Customer Reviews

The University of Chicago Spanish Dictionary, Fifth Edition, Spanish-English, English-Spanish: Universidad de Chicago Diccionario Espanol-Ingles, Ingles-Espanol

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I have looked hard and long at many different Spanish dictionaries to find the best one. I had never been fully satisfied with any previous dictionary -- until now. This new edition is by far the best, most useful, and easiest to use Spanish dictionary ever. There are several important reasons why I say this.

First, right after each Spanish word, it has an easy to read and simple abbreviation in upper case letters to describe the word either as an adjective (ADJ), adverb (ADV), masculine noun (M), femminine noun (F), transitive verb (VT), intransitive verb (VI), etc. This is also done with the English side, with the exception of using N (not M or F) to describe the noun.

Second, if a word has multiple meanings, which most do, it gives an example of each usage in parenthesis, and then the correct word to use. Here is an example for the word "check":
(stop) refrenar; (restrain) reprimir; (hand over luggage) facturar; (hand over coat) dejar; (verify) verificar; Am chequear; (in chess) dar jaque

Third, you may have noticed in the above example the "Am", which in the book is actually italicized. This refers to the (Latin) American usage of the word chequear. Contrary to the first reviewer, this dictionary does have regional usages, including those for (Latin) America, Spain, Mexico, and Rio de la Plata.

Fourth, and maybe the most helpful, and useful aspect, are the multiple idiomatic usages of each word which are included at the end of each word entry. (I should note that each listed word in the dictionary, and the idiomatic phrases are in bold face, which makes things even easier). Here are the ones for the word "cheap" (I added the / mark, which is not in the book):
life is -- there /la vida no vale nada alli; talk is -- /hablar no cuesta nada; to feel -- /sentirse despreciable; -- shot/ golpe bajo; --skate/ tacaño -ña

Fifth, are the many new words used today in both English and Spanish involving technology, pop culture, medicine, science, and other modern usages. Also, many common vulgar terms and idioms are included, which are marked by the abbreviations "pej" for pejorative and "vulg" for vulgar.

For all those who have never been fully satisfied with the Spanish dictionaries they own, or who are looking for the best one to buy, this is MUST HAVE!!!

The Chicago dictionary and I have been together ever since its third edition, which was the best of its day. The fourth edition set a standard that I have not seen equalled. The fifth edition is a great disappointment, a wastrel son that has squandered the intellectual capital bequeathed him by his forebears.

Gone are all the fine distinctions that make a language not simply intelligible but meaningful. Gone are the phonology and history of the language that gave structure to our understanding. Gone are the regional precisions that, in this day of continent-wide cable TV emanating from Buenos Aires, Caracas, Mexico City, Miami, and Los Angeles, become ever more important.

On the bright side, the fifth edition's typography, while cramped, is easier to read.

But I can recommend the Chicago no longer. The fifth is decidedly for the short-attention-span crowd. If you don't want a dictionary written for elementary students, either get the fourth edition or look to a different publisher.

Let's try it out, on today's news stories:

El Pais: "Al Qaeda REIVINDICA los ataques [de 7 de julio a Londres]

REIVINDICAR, according to U of C Spanish Dictionary, means

"vindicate". Maybe we should try Oxford's gloss: "demand", "restore", "CLAIM RESPONSIBILITY FOR (atentado)".

El Pais: "La trascendencia de este proceso es evidente, ya que es el primero que se ha celebrado en España contra presuntos terroristas islamistas ..."

TRASCENDENCIA, according to U of C S D means "transcendence". You think so? Try "significance" or "importance", which is what the Oxford Spanish Dictionary says it means.

And you can multiply examples of this kind of business. A high school Spanish student would get marked down, flunked maybe, for guessing at words like this. I used the Oxford Spanish Dictionary for comparison, but you can do better than the University of Chicago Spanish Dictionary without going so far.

Check out the other reviewers. This book is the only one they've reviewed. Shills, I'd say. Probably the grad students who did the leg work.

In this new edition the editors eliminated the greater part of the indications of regional usage. This had been one of the great selling points of the earlier editions of the University of Chicago Spanish Dictionary. In their introduction there is some explanation to the effect that tracing regional usage is "notoriously difficult". It is true that good lexicography is "notoriously difficult" and if the editors find it too difficult, they should go into another business.
In addition, the number of entries has been reduced. Anyone who has used a dictionary on the ground knows that smaller dictionaries are poorer dictionaries. Some of the space saved was used on parenthetical guide-words which distinguish separate meanings. This sounds like a fine idea but in practice the editors use it compulsively, in places where it really isn't necessary.
Those who need a Spanish dictionary may want to get the older editions of this dictionary or one of the larger editions of Larousse.

I bought this dictionary because my teacher recommended it. I like it, it's pretty decent and it has some extra features I wasn't expecting. There's a bit of a spine break in the middle of the dictionary but I wasn't expecting a new dictionary in the first place.

the University of Chicago Spanish Dictionary is the very best Spanish-English dictionary available. It includes cultural notes and one can always find the needed word.

I borrowed this dictionary from the local library to help me with my ESOL class (I have mostly Spanish-speakers). True, it doesn't have all the words I need but I really love it: it has so much! I also have decided to buy one for my daughter who's taking Spanish in college because she can't lug her BIG dictionary around with her and because she's not always doing her assignments in her bedroom (hence she's not using a dictionary at all if not in the room). When I majored in French 25 years ago, the dictionary with which I became VERY intimate was about the size of the U. of Chicago Dict., 5th Edition, and I was a wiz at finding what I needed, i.e., the bulk of what I needed was in something this size, and SIZE IS THE POINT here. When we need more words and nuances, use the bigger dictionary with MORE WORDS in it, the one we usually leave at home. But for flexibility AND ACTUAL "USEABILITY", use THIS ONE! As it is right now, Daughter keeps calling home and saying, "How do you say ...?"

I've been taking introductory Spanish (South American) classes for the last couple of months - I evaluated this and a few alternatives at a B & M store(particularly Ramondino's New World Spanish dictionary, which was the recommended reference for my course). Ultimately I chose this one on the basis of some basic considerations:
-This is a desk-side dictionary - it is not a compact dictionary making excessive concessions for size
-This is oriented for context of US English<->Latin American Spanish
-This book clearly had the highest contrast of paper to print, and had a satisfing amount of whitespace - I found it very easy on the eyes to navigate, in comparison to references printed on beige-ish newsprint.
-Definitions are succinct - as other readers have commented, this is a *popular* reference, which has made mainstream concessions away from a more academic audience from past versions. For my purposes, those simplifications are a positive feature.

Since purchasing it, I've found that the book's wider format has helped me keep it open on a given page without bookmark or hands, which is helpful when I need to stay on a location while I'm working on exercises. I haven't encountered any cases where definitions were lacking or in conflict with results from Ramondino.

I have no criticisms to offer - the book has met my needs perfectly.

I began using the University of Chicago Spanish Dictionary about 25 years ago when I studied Spanish at the college level. It not only provides definitions, it also gives various meanings of a word as it is used in different countries. It also offers information about basic grammar, verb forms, and how the Spanish language developed. This has been an invaluable study tool as I have progressed in learning Spanish.

I'm an intermediate Spanish student, and purchased this dictionary for that reason. I read a lot of reviews and changed my opinion many times before I finally settled on this one. I really don't know how good the other ones are, but this one is great. I'm not at all sorry I made this choice. It has a lot of useage examples for most of the words, often using them in phrases that provide exactly what I'm looking for. The front has rules for grammar, pronunciation, and an extensive list of verbs in their various conjugations. I highly recommend this one.