Be careful with the bilingual dictionary.

Many students use dictionaries to write whatever they need to write. Wonderful, it’s a great way to learn a foreign
language. Actually, many times we need a dictionary to write in our own language.

But a bilingual dictionary provides many words for the same entry. So, how do you choose one? Normally you guess
or choose the word that is closest to Portuguese. Sometimes you really get the right one, but many times you get
something that is going to sound quite funny into the context you’re writing.

You should use a bilingual dictionary, if it is really necessary, but after “choosing” a word, or even if the entry
provides just one word, look it up in an English – English dictionary to check if that is the meaning you intend to
give to your text, phrase, whatever.

Of course this will demand more of your time, but it is excellent to learn new vocabulary. Otherwise you might be
using the words incorrectly and what is even worse, memorizing them this way.

Look at the example bellow:

• I want to write the following phrase in English:

Meu aniversário de casamento é dia 25 de Março.

Look the WRONG choice:

Our birthday of wedding is on March 25 .
th

Why is it wrong?
A birthday is the day that is an exact year or number of years after a person was born:
Today is my mother's 49th birthday. (Source: Cambridge Dictionary of American English)

The correct word is anniversary (see the TIP “Birthday or Anniversary?”)

The CORRECT phrase is:
Our wedding anniversary is on March 25 .
th