With no disrespect to my other friends, many of whom happen to be human beings, I have to say that my best friend here in Spain continues to be the online dictionary, Wordreference. There are a couple of useful things that one learns while trying to master another language (or languages) as an adult. The first cruel reality is that the process never ends. There is no finish line. You won’t land a fighter jet on an aircraft carrier with a huge banner reading “Mission Accomplished.” I imagine myself on my deathbed asking the doctor to talk slower because I don’t understand him. “You want to put what in my where?” My online dictionary will hopefully be able to clear up this misunderstanding.
Wordreference is an amazing tool in my study of French and Spanish. I can’t imagine going back to a language dictionary in book form. That would be like going back to an outhouse after years of living with indoor plumbing. This morning I read an article in Le Figaro about Imams in Benghazi preaching revolution, with the French paper in one tab and Wordreference in the next. In the time it would take me to reach over and pick up a dictionary I have an exhaustive list of possible definitions for the word in question. The time I save means more time for prayer!
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