what this seminar will cover 1 important factors to bear in mind when choosing a bilingual...

What this seminar will cover

1

•Important factors to bear in mind when choosing a bilingual dictionary

•How to use the dictionary navigation tools to get to the right answer quickly and efficiently

•Abbreviations and symbols used in the dictionary

•How the dictionary can help you with:

•How the dictionary can help you with verbs:

• Avoiding mistakes

•Extra features

• plurals• gender• idioms• word order• subjunctive

• tense, subject and object • transitive and intransitive verbs• reflexive, impersonal, and phrasal verbs

© Oxford University Press 2005

What any good dictionary should offer

2

•Range of vocabulary

•Up-to-date vocabulary

•Ease of use

•Clarity of design

•Clear entry structure

•Large number of examples

•Pointers towards the right translation

•Help with forming sentences in Spanish

•Sample letters and CVs, verb tables, and other helpful material

•And – only with the Oxford Spanish Dictionary – a free pronunciation CD-ROM that lets you type in any Spanish word, phrase, or sentence and hear it spoken back so you can practise speaking Spanish for presentations or exams


What your dictionary can help you with

3

His dad didn’t let me phone my friend Sarah.

Su padre no me dejó llamar a mi amiga Sarah.


su/sus?

register?

examples using let in the perfect tense?

warning that llamar is followed by a in this context?

mi/mí/mis?

examples showing let + another verb in infinitive?

finding let =allow quickly?

Navigating the dictionary

4

•Spanish-English section first, then English-Spanish

•blue-edged section in the middle separates the two sides

•printed thumb tabs on the outside margin of every page show which letter appears on that page

•‘running heads’ at the top of the page show the first and last words on that page

NB: All this applies to the Oxford Spanish Dictionary.

Other dictionaries may have different conventions.


5

The sequence of grammatical categories

English – Spanish

•Noun

•Adjective

•Adverb

•Verb

•Idioms in bold italics within entry

•Phrasal verbs (e.g. pull in, drop off)

Spanish – EnglishEither:

•Adjective

•Adverb

•NounOr:

•Transitive verb

•Intransitive verb

•Reflexive verb

•Impersonal verbThen:

•Idioms in bold italics within entry

•Compounds


Start

Programs

Microsoft Word

DocumentNB: All this applies to the Oxford

Spanish Dictionary.

Other dictionaries may have different conventions.

Navigating an English-Spanish entry (I)

6 © Oxford Spanish Dictionary 3rd edition 0-19-860475-0© Oxford University Press 2005

contextualizations in angled brackets single brackets = object

double brackets = subject

headword phonetic symbols

signposts to meaningin parentheses

noun translation

swung dash represents headword

idioms in bold italics within entry

subdivisions of senses

main senses

labels to indicate register

phrasal verbs at end

verbs withspelling

irregularitiesmarked

with asterisk

Navigating an English-Spanish entry (II)

7

a kind offer

© Oxford Spanish Dictionary 3rd edition 0-19-860475-0

una amable oferta La miró comprensivo


narrow the meaning by using context

kind: nounor adjective?

Navigating a Spanish - English entry


nouns are listed with their gender

warnings of translation traps

links to verb tables at back of dictionary

Common Grammatical Categories

9 © Oxford University Press 2005

adj adjective describes a noun or pronoun sad, triste

adv adverb tells you how sth is done comfortably, cómodamente

art article definite article = the

indefinite article = a

a, the, una, el, la, los

v aux auxiliary verb used with main verb to show tense (have, haber etc.)

she has arrived

ha llegado

conj conjunction links two phrases because, porque

n noun thing, person or idea life, vida

prep preposition used with noun to show position near, cerca da

pron pronoun stands instead of a noun he, el

vi intransitive verb verb without an object I have drunk

he bebido

vt transitive verb verb used with a direct object I have drunk the water

he bebido el agua

v pron reflexive verb verb requiring a reflexive pronoun to wash oneself, lavarse

Common Grammatical Categories

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Match these words with the correct part of speech

cangrejo

azulado

perfectamente

inscrito

cenizas

lavarse

o

sobre

v pron

prep

nm

pp

conj

adj

adv

fpl


Hyphen – and Swung Dash (or Tilde) ~

11

Subject Field Labels

Zool = Zoology Equ = Equitación

• Check the list of subject field labels in the abbreviations list inside the front cover of the dictionary to see whether it covers areas you are interested in


The swung dash stands for the whole headword so the

ending is added:

The hyphen indicates the feminine ending replaces the

masculine one:


Regional Usage

12

Register

© Oxford Spanish Dictionary 3rd edition 0-19-860475-0© Oxford University Press 2005

colloq* colloquial pej* pejorative fam** familiar pey** pejorative hum humorous vulg vulgar

A selection of regional usage abbreviations:

*used with English words**used with Spanish words

AmE = American English AmC = Central American Spanish

Austral = Australian English AmL = Latin American Spanish

BrE = British English AmS = South American Spanish

IrE = Irish English Andes = Andes Spanish

Scot = Scottish English Arg = Argentinian Spanish

pejorative (in Spanish: peyorativo) = a word that expresses contempt or

disapproval e.g.

