is the flex binding or the quality of the paper, you just get to the words sooner in the Langensheidt. The text is so complete that there is very little guilt in not going to the Unabridged Dictionaries, which are too ponderous to be consulted with ease.

I had the opportunity to be a foreign exchange student in France from 1991-1992 and thankfully found this before I left. Not only is this a great dictionary but logistically you can actually take it with you. Many translation dictionaries are so big that taking with you while on vacation, a business trip or any other reason would not be possible because of it's size and weight but this fit into the pocket of my coat. It's a little too big to fit into the back pocket of your jeans but it's size is still small.

The only complaint I had about it was the fact that there seemed to be some words left out. What I found after a while, however, was the words that were left out were relatively new words (words that started as slang but became part of the language). You have to keep in mind that this version of the French-English, English-French dictionary was released in 1980. There is a new version that was released in 2005 that I would recommend over this one if you want to have the most up to date version. This particular version will have 99% of the words you come across and as of today you can buy this used for under $1)

Overall this is a wonderful dictionary and one that I personally used extensively during my year and France and now use it again while trying to teach my daughters to speak french (the memory fades a bit after 13 years!)

This dictionary is the best French/English dictionary I have ever owned (I own 6 of them right now)! It is very user friendly and the size makes it very portable. Whether you're studying French for the first time or you just need to look up a word every now and then, this is the dictionary for you!

This dictionary is just the right size for carrying around while visiting France. It contains a lot of good translations and definitions galore. I am glad that I bought it for my next trip to france.