The Oxford-Hachette French Dictionary

Book Overview

Acclaimed by language professionals the world over, The Oxford-Hachette French Dictionary leads the way in modern bilingual lexicography. The first ever French dictionary to be based entirely on the statistical evidence of vast electronic databanks of real language, both written and spoken, it is the most comprehensive, reliable, and up-to-date dictionary of French and English available today.
This major new edition provides new up-to-date vocabulary and extensive in-text cultural notes on many aspects of the French-speaking world, from political and educational systems, to festivals, important historical facts, famous places, and national newspapers. The edition also boasts a revised correspondence section that provides 75 model letters, with information on business correspondence via email and the internet. A new text design makes every entry easy to navigate, so that you can find the information you require quickly and effortlessly, and in-text boxes throughout provide extended treatment of complex function words. Overall, the Dictionary still provides the finest coverage available of the general, scientific, and technical vocabulary of contemporary French and English--with 360,000 words and phrases and more than 542,000 translations. As an aid to students of French literature, the Dictionary provides excellent coverage of vocabulary used by writers such as Zola, Dumas, Proust, and Hugo. There are also more than 90 pages of practical guidance for those who plan to reside in France, including help in writing job applications and CVs, and a section on using the telephone in France.
With more words and phrases than any other single-volume French dictionary, plus special features designed to help both students and travelers, the new edition of The Oxford-Hachette French Dictionary remains the first choice in bilingual dictionaries.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0198603630
• ISBN13: 9780198603634
• Release Date: June 2001
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Length: 2082 Pages
• Weight: 6.20 lbs.
• Dimensions: 7.8" x 2.8" x 10.4"

Customer Reviews

Comprehensive

More definitions than you will ever need. Many examples so that you can understand how each word is used. The examples also bring out subtleties of meaning that should help you avoid making a fool of yourself. Many insets and extras. So thorough that you won't have to spend money on an army of books for conjugations, idioms etc. Don't get me wrong, this is not a complete stand-alone guide to the French language (who could lift it), but it is a damned good start.Five stars means that I don't see how this could be any better.

AN ABSOLUTE MUST-HAVE!

This is the only French dictionary you will ever need. It is so thorough, it's unbelievable. I found words that I couldn't even find in my English Random House or Merriam Webster dictionary - amazing! Including a plethora of slang expressions, as well.

A SUPERLATIVE DICTIONARY

The OXFORD HACHETTE bilingual dictionary is a superlative work. I am using the 1997 edition and it serves me well as a language enthusiast and a translator. It provides many, many different examples of translations, always easy to find and in the idiomatic language. In the French-English section for instance, the development given under the word TEMPS is just oustanding. One learns new ways of saying things: "Ils sont cruels, témoin le massacre de tout un village." - "They are cruel, as evidenced by the massacre of an entire village." This was interesting: "They have been badly serviced by their advisors" -"Les conseillers ne leur ont pas été très utiles." The various encyclopedic features such as the subject and grammar boxes are very useful. One would have liked a more North American approach, or even Canadian, but that does not distract from the overall quality. It is interesting to find a word such as DÉPANNEUR (convenience store), while one cannot find GUIGNOLÉE or BANC DE NEIGE. It is a modern dictionary, with equivalents given for email (one slight mistake there... MESSAGE PRÉCÉDENT given as NEXT) and such things. Verbs, model letters, etc. One would have liked the use of colour, but the dictionary is still well presented. I have used the Harrap's Shorter and I have the Collins Robert on CD-ROM. This is equal to any of them, it is perhaps even superior. Do not hesitate to buy it.

This is an incredibly useful and thorough dictionary.

As a French major, I must recommend this book to anyone who needs a really good french dictionary. Not only is it great for difficult reading assignments, it's especially good for writing essays. Not only does it have just about every word in existance, but it gives you in depth examples of how to *use* all those words, which is just as important. It is a bit hefty, so I'd also recommend getting a paperback dictionary to take to class ;)

Shows all the different usage of any word.

As a college student who is majoring in French, I found this to be the most useful French-English dictionary. It provides a complete and accurate translation of any word from English to French and vice versa. It also includes various examples of the different usages of any word or phrase. This dictionary has been very useful to me in my studies of French because of its thoroughness. There is not one semantic group that is not included in this dictionary. On a scale from 1 to 10 (10 being the best), I give this a 12!!!!