Collins Spanish Concise Dictionary, 6th Edition (Collins Language)

Based on a comment from a knowledgeable reviewer I considered the Oxford, Collins, and Larousse dictionaries. Many features of Oxford looked good but to my eyes, the font choices were not ideal, which hinders comprehension and retention for me, and I decided against Oxford for that reason. Others may have different opinions on fonts, so see what your eyes like. So I ordered Collins and Larousse, intending to choose just one. I've kept both. This review is really a comparison of the two.As for the Collins, it gives the international phonetic pronunciations for both the Spanish and the English entries. Larousse gives them mainly for the English entries. The Collins also gives an explanation of Spanish pronunciation (and stress) keyed to the international symbols, so that together, they make a useful resource if you are staring at a word containing, say, "d" and wondering whether it's going to be hard or like "th" as you strain to recall the rules.The Collins has a complete summary of Spanish grammar, including irregular verbs. The Larousse just has a verb section.The Collins has bright blue for the words you are looking up. It stands out, but I actually find the all-black Larousse to be more readable. The print for the headwords is smaller in the Collins and the accent marks are so inconspicuous that it's easy to miss them. The font for the definitions is larger than in the Larousse but as a result there is crowding, with less space between lines, in the Collins. I realize some people prefer this but some do not. It will be easier for me to catch the spelling and accents at a glance from the Larousse. (Yes, I am not a spring chicken.)Also, again comparing the two dictionaries, the Collins gives fewer definitions at one or two places where I compared the two. Maybe this is not true across the board, but maybe it is--again, to make room for the grammar supplement. The definitions section of the Collins is noticeably smaller than the Larousse.Both dictionaries alert the user to slang or vulgar expressions.The Collins contains a list of every verb in the dictionary keyed to a table of verb conjugations, so you can conjugate any verb correctly. The Larousse has a number after each verb in its dictionary entry, tied to a similar section of conjugation patterns. On this count the Larousse saves you a step. But, the Collins verb tables are more spacious and easier to read, and they give the tense names in English, plus show for the irregular verbs WHICH forms are irregular, with a bold font--all differences for the better compared to Larousse.So, I am keeping both--Larousse for the clear typography and easy-to-see accent marks, and more definitions; Collins for the pronunciation help and for the grammar supplement, which has already helpfully added to my understanding of certain topics from an introductory Spanish textbook I am using.One thing I hope Collins might consider: in the grammar section, the grammar points are numbered to correspond to examples, also numbered, which is great; but the numbers appear near the inner edge of the pages and not near the outer edge, which means pressing the book open with a gorilla grip while peering at the numbers. I'd actually find it easier if they either were placed at the outer page edges, or if the text on these grammar pages were printed farther to the outside of each page, so there'd be more space in the center of the spread to see the numbers. Ah, well. The explanations are concise and yet seem to be thorough, so it's still a great resource.And for anyone who cares about such things, Collins is on a harder, smoother, stronger-seeming paper with less ink smell.

I have gotten a lot of use from this. The definitions are accurate, though for a more elaborate definition, a larger (not "concise") dictionary is a help. I make considerable use of the "blue" section with the conjugations, usages and other helpful information for the beginner.

This about as good a paperback dictionary as you'll find...it's a bit large but still portable. I teach ESL and my students use dictionaries on their phones. I think this one is bit more complete and nuanced than those, but then again I am old.

Gives so much more than definitions of words. Also gives commonly used verbal expressions, and grammar. It is user friendly.

Comprehensive solution for translating in BOTH directions. Been using it everyday for a year of Spanish education.

I love this dictionary, because it also contains a really excellent and extensive section on grammar and useage, particularly helpful in verb conjugation. I had a previous version of this dictionary, and used it SO MUCH and took it on SO MANY TRIPS to Mexico and Spain, it started to come unglued from the binding. It was much used! I recommend this dictionary for serious language learners.

Excellent, this item is exactly what I expected.

Does the job.