Sentence patterns

13 © Oxford Spanish Dictionary 3rd edition 0-19-860475-0

sb (somebody) algn (alguien)

sth (something) algo (algo)


shows pattern: verb + a + person + DE + thing

Yo te absuelvo de tus pecadosI absolve you of your sins

a algn shows you must use a with a person object

absolver a algn DE algo to absolve sb OF sth

Phonetics


Irregular Plurals


taboo

taboos = tabúes or tabús

Gender


1 2

34

5

6

7

8

Idioms

17 © Oxford Spanish Dictionary 3rd edition 0-19-860475-0

Idiom = a saying whose meaning has evolved so that it is now different from the original literal meaning of the key words within it.

It was a difficult decision for Carol, and it was a long time before she could bring herself to grasp the nettle.

Si no estuviera lesionado, otro gallo cantaría.


Word Order


shows construction where word order changes:

Expressions requiring the subjunctive


warning note:

shows when subjunctive is

required:

Verb Basics

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Types of verbs:

• Transitive and Intransitive

• Reflexive

• Impersonal

• English phrasal verbs

• Verb tables

• Verb complementation

Other help with verbs:


Quick refresher on grammatical verb terms (I)

21

• Tense = present, future, past, conditional, imperfect etc.

• Subject = the noun or pronoun that causes the action of the verb

– The dog ate the meat = El perro comió la carne

– Dolores loves Paco = Dolores quiere a Paco

• Object = the word or group of words which is affected by the action indicated by the verb

– The dog ate the meat = El perro comió la carne

– Dolores loves Paco = Dolores quiere a Paco


Quick refresher on grammatical verb terms (II)

22

• Objects can be further divided into direct and indirect objects:

• Direct object = the noun or pronoun directly affected by the verb

- Dolores quiere a Paco = Dolores loves Paco

- Dolores lo quiere = Dolores loves him (also le in Spain)

- El perro comió la carne = The dog ate the meat

- El perro la comió = The dog ate it

• Indirect object = the noun or pronoun indirectly affected by the verb. In English, indirect objects are usually preceded by a preposition (from, to, at, etc.)

- Dolores sueña con Paco = Dolores is dreaming about Paco

- Dolores sueña con él = Dolores is dreaming about him

- Paco habla con Dolores = Paco speaks to Dolores

- Paco habla con ella = Paco speaks to her


Transitive and Intransitive Verbs (I)


•Transitive verbs = vt (verbo transitivo) = verbs used with direct object

•I wrote the letter = (Yo) escribí la carta •Dolores loves Paco and María = Dolores quiere a Paco y María•She loves them = (Ella) los quiere

•Intransitive verbs = vi (verbo intransitivo) = verbs that do not have an object

•The sun is shining = Brilla el sol•She ran very fast = (Ella) corrió muy rápidamente •Paco and María left yesterday = Paco y María se marcharon ayer

•Transitive verbs do something to the object that follows them.•Intransitive verbs stand on their own without an object following them.

Transitive and Intransitive Verbs (II)

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• The same verb can be used both transitively and intransitively:• sacar• Sacaron el reportaje• They published the report = transitive use (el reportaje = direct object)• Te toca a ti sacar • It’s your turn to serve = intransitive use (no object)

• entrar• Voy a entrar el coche • I’m just going to put the car away = transitive use

(el coche = direct object)• En ese moment entró Nicolás • Just then Nicolás came in = intransitive use (no object)

• scatter• Scatter some cushions around on the floor = transitive use

(some cushions = direct object)• The birds scattered = intransitive use (no object)

© Oxford University Press 2005 © Oxford Spanish Dictionary 3rd edition 0-19-860475-0

Transitive and Intransitive Verbs Exercise


transitive (vt) and

intransitive (vi)

esparcir: Él

esparció la arena.

dispersarse: La

muchadumbre se dispersó.

Reflexive Verbs (I)

26

English-Spanish: v refl = reflexive verb

Spanish-English: v pron = verbo pronominal

• Reflexive verbs are verbs whose subject is the same as their object. They describe what you do to yourself.

• Reflexive verbs are used with an extra pronoun, called a ‘reflexive pronoun’: myself, yourself, yourselves, themselves, etc / me, te, se etc

• Me levanto = I get up• Luego me lavo y me cepillo los dientes =

Then I wash myself and brush my teeth (literally = brush to myself the teeth )

The same verb can be used reflexively and not reflexively:

• Abrió la puerta = she opened the door• La puerta se abrió = the door opened


Reflexive Verbs (II)

27

• Remember: just because a verb is reflexive in the source language, it doesn’t mean it’s reflexive in the target language. None of the examples in this table is translated by a reflexive verb in English.


