Learning a new language can seem daunting at first, but starting with practical, everyday vocabulary can make the process more accessible. Cell phones are a ubiquitous part of modern life, so learning French phone-related terms is a useful starting point. Below are some common French words and phrases to help you navigate cell phone conversations and texting in French:
- Téléphone – Cell phone. This is the basic word for a mobile phone.
- Texto – Text message. You would say “Envoyez-moi un texto” to tell someone to send you a text.
- Appeler – To call. Say “Je t’appelle ce soir” to tell someone you’ll call them tonight.
- SMS – This is used in French to refer to a text message, just like the English abbreviation. “J’ai reçu ton SMS” means “I got your text.”
- Message – Message. Both text messages and voicemails are referred to as “messages” in French – “messages texte” and “messages vocaux.”
- Réseau – Network. This refers to your cell service provider’s network. “Réseau” also means just network, like WiFi or internet networks.
- Forfait – Cell phone plan. This is the monthly billing plan you have for your cell service.
- Hors forfait – Out of plan. Any cell phone usage outside your monthly allotted minutes, texts, or data is “hors forfait.”
- Recharger – To recharge. This means to top up the prepaid credit on your phone plan.
- Internet mobile – Mobile internet. French speakers say “internet mobile” to refer to data or internet access on a phone.
- 4G/5G – Phone network generations. The same terms are used in French for the generations of cell phone network standards.
- Pas de couverture – No coverage. If you can’t get a signal, you’re in an area with “pas de couverture.”
- Messages vocaux – Voicemail. Your “boîte vocale” or “messagerie vocale” is your voicemail box where messages are left.
- Sonner – To ring. When your phone rings, you’d say “mon téléphone sonne”.
- Vibreur – Vibrate. To switch your phone to vibrate mode, put it in “mode vibreur.”
- À bientôt – Talk to you soon. A good way to end a phone call in French.
- En ligne – Online/available. You can say “Je suis en ligne” to tell someone you’re available to chat or talk.
- Hors ligne – Offline/unavailable. “Je suis hors ligne” conveys that you’re offline or busy.
- Disponible – Available. Say “Je suis disponible” to indicate you’re free to take a call or meet up.
- Indisponible – Unavailable. The opposite – “Je suis indisponible” implies you’re busy at the moment.
- Appel en absence – Missed call. French speakers say they have an “appel en absence” when they see they missed a phone call.
- Appel en attente – Call waiting. If you get another call while already on the phone, you have an “appel en attente.”
- Messagerie vocale – Voicemail. Where voicemails are left for you to check later.
- Boîte vocale – Voicemail box. Same meaning as “messagerie vocale.”
- Envoyer un message – Send a message. Use this to tell someone you’re texting or leaving them a voicemail.
- Recevoir un message – Receive a message. Use this when you’ve gotten an incoming text or voicemail.
- Double appel – Return call. If someone calls you twice in a row it usually means they want you to call back.
- Sonnerie – Ringtone. The sound your phone makes when receiving a call.
- Avoir du réseau – To have service. Indicates you have cell service coverage and aren’t in a dead zone.
- Perdre le signal – To lose service. The opposite – when you enter an area with no bars.
- Haut-parleur – Speakerphone. For when you want to talk hands-free.
- Coupé – Hung up. As in “Il m’a coupé” to say someone hung up on you.
- Raccrocher – To hang up. What you do when you want to end a call.
- Numéro masqué – Private number/caller ID blocked. When someone calls without showing their number.
- Double appel – Return call. When someone calls you twice quickly so you’ll call back.
- Transfert d’appel – Call forwarding. Forwarding calls