Franklin DBE-1500 User Manual
DBE-1500
Spanish 
English
Dictionary
User’s Guide
www.franklin.com
License Agreement (U.S. only)
READ THIS LICENSE AGREEMENT BEFORE USING THE ELECTRONIC REFERENCE. YOUR USE OF THE ELECTRONIC REFERENCE DEEMS THAT YOU ACCEPT THE TERMS OF THIS LICENSE. IF YOU DO NOT AGREE WITH THESE TERMS, YOU MAY RETURN THIS PACKAGE WITH PURCHASE RECEIPT TO THE DEALER FROM WHICH YOU PURCHASED THE ELECTRONIC REFERENCE AND YOUR PURCHASE PRICE WILL BE REFUNDED. ELECTRONIC REFERENCE means the software product and documentation found in this package and FRANKLIN means Franklin Electronic Publishers, Inc.
Limited Use License
All rights in the ELECTRONIC REFERENCE remain the property of FRANKLIN. Through your purchase, FRANKLIN grants you a personal and nonexclusive license to use this ELECTRONIC REFERENCE. You may not make any copies of the ELECTRONIC REFERENCE or of the data stored therein at the time of purchase, whether in electronic or print format. Such copying would be in violation of applicable copyright laws. Further, you may not modify, adapt, disassemble, decompile, translate, create derivative works of, or in any way reverse engineer the ELECTRONIC REFERENCE. You may not export or reexport, directly or indirectly, the ELECTRONIC REFERENCE without compliance with appropriate governmental regulations. The ELECTRONIC REFERENCE contains Franklin’s confidential and proprietary information which you agree to take adequate steps to protect from unauthorized disclosure or use. This license is effective until terminated by Franklin. This license terminates immediately without notice from FRANKLIN if you fail to comply with any provision of this license.
Please read the following safety warnings and precautions before using your device. Note: If this device is to be used by young children, this User’s Guide should be read to them by an adult and their use of the device should be monitored. Failure to do so may cause injury.
Introduction
Congratulations on your purchase of the DBE1500, Spanish
English Dictionary. The DBE-1500 is a terrific resource for finding translations of thousands of words.
You can search for inflected forms of words, correct misspellings, learn verb conjugations, and find conversational phrases. Study rules of grammar and build your vocabulary using a personal word list, TOEFL® Test* and SAT® Spanish Subject Test† word lists. Look up definitions of English words and enjoy the fun vocabulary building exercises and games.
* TOEFL and the Test of English as a Foreign Language are registered trademarks of Educational Testing Service (ETS). This product is not endorsed or approved by ETS.
† SAT is a registered trademark of the College Entrance Examination Board, which was not involved in the production of, and does not endorse, this product.
Battery Precautions
Your device is powered by two CR-2032, 3-volt lithium batteries.
•Non-rechargeable batteries are not to be recharged. Never recharge batteries that come with the device.
•Rechargeable batteries are to be removed from the device before being charged.
•Rechargeable batteries are only to be charged under adult supervision.
•Do not mix old and new batteries.
•Only batteries of the same or equivalent type as recommended are to be used.
•The supply terminals are not to be shortcircuited.
•Do not expose batteries to direct heat or try to take batteries apart. Follow the battery manufacturer’s instructions for battery use.
•Always remove a weak or dead battery from the device.
•To avoid damage caused by leakage of the battery fluid, replace the battery or batteries once every two years regardless of how much the device has been used during that time.
•Should a battery leak, the device may become damaged. Clean the battery compartment immediately, avoiding contact with your skin.
•Keep batteries out of reach of small children. If swallowed, consult a physician immediately.
Product Care
Your device is designed to be light, compact and durable. However, it is an electronic device and must be treated carefully. Putting unneccessary pressure on it or striking the device against other objects can cause damage.
In order to avoid damage to your device, please:
•Keep the lid closed when you are not using it.
This will protect the screen from being broken, scratched or marred in any way.
