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Instead of searching for a single word, prepare a list of synonyms (words that mean close to the same thing). ========== The Word Can ========== If you want to find the word that means can as in to be able to, your list might be something like this: can able capable Now, if you search for can in foreign language dictionaries, you might discover the following in the English-[Foreign Language] section: * German * Bchse, Dose, Kanister, knnen, drfen You know that German capitalizes all nouns, so you eliminate the first three words. The main definition for knnen is to be able to, and the main definition for drfen is to be allowed to. Therefore, the correct word in this case is likely knnen. * French * poubelle, arrosoir, pouvoir Poubelle means garbage can; arrosoir means watering-can; and pouvoir means to be able to. The correct word in French is probably pouvoir. * Portuguese * lata, ferro-velho, poder Lata means can, tin, tin can; ferro-velho means garbage can; and poder means to be able to. The correct word in Portuguese would most likely be poder. ========== The Word Check ========== Check can mean check mark; bill at a restaurant; part of a pattern of squares; to ensure or confirm. If we are looking for the definition that means to ensure or confirm we might make the following list: check ensure verify confirm Now lets see what we find when we investigate the word check: * German * Rechnung, Beschrnkung, berprfen, kontrollieren, Kontrolle, nachprfen First we remove the capitalized words (nouns). This leaves three words to research: berprfen (to examine, check); kontrollieren (to control, supervise, to check); nachprfen (to check, verify); therefore, nachprfen appears to be most similar to our desired definition. * Italian * A search in an Italian dictionary gives us the following partial list: controllare, verificare, assegno, assegno bancario Controllare (to audit, check, check up on, supervise, verify); verificare (to audit, check, check up on, supervise, verify); assegno (check, cheque); and assegno bancario (check, cheque). It would appear that either controllare or verificare would suffice. * Swedish * The list of results: besiktiga, kontrollera, check Reverse-lookup gives us these definitions: besiktiga (inspect, audit, check, check up on, supervise, verify); kontrollera (audit, check, check up on, supervise, verify); and check (check, cheque). It seems that we could use either besiktiga or kontrollera. ========== Resources ========== Use your common sense, books, people, and the resources on your computer. Whenever possible, try to find a dictionary that includes example sentences. Seeing a word used in context is the best way to zero in on its exact meaning. Word processor thesauri and grammar functions will be valuable assets. Online dictionaries are plentiful - use them whenever you can. Make sure that you have at least one recently published printed dictionary and/or thesaurus nearby. When in doubt, try to get advice from a teacher, a friend who speaks the language, or an online forum. Now, dont be afraid to make mistakes. Thats the way we learn. Whenever possible try to use words in everyday speech. Remember: your language learning will progress more quickly if you dont obsess over errors. |
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