Welcome to CollinsDictionary.com

13th Mar 2012

A huge welcome, bienvenue, bienvenida and Willkommen to our 501,458 (and counting!) pages of words, their definitions and translations which are now settling in here at www.collinsdictionary.com. They’re so excited to be in their new home that they can’t stop showing off and doing all sorts… Read More

French Expressions : Cats, Cockroaches and Buttered Spinach

8th Mar 2012

Expressions. Idioms. Aphorisms. Whatever you call them, they add spice to any conversation. Tossing a few French idioms into your tête-à-tête adds that je ne sais quoi that makes learning a new language so much fun. Use French expressions correctly and you build rapport with your French-speaking friends. You… Read More

Social Networking in French

7th Mar 2012

Social networking in French is one of the easiest, most fun and trendiest ways of learning the language while making friends in French-speaking countries. As of September 2011, 82 percent of internet users worldwide had used a social network. Almost 20 percent of time spent on the internet is spent… Read More

Texting in French

6th Mar 2012

Texting your French contacts regularly is a great way to learn the language while making friends and building your social network. Textos The purpose of text messages – called textos in French – is to communicate in writing via your mobile phone while using as few… Read More

French Letter Writing

2nd Mar 2012

In our world of instant messaging, texting, tweeting and social media, letter writing may seem hopelessly old-fashioned. As American comedian Steven Wright puts it, “I stayed in a really old hotel last night. They sent me a wake-up letter.” For centuries, though, letter writing was an art form and an… Read More

French Pronunciation Guide

2nd Mar 2012

Seven Words That Say So Much Pronounce these seven words properly in French, and you’re well on your way to speaking the language. Give them a go but watch out – they may look familiar but they contain some tricky tongue twisters. 1. Restaurant This word sounds quite different… Read More

Spanish Letter Writing – Por favor, señor cartero

25th Feb 2012

Writing letters in Spanish People often wonder whether, with phones, email, texting and the like, we’ve got out of the habit of letter-writing. The truth is that both in the UK and in Spain, fewer and fewer letters are written by the general public, while the tide of junk mail… Read More

Texting in Spanish – Txt me l8r / M1ml

25th Jan 2012

Texting in Spanish Texting in Spanish is based on the same premise as texting in English, in that the aim is to convey the desired message as concisely and quickly as possible. To do this – and to achieve the holy grail of using a minimum of characters – both… Read More

Are you in the red? Social Networking in Spanish

25th Jan 2012

Ever fancied trying social networking in Spanish? Recent estimates suggest that 90% of all Spaniards are members of a social network, and numbers are growing across Latin America. Naturally enough, Facebook is the top destination for Spanish-speakers looking to link up with old friends or find… Read More