Webster's New World German Dictionary: German/English English/German (Paperback)

by Peter Terrel (Author), Horst Kopleck (Author)
Key Phrases: etw sth, fig col, jdm etw, Brit Sch, Brit Aut, Brit Rail (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Compiled in collaboration with a team of expert linguists, the Webster's New World concise bilingual dictionaries are the perfect choice for beginning students and advanced speakers as well.Comprehensive and authoritative, yet clear and concise, the dictionaries offer a full array of features, as well as wide-ranging coverage of current expressions. Long-standing favorites in hardcover, the dictionaries will continue to be standard references for years to come -- especially now that they are available in unabridged paperback editions.

• More than 100,000 words, giving wide-ranging coverage of current terms and expressions
• Detailed definitions so the user can understand and translate idiomatically
• Extensive examples of usage, showing how translations of words can vary according to context
• Verb tables, including irregular verbs
• Cross-references from every verb to the appropriate verb table

From the Back Cover
Webster's New World German Dictionary: German/English - English/German Concise Edition

The combination of extensive coverage and outstanding clarity, simplicity and economy makes this dictionary ideal for home, school and office use.

• Extensive Coverage—The most frequently used words in both languages are detailed, helping the user to understand and to translate idiomatically.
• Examples of Usage—Thousands of phrases show how the meanings of words can vary in different contexts.
• Special Features—Other aids include pronunciation guides comprehensive German verb tables and full treatment of English phrasal verbs.

Also available:

• Webster's New World French Dictionary (Concise Edition)
• Webster's New World Italian Dictionary (Concise Edition)
• Webster's New World Spanish Dictionary (Concise Edition)

Product Details

• Paperback: 1056 pages
• Publisher: Webster's New World; Concise edition (September 29, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0139536213
• ISBN-13: 978-0139536212
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.3 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #15,893 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good, but outdated, April 23, 2004

By A Customer

This is a good beginner's dictionary. It covers a substantial part of the vocabulary and illustrates the entries by examples.

However, the text is based on the 1987 Collins/Klett edition, i.e. seventeen years old. The new German spelling system is completely missing, and some rather obsolete West/East German vocabulary is still in there.

The dictionary isn't perfect, but acceptable for the price.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Choose Webster's New World over the others!, November 4, 2006

By	Stephen Beckvonpeccoz (Berlin) - See all my reviews

I have to agree with most of the other reviewers:

1. I own three different German-English dictionaries. This is the best one for carrying around and daily use.
2. It has great pronunciation guides and overall discussion at the beginning of the book. Also, the various definitions are extensive.
3. It was published in 1987, so it could use a bit of updating including the new rules for using ess-tset.
4. The big Oxford Duden is better for in-depth technical or literary use.

I am a language student learning German professionally for 20 hours/week. I first bought the Cassell's due to the recommendation of my teacher and the reviews online. However, while it is a newer publication, I find the Webster's New World MUCH more thorough and pleasant to use. It has over 100,000 words and is printed with crisp black type on bright white paper - easy on the eyes. Cassell's has fewer words and is printed with smudged newstype on low quality newsprint paper; I found it frustrating to physically read and use.

I use my German-English dictionary multiple times every day, so usability is a key factor for me. But I also like the detailed way the Webster's is organized and presented. Sure, I have the huge hardcover Oxford Duden for those really complicated cases, but it sits at home for occasional reference. Overall this is just the most pleasant, useful book for daily use.

Buy the Webster's: you'll be immediately attracted to it. You'll USE it and learn, which is the most important reason to buy it, right?

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent dictionary, October 9, 2006

By	FMDostoyevsky99 - See all my reviews

I have used this dictionary though four years of German study and it has taken me from near-beginner status to near-fluency. It provides nearly every possible meaning for a word and all the associated expressions in which it might appear. It has tables of irregular verbs in the back and notes on the formation of plurals in the front, and all irregularly pronounced German words are given pronunciation keys. It is not a dictionary for very advanced or specialized translators, nor is it for absolute beginners who have no grasp of the basics of German pronunciation or the ideas of declination and conjugation. Otherwise, it is a great and immensely useful general dictionary which I highly recommend.