foreign languages

This Spanish dictionary is amazing - I've used it for several semesters of college Spanish, as well as during a two month trip in Ecuador, and I can count on one hand the number of words that I've encountered that aren't in this dictionary.

This dictionary also includes tons of usage information - common verbs like poder, quedar, and estar each receive more than a full column of coverage, most of which is sample phrases and sentences so that you can see exactly how a word is used in many different contexts. Slang/offensive words are marked as such, and when words are used only in certain regions, this information is also mentioned. Some good information on Spanish grammar is included; though it isn't terribly extensive, it is useful for figuring out important phrases and structures.

This book's formatting is another one of its strengths. The variety of tasteful colors and styles separate this book from the dictionaries limited to black text.

Overall, this dictionary is wonderful - if you're a Spanish student or speaker interested in a dictionary that is both comprehensive and easy to use, look no further!

I would've given this 5 stars if it weren't for the fact that the abbreviations key is difficult to read. The key is printed on deep blue endpapers. The abbreviations are in white text and that's OK, but their meanings are printed in black and therefore nearly impossible to read without a strong light and a magnifier. Otherwise, an excellent dictionary.

I stood in a bookstore reference section and compared 4 different Spanish/English dictionaries for about 15 minutes before buying this one. It is easy to use, updated with current words, has very good information on what they call Language Building Supplements, such as how to do correspondence, using the telephone, translation tips, conjugating verbs, etc.. This dictionary would be good for a college freshman, senior, or someone like me who is just working on trying to learn the language.