Customer Reviews
Up to date Dutch - English / English - Dutch Dictionary 
2008-03-05
Haven't come across a word I couldn't find. All the words I have looked up have a short and clear definition. I highly recommend it if you are studying the Dutch and/or English language.
What counts as plagiarism in a dictionary? 
2008-01-24
Anne Cavendish, in her review of this dictionary, mentions the superiority of the Van Dale dictionaries. I have the 2006 pocketwoordenboek version of these dictionaries, and referred to it in evaluating this Routledge dictionary. I found that in the first few pages of the "A" section, there was exactly one difference in their chosen vocabularies. The Routledge contained the word "A4" (as in the size of paper). Furthermore, in picking several definitions at random, I found them to be identical in the two dictionaries (accounting for some slight formatting differences mentioned in some other reviews). Not only identical in definitions, but even in the illustrative sentences provided. In any other kind of work, that would be clear evidence of plagiarism. I don't know how one judges dictionaries in such matters. In any case, what matters to the prospective buyer is that on a cursory look, these dictionaries appear to be essentially identical. The van Dale is certainly more portable (with two separate volumes, one might even fit one in a coat pocket), and the Routledge is possibly cheaper. Decide for yourself.
excellent dictionary for backpack 2007-12-07
Best dictionary that can be carried. Gives "de/het" and plurals. Can supplement this at home with Van Dale Groot Woordenboek.
Dissappointed, 
2007-11-18
Unfortunately, I never received the book... I ordered it, it was sent twice and never got it. Thus, I have no opinion about it except for I would have liked to finally get it.
Perfect Reference Dictionary 2007-08-29
Could not have been more comprehensive for a fast look-up or understanding.
Yes, Van Dale can be (some of its versions are smaller than this) more comprehensive and is the be-all-end-all for the Dutch language but their pricing is also a serious show stopper.
Plan to go to Belgium 2007-06-26
This accessible and up-to-date dictionary is suitable for learners of Dutch at all levels. The 50,000 entries include:
*pronunciation guidance
*contextual information
*Flemish words
*colloquial and idiomatic language
*political and economic institutions.
The dictionary also includes
*Advice on finding entries
*List of irregular verbs.
A solid dictionary for Dutch to English translation. 
2007-02-08
A reasonably comprehensive dictionary that is best suited to English speakers who need to translate Dutch words. It is more comprehensive than online translations at Babelfish.altavista.com or Systransbox. The English to Dutch section is much smaller than the Dutch to English section, but still adequate for writing letters. Usually gives several definitions and examples of sentances. The examples are valuable because word meaning can change with the context.
My only complaint is it does not contain samples of regular word conjugations. It does have a table of irregular verbs, but I don't know Dutch well enough to know the standard conjugations. Like all language dictionaries, it does not give separate listings for standard variations, a real problem for beginners.
Adequate for Beginners 2005-09-29
I found this dictionary to be useful up until the time I began an intermediate level language class in the Netherlands. It wasn't quite comprehensive enough, even for in-class assignments. My biggest complaint with it: many of the definitions given in the Dutch to English section were unfortunately not present from English to Dutch, making it great for looking up Dutch words that you don't know, but it left me frustrated when searching for the Dutch equivalent of many English words and phrases. That being said, I think that it is more than adequate to use as a pocket dictionary or for quick references. I use it when I read Dutch newspapers and novels. If you want to go for something with more in-depth definitions, invest in one of the Van Dale dictionaries. Their hefty price is well worth it.
Absolutely the best! 2004-05-30
This is by far the best English-Dutch dictionary available. It has several significant advantages over any of the others I have seen for sale: 1) It provides the phonetic pronunciation for every word; 2) It provides the gender and how to form the plural for every noun; 3) It's up to date and contains many more recent words and usages; 4) For many entries, it offers useful phrases or idiomatic expressions using the word; 5) For English idioms that can't be translated literally, it often provides an equivalent Dutch phrase. The dictionary is comprehensive, but still a manageable size. It's attractive and the printing is clear and easy to read. Don't waste your time or money buying anything else; this is reasonably priced and worth every penny. I only wish it was still available in hardcover because mine has seen much use.
The Best Dutch-English Dictionary You Can Buy 2003-10-19
This is the best Dutch-English dictionary I've seen. The other dictionaries I've looked at (and unfortunately bought) had one of several problems:
1. not all relevant information was included (the NTC dictionary doesn't indicate a noun's gender, give the relevant article, or include irregular plural formations, all of which this dictionary does);
2. the dictionary presumes a Dutch-speaker is looking up the words, and thus gives lexical abbreviations in dutch (i.e. 'zn' for 'zelfstandig naamvoord' = a noun). This dictionary very conveniently uses English and English abbreviations;
3. the dictionary isn't comprehensive enough to be useful. This dictionary is extremely comprehensive for its size and also contains current words with their popular meanings (i.e. fritje oorlog = fries with mayo and peanut sauce) as well as colloquial examples of the word (i.e. the 'blikken' entry notes that 'zonger blikken of blozen' means 'without batting an eyelid' which is otherwise nearly impossible to find out).
I highly recommend this dictionary to anyone. The only reason I didn't give it five stars is because the English is British and it's sometimes confusing when I have to remember that 'chips' are french fries and to spell my words differently in order to find them (donut = doughnut, etc.). Significantly, this dictionary does generally (though not always) include American words where they are different from the British in translation ('apotheek' is translated both as 'chemist's' and 'drugstore').
