Using a German Dictionary

How to Get the Most Out of Your German-English Dictionary

Also see: How to Use a German Dictionary and
  Before You Buy a German Dictionary.

WHICH KIND OF GERMAN DICTIONARY?
Before we discuss “how,” let's touch on “what.” When you buy a new dictionary for German, make sure you get the kind you really need. German-English dictionaries range from simple paperback editions costing under $10 to much more expensive multivolume, encyclopedia-like volumes. There are also technical, legal, and medical dictionaries that concentrate on specialized vocabulary, plus all-German dictionaries. Non-print computer dictionaries use software to allow interactive use within a word processor. The point is to get one (or more) that suits your needs. But avoid getting any German-English dictionary with fewer than 40,000 entries. Note: If a dictionary you are considering does not provide the information outlined below (plural of nouns, prepositional cases, etc.), don't buy it! For more on selecting a dictionary, see: Before You Buy a German Dictionary.

NOUNS
When you look up a noun in a German dictionary, the first thing you want to know is the gender. Gender is indicated in several ways by various dictionaries. Here are three examples for the noun Haus:

Haus das; -es, Häuser house, building
Haus n -es, -¨er house, building
Haus nt -es, Häuser house, building

The first entry is from the Oxford Duden English-German Dictionary. The second is from the Langenscheidt Compact Dictionary. The third is from the Collins/PONS German Dictionary (English-German). Each entry, in its own way, tells you that the gender of Haus is neuter (das/n/nt), the genitive ending is -es (the full genitive form would be des Hauses [of the house]), and the plural of das Haus is die Häuser. Here are two more examples for the noun Film:

Film der; -(e)s, -e film, movie
Film m -(e)s, -e film, movie

Again we can see that the gender of Film is masculine (der/m), the genitive form is des Filmes or des Films (of the film), and the plural is die Filme (films, movies).

Since feminine nouns in German don't have any genitive ending, a dash (or a tilde, ˜) indicates no ending:

Frau die; -, -en woman, wife, Mrs./Ms.
Frau f -, -en woman, wife, Mrs./Ms.

The gender of Frau is feminine (die/f), the genitive form is der Frau (of the woman/wife), and the plural is die Frauen (women/wives).

Also see:
More About the Genitive Case

German Plural Forms: Since German has more than half a dozen ways of forming the plural, it is essential to have a dictionary that indicates the plural forms of nouns. All good German dictionaries do so.

DICTIONARY ADVICE (TIPPS)
TIPP 1: When looking up the meaning of a noun or other word, double-check the meaning by looking up the same word in the other direction (i.e., from German to English vs. English to German). This will help avoid errors caused by just taking the first definition that you see.

TIPP 2: Because of the way German forms words with compounds, you need to learn how to look up words under the basic prefix. For example, under Fahr- you will find the compounds Fahrausweis (ticket; license) and Fahrbahn (road surface), but after the verb fahren (to drive) and other entries, there are many more Fahr- words, including Fahrwasser (shipping channel) and Fahrzeug (vehicle). I have had students tell me a word wasn't in the dictionary, only because they had not yet learned this German dictionary skill.

TIPP 3: All good dictionaries have a section entitled “How To Use This Dictionary” or something similar. You should read that section and “Abbreviations and Symbols Used” to learn the ways your dictionary indicates various things.

NEXT > Part 2: Looking Up Verbs

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