Swahili-English/English-Swahili Practical Dictionary (Hippocrene Practical Dictionary) Bilingual Edition

I am extremely pleased with this product and the condition it came in--there seemed to be maybe a small creasing/indention in the left corner of the front on the top, seeming as if it had been shipped, which would be the assumption of course! but I am quite particular. A casual glance reveals nothing, you have to look closely. I've seen books in the bookstore that have damage, but this basically looked like it had been in a bookstore in good condition. The cover is beautiful and apparently quite durable! It's important to me to have my important books be durable!More importantly! the dictionary is wonderful with complex vocabulary such as, even, "smear campaign," as an entry in English, and solid descriptions of meanings of Swahili words, with Swahili being a complex language, considered originally, when I checked, a level of difficulty above German, and two levels of difficulty above French, Italian, etc. Apart from what I originally anticipated, Swahili is quite different from English, and more difficult, making such dictionaries that are quality, as this one, a real help, quite a find, and a resource to keep from getting confused that "nyanya" can mean grandmother, for instance, as well as tomato; how "ziwa" can mean lake, "maziwa" can mean lakes, milk or breasts; and how "mtu," person, is, in plural, "watu," and not "mamtu," as in the previous example. The print is quite legible, the book having over 35,000 words--PLENTY for the tourist and many experts. It is quite thick, about 1 1/2 to 2 inches. Some grammar, such as the "dreaded" noun-class system, is presented very briefly in the back. Other than a few reference features for those speaking either language or both, it's about all dictionary entries. At 48 I can read it readily.The entries are not superficial, and Swahili not always intuitive in its vocabulary, so that compound words in English would seem to have related words as equivalents; sometimes yes, sometimes no. The entries also provide for expressions, so "pay" might have as part of the entry "pay up," "pay off" and "pay day"--this is invaluable! and one of the reasons I am so happy with the book. Again, it's just not only common equivalencies, but, for example, a word in English that can represent certain things, or vice-versa, has several entries, perhaps four or five or more.Best wishes studying Swahili!

Nice and compact. Just what I was looking for.

Good, modern dictionary. I am an ESL teacher to a Congolese family living in the U.S., and I've been searching for (and purchasing) Swahili dictionaries as I could find them on the internet. The Hippocrene Practial Dictonary is a recently published dictionary with more modern words than some of the previous dictonaries that I have purchased for teaching. In this age of technology and computers, this dictonary seems to contain more modern words and phrases for people living in the West, good for recent emigres and refugees. My Congolese student, Norbert, was impressed with the book and said he was sure he couldn't have found a better dictionary living in Central Africa.

This is a very helpful dictionary and was recommended by my Kiswahili instructor. It's good to have something to use besides an online translator, because it can be far too easy to become dependent on those sorts of things.My biggest criticism--and it is a big criticism, for the price of this dictionary--is that there is no indication of noun classes. This is one area of the language that I am struggling with and it would have been very helpful to include with each word, seeing as it is such a fundamental aspect of Kiswahili.

This dictionary is far more than sufficient. I traveled around Tanzania for 5 weeks, and when I stayed in a rural village with my family, I could convey any message I wanted to by looking up words in this dictionary. It is not a pocket dictionary, so it will take up some room in your bag, but it is a wonderful tool to translate in either direction (Swahili to English or English to Swahili), at a very reasonable price!

I am learning to speak Swahili and was taking classes while living in Tanzania. I used this book every day to help with homework exercises and for translating every day words. Best dictionary out there that I could find, and my Swahili teacher loved it and now recommends it to his other students. Translations go both ways: English to Swahili and Swahali to English.

I just love that I have both English and Swahili words in this dictionary.

This dictionary seems to be very thorough. When looking for words during my lessons, I have been able find them very easily.