What does bilingual mean?
Word: Bilingual
Part of Speech: Adjective
Meaning: Bilingual means able to speak two languages equally well. It can also describe something written or spoken in two languages.
How do you spell bilingual?
Syllables: bi - lin - gual
Tricky part: There is only one l after the bi. Students mix it up with words such as billion and write billingual.
Watch out for: billingual, bylingual
Memory tip: Bi means two, yet the word starts with only one l: two languages, one l.
Bilingual in a sentence
Example 1: Aisha is bilingual: she speaks Tamil at home and English at school.
Example 2: The museum gave us a bilingual guidebook in Spanish and English.
Example 3: Being bilingual helps Arnav chat with his cousins in Kolkata.
Fun Fact
Canada is officially bilingual: English and French are both its official languages, so food packets there carry both.
Practise the CREST Way
Spellacadabra
Choose the correct option to make a meaningful word:
biling_ _ _
a) ule
b) wal
c) ual
d) uel
Show answer
c) ual. The ending is said gwal, but after the g it is written ual.
Word Puzzle
Match the words with their meanings:
1. bilingual 2. binoculars 3. bicycle a. at ease switching between Spanish and Italian b. a vehicle with two wheels that you pedal c. an instrument with two eyepieces for seeing things far away
a) 1-b, 2-a, 3-c
b) 1-c, 2-a, 3-b
c) 1-a, 2-c, 3-b
d) 1-c, 2-b, 3-a
Show answer
c) 1-a, 2-c, 3-b. Each word starts with bi for two: two languages, two eyepieces and two wheels.
Word Tally
How many of these words are spelt correctly?
bilingual, pronounciation, alphabet, vocabulery, grammer, translate
a) 4
b) 5
c) 3
d) 2
Show answer
c) 3. Pronunciation, vocabulary and grammar are misspelt, which leaves three correct words.
Spell Spies
Choose the misspelt word/s in the given sentence:
Our neighbour is bilengual, so she often helps the younger children with their French homework and translates letters from Paris.
a) only translates
b) neighbour and letters
c) only bilengual
d) bilengual and translates
Show answer
c) only bilengual. The word needs an i after the l; the other words are right.
Multiple Choice Questions
1. A bilingual dictionary helps you to...
a) turn French words into English ones
b) find the meaning of an English word
c) look up old dates in history
d) check how to say a word
Show answer
a) turn French words into English ones
2. What does a bilingual road sign show?
a) a speed limit and a warning
b) arrows pointing left and right
c) a town's name and its distance
d) a town's name in Welsh and in English
Show answer
d) a town's name in Welsh and in English
