The Pocket Oxford Russian Dictionary

I have been a student of the Russian language now for 6 years. I came across this dictionary 3 years ago. Not only does it haveOver 70,000 words and phrases. It is easy to carry, easy to locate words you need fast, multiple definitions both ways. My russian wife has also found this dictionary to be very very useful to her, since the translations work both directions. The only draw back to this dictionary is the binding will wear out quickly if you use it as much as i do.

I have both the Katzner English-Russian Dictionary and this one. Each dictionary has its advantages and disadvantages. I have not had my Oxford dictionary long enough to see if it falls apart like many say it does. The Katzner dictionary has longer entries, for instance giving 9 different possible meanings (and example phrases) for the verb "to present", whereas the Oxford Dictionary only gives 3 meanings and only one example. On the other hand, THe Oxford dictionary has page markers on the edges of the pages, so you can more easily find listings pertaining to a certain letter, which helps if you are just learning the Russian alphabet. THe Katzner dictionary does not have this. (But I taped letter markers on my Katzner dictionary). One other considerable drawback of the Oxford dictionary, especially for beginners, is that whereas the main listing of each word is given in the printed text version of the alphabet in bold, the example phrases or references underneath each listing are given in RUSSIAN SCRIPT text, which in some cases differs significantly from the alphabet in its print version. Beginners wanting to stick to learning just the print text version of the alphabet at the outset will find an obstacle here, but those intent on learning both print and script forms of the alphabet at once may not be bothered. Also, I noticed that the Oxford dictionary has listings of the vulgar (obscene) words like f*** and s***, and a slew of others which the Katzner dictionary has none of. While you may not want to speak such words yourself, you might want to know if a Russian speaker is referring to you in some of these terms!

This pocket Russian dictionary is one of the best that I've used.It shows all perfective and imperfective verbs, it includes irregular verb endingsand indicates the accent (udarenie) of all Russian words.I disagree with the poor rating given by a reader that complained about the lack of Cyrillic transliteration.This dictionary is for people who ALREADY know the Cyrillic alphabet.A great dictionary at a great price!

No other pocket dictionary compares to this one. I have studied Russian for two years part time and have been to Russia 6-7 times, using this book all the while. All other pocket dictionaries that I have seen are inferior w/r/t quality and completeness. This one is the choice of the experts, and I couldn't agree more. It is rare for a pocket dictionary to give several nuances in English for the same Russian word. Also,often there are short useful phrases associated with certain words.This pocket dictionary is an excellent choice for travellers.

This book accompanied me on my trip to Belarus this summer. It was an indespensable item in the daily chores of communication with my belarussian host and friends. It has for its size and scope the best working range of any book in its class. I can only recommend it for any one who would like to learn the russian language.