1st pers singular yo me no me apetece irI don't feel like going

2nd pers singular tuusted

tese

tú no te atreveríasyou wouldn’t dare

3rd pers singular él/ella se el ambiente en que ella se mueve me es totalmente ajeno the world she moves in is quite alien o foreign to me

1st pers plural nosotros nos nos estrellamos contra un árbol we crashed into a tree

2nd pers plural vosotrosustedes

osse

os veréis mañanayou’ll see each other tomorrow

3rd pers plural ellos/ellas

se el pánico se adueñó de ellos they were overcome with panic


Impersonal Verbs

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• Impersonal verbs = v impers throughout the dictionary

• Impersonal verbs use it in English and the third person in Spanish:


English Phrasal Verbs

• Phrasal verbs are at the end of the entry, marked

• verb + preposition or adverb e.g. run away

• Other examples: give up, take off, let down

• There are no phrasal verbs in Spanish

Phrasal verbs

Llueve = It’s raining

• Ser and estar are used with nouns and adjectives to form impersonal expressions:

Es preciso que estés listo = You must be ready Está visto que no le interesa = It’s obvious that he’s not interested

Verb Tables

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Verbs are listed at their infinitive form:

we went to Italy look up the infinitive gothey bought a DVD look up the infinitive buyquisieron marcharse look up the infinitive quererpuse la mesa look up the infinitive ponerme he equivocado look up the infinitive equivocartuvo que detenerse look up the infinitive tener


El Atlético defeated Nantes

El Atlético derrotó al Nantes

derrotaron

check against verb table A1 at

the back


Verb Complementation (I)

30

= the range of structures that can be used after any given verb

to forgive sb FOR sth = perdonarle algo A algn

She forgave him for what he’d done Le perdonó lo que había hecho

querer QUE algn/algo + SUBJ = to want sb/sth TO + INF

Quiere que se vayaShe wants him to leave

© Oxford University Press 2005 © Oxford Spanish Dictionary 3rd edition 0-19-860475-0

Verb Complementation (II)

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•There are many different patterns of verb complementation in Spanish and these are shown in the dictionary entry.

•Think of the difference between:

- pensar en algo/algn = to think about sth/sb

- pensar + INF = to think of -ING

- dejar de + INF = to stop -ING

- dejar algo/a algn + INF = to let sth/sb + inf

- dejar que algo/algn + SUBJ = to let sth/sb + inf


Adapting Examples

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Nouns:• may have plurals which entail changes to their accentuation

The change is not given if regular.• may require modifications to demonstrative or possessive

adjectives (e.g. mi, mis)• feminine nouns may require accompanying adjectives to add

-a, or -as (if plural)• if you refer to feminine nouns in a preceding sentence, the pronoun

will be ella/ellas or la/las

Verbs:• need to be in the correct form (number, tense, indicative or

subjunctive)• need the appropriate reflexive pronoun, if they are pronominal

(reflexive) (e.g. nos burlamos de él)• need to use the right structures (e.g. distraer a algn de algo)


Careful! Sometimes you may need to adapt a given translation:

Cross-checking

33

Cross-checking in the other side of the dictionary helps when:

•a Spanish word has several meanings

•you are unsure which Spanish translation to choose

•you don’t know if the Spanish word you know can be

used in a certain context

•you want to check the plural or feminine form

•you want to know how to conjugate the verb

•you want to look at more examples that use the Spanish word


Information about life and culture

What else can a good dictionary offer you?


1 2

3

4

5 Free pronunciation CD-ROM to help you practise your spoken Spanish

Thematic boxes explaining grammatical points and giving extra vocabulary, cross-referenced from the headword

Spanish verb tables

Correspondence – letters, CVs, emails

This is the standard formula for starting a business letter addressed to a firm or organization, and not to a particular person.

Ver archivos adjuntos (carta.pdf, carta.jpg)Estimado Señor Fernández:Aquí le envío, como archivo adjunto, la versión final del diseño


…

Review (I)

35

• Important factors to bear in mind when choosing a bilingual dictionary

• Navigating through an entry – English-Spanish, then Spanish-English

• Explaining abbreviations and symbols:

•How the dictionary can help you with:

•hyphen and swung dash (or tilde)•common grammatical categories•subject field labels•regional labels•register labels•sentence patterns•phonetics

•plurals•gender•idioms•word order•subjunctive


Review (II)

36

•How the dictionary can help you with verbs:

•Avoiding mistakes:

•Extra features

•tense, subject, and object•direct and indirect objects•transitive, intransitive, and reflexive verbs•impersonal and phrasal verbs•verb tables•verb complementation

•adapting examples•cross-checking


Questions

A chance to discuss any ideas or points raised in the seminar

what this seminar will cover 1 important factors to bear in mind when choosing a bilingual...

Documents

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