•Do not drop, crush, bend, or apply excessive force to the device.
•Do not expose your device to moisture, extreme or prolonged heat, cold, humidity, or other adverse conditions. Avoid storing it in damp, humid or wet places. It is not waterproof.
•Clean the device by spraying a mild glass cleaner onto a cloth and wipe its surface. Do not spray liquids directly on your device.
•Should the device’s display glass break, properly dispose of the product avoiding contact with your skin, then wash your hands immediately.
•Please keep screen protectors and plastic bags away from babies and children to avoid danger of suffocation.
Understanding Your Device
1
2 
4
5 3 
1)Screen
2)Soft Keys
3)Function Keys
4)Power Key
5)Navigation Key
Replacing the Batteries
Your product is powered by two CR-2032 lithium batteries. Follow these easy instructions to install or replace them. Please have the new batteries and a small screwdriver at hand before you remove the old ones.
1.Turn your product off and turn it over.
2.Use the screwdriver to unscrew the batter cover screw.
3.Lift off the battery cover.
4.Remove the old batteries.
Note: Use a paper clip, if necessary, to remove the old batteries.
5.Install the batteries positive (+) side facing up.
Important: Be sure that the batteries are installed correctly. Wrong polarity may damage the unit.
6.Replace the battery cover and secure it with the screw.
Warning: If the batteries wear-out completely or if you take more than a few seconds while changing the batteries, any information that was entered in the built-in books may be erased. You should always keep written copies of your important information.
Resetting Your Product
If the keyboard fails to respond, or if the screen performs erratically, perform a system reset by following the steps below.
1.Hold CLEAR and press 
.
If nothing happens, try Step 2.
2.Use a paper clip to gently press the reset button on your unit.
The reset button is recessed in a pin-sized hole on the back of your device.
Warning! Pressing the reset button with more than light pressure may permanently disable your product. In addition, resetting the product erases settings and information entered in its built-in books.
Key Guide
Soft Keys
Soft Key functions are represented by the labels displayed along the bottom of the screen. To perform a Soft Key function, press the unlabeled key at the top of the keyboard that corresponds to the label you want. These labels change to reflect the different functions available in the various books and exercises in this device.
For example, in the main menu, the following Soft Keys are available:
BOOKS Displays the Books menu. LEARN Displays the Learning menu. EXER Displays the Exercises menu. GAMES Displays the Games menu. SETUP Displays the Setup menu.
Organizer Keys
In the Organizer, the following Soft Keys are available:
CLOCK Goes to the clock.
DATA Goes to the Databank menu. CALC Goes to the calculator. CONV Goes to the metric converter.
CURR Goes to the currency converter.
Please refer to the specific topics in this User’s Guide to learn the function of any available Soft Keys.
Function Keys
Turns the product on or off.
Displays a help message. When at an inflection screen, displays grammar information about the inflection you were viewing.
Goes to the main menu. Goes to the word entry screen in any book that has one. Clears the calculator. In the metric converter and databank, goes to its main menu.
Backs up, erases a letter, or turns off the highlight at an entry.
Enters a word, selects an item, or begins a highlight in an entry.
Goes to the Organizer: clock, databank, calculator, metric converter and currency converter.
Goes to the main menu.
At a word entry screen, types a ? to stand for a letter in a word. At a menu, displays a menu item. At a dictionary entry, displays the headword. In games, reveals the word and forfeits the game.
Shifts to type capital letters.
Shifts to allow prev, next, pg up, pg down, and to type a hyphen (-).
Combination Keys*
|
+ |
At a dictionary entry, pages up or down. |
or |
|
|
|
+ |
At a dictionary entry, displays the |
or |
|
previous or next entry. |
|
|
+ At a menu, goes to the first or last menu or item. At an entry, goes to the start or end
of the entry.
+J Types a hyphen.
+M Types an @.
+ At a word entry screen, types an asterisk to stand for a series of letters in a word. In games, gives a hint.
* Hold the first key while pressing the second.
Direction Keys
Move up ( 
), down ( 
), left ( 
), or right ( 
).
At menus and dictionary entries, pages down. At a word entry screen, types a space.
For Your Information
Follow the Arrows
The flashing arrows on the right of the screen show which arrow keys you can press to move around menus or view more text.
Help is Always at Hand
You can view a help message at any screen by pressing HELP. Press 
or 
to read. To exit help, press BACK.
About Screen Illustrations
Some screen illustrations in this User’s Guide may differ slightly from what you see on screen. This does not mean that your unit is malfunctioning.
Changing the Language
Message Language
When you turn on this product for the first time, choose the message language. Press A for English or press B for Spanish.
The message language is the language of prompts, help, and other messages. You can change the message language after your initial decision.
Using the Main Menu
Use the main menu to quickly take you to different books and exercises in your device. The main menu contains five tabs: Books, Learning, Exercises, Games and Setup. Use
and
to move to another tab.
Use
and
to highlight the option you want and press ENTER to select it. You can also go directly to a tab by pressing the tab’s respective Soft Key.
Understanding the Menus
The Books tab enables you to look up Spanish translations of English words and English translations of Spanish words. You can conjugate English or Spanish words and search for English or Spanish conversational phrases. You can also look up definitions of English words.
The Learning tab enables you to access My Vocabulary List, search for English or Spanish usage examples, and read English or Spanish grammar lessons. You can also access the TOEFL® Test and SAT® Spanish Subject Test word lists.
The Exercises tab allows you to access Spelling Bee and Flashcards. You can try both exercises using English words saved to My Vocabulary List and those found in the TOEFL® Test word list. You can also
try the exercises using Spanish words saved to My Vocabulary List and those found in the SAT® Spanish Subject Test.
The Games tab allows you to access the seven games included in your device: Hangman,
Conjumania, Gender Tutor, Word Train, Guess the Word, Word Auction and Word Blaster. You can also adjust the game settings.
The Setup tab allows you to access a demonstration and tutorial of how this device works. You can also adjust the device settings.
Viewing a Demonstration
or Tutorial
1.Press MENU.
2.Press SETUP.
You can also press
or
until you reach the Setup menu.
3.Press
to highlight either Tutorial or View Demo and press ENTER.
To stop the demonstration or exit from the Tutorial and return to the Setup menu, press
CLEAR.
Changing the Settings
When using this device, you can activate the Learn a Word feature, adjust the screen contrast, the shutoff time, the type size, and the message language. The shutoff time is how long your product stays on if you forget to turn it off.
1.Press MENU.
2.Press SETUP.
You can also press
or
until you reach the Setup menu.
3.Settings will be highlighted. Press ENTER to select it.
4.Press
or
to move 
to Learn a Word,
Contrast, Shutoff, Type Size, or Mensajes
(message language).
5.Press
or
to change the setting.
Your changes are automatically saved.
6.Press ENTER when done.
Press CLEAR to return to the Setup menu.
Learn a New Word
Your dictionary comes with a Learn a Word feature to help you increase your Spanish or English vocabulary. Each time you turn your dictionary on, you can see a random headword.
Translating Words
Your dictionary is fully bilingual. You can use the English-to-Spanish and Spanish-to-English dictionaries to translate words between the languages. Try translating a Spanish word.
1.Press MENU.
2.Press BOOKS.
3.Use
or
to highlight Spanish -> English, then press ENTER.
To translate English words into Spanish select
English -> Spanish.
You can also press LANG at the word entry screen to change the entry language from Spanish to English.
4.Type a word (e.g., ir).
To erase a letter, press BACK.
Note: You do not need to type accents. To type
accents, type the letter (e.g., e) and press
repeatedly until the accent you want appears (e.g., é).
To type a capital, hold CAP and press a letter key. To type a number, hold FN and press Q-P. To type a hyphen, hold FN and press J.
5.Press ENTER to view the English translation.
Press SPACE or
to scroll.
6.Hold FN and press
or
to view the next or previous definition.
7.Press CLEAR when done.
Press MENU to go to the main menu.
Understanding Translations
Entries may consist of headwords, parts of speech, the translation and/or definitions. Other forms of the word may follow the headword. After the translation or definition, you may see a list of usage examples.
Explanation of Genders
Spanish nouns are different than English nouns in that they must either be masculine or feminine. Each definition of a noun indicates which gender it is with m or f.
Misspelling Words
If you enter a misspelled word, a list of corrections appears. Highlight the word you want and then press ENTER to see its entry.
Choosing Multiple Forms
Some words in the dictionaries have more than one form (e.g. sí, si). When the word you are looking up has multiple forms, the different forms appear in a list.
Simply highlight the form you want and press ENTER to see its entry. For example, select Spanish -> English from the Books menu, then type si at the word entry screen.
Highlight the form you want and press ENTER to see its entry. To go back to the Multiple Forms list, press BACK.
Highlighting Words
Another way to look up words in the Spanish-to- English and English-to-Spanish dictionaries is by highlighting them in entries or word lists. You can then find their translations or add them to My Vocabulary List.
1.At any text, press ENTER to start the highlight.
To turn the highlight off, press BACK.
2.Use the arrow keys to move the highlight to the word you want.
To … |
Press … |
define the word |
ENTER |
add word to |
LIST |
My Vocabulary List |
|
3.Press CLEAR when done.
Press MENU to go to the main menu.
Finding Letters in Words
If you are uncertain about how to spell a word, type a question mark (?) in place of each unknown letter. To find prefixes, suffixes, and other parts of words, type an asterisk ( ) in a word. Each asterisk stands for a series of letters. Note: If you type an asterisk at the beginning of a word, it may take a little while to find the matching words.
1.Go to any word entry screen.
You can access a word entry screen by selecting
English -> Spanish, Spanish-> English, or English Dictionary from the Books menu.
2.Type a word with ?s and s.
To type an asterisk, hold down CAP and press 
.
3.Press ENTER.
4.Press
to move the highlight to the word you want and press ENTER to view its entry.
5.Press CLEAR when done.
Press MENU to go to the main menu.
Advanced
Verb Conjugations
Conjugations show inflections, or changes in a word’s gender, tense, etc. This device includes extensive inflections of Spanish and English nouns, verbs, modifiers, and other words.
From the Main Menu
1.Press MENU.
2.Press BOOKS.
3.Use
or
to highlight Spanish Conjugations, then press ENTER.
To conjugate English words select English Conjugations.
You can also press LANG at the word entry screen to change the entry language from Spanish to English.
4.Type a word (e.g., leer).
5.Press CONJ.
If needed, highlight the part of speech or translation you want and press ENTER.
These are the principal forms of the Spanish verb “leer”. The English translations are below each Spanish inflection.
6.Press SPACE or
to scroll.
Press 
to display the root word.
7.Press CONJ or hold FN and press
repeatedly to view more inflections.
If the word is a noun, an adjective, or another modifier, then there won’t be any other inflections.
8.Press CLEAR when done.
Press MENU to go to the main menu.
From an Entry
Some words have different parts of speech or multiple translations. You can easily find which part of speech or specific translation you will need to conjugate by first looking up the word in the Spanish-to-English or English-to-Spanish dictionaries and then pressing CONJ. Follow this example.
1.Press MENU.
2.Press BOOKS.
3.Use
or
to highlight Spanish Conjugations, then press ENTER.
To conjugate English words select English Conjugations.
You can also press LANG at the word entry screen to change the entry language from Spanish to English.
4.Type a word (e.g., conocer).
5.Press ENTER to look it up.
Read the definition to find the verb you want (e.g., to meet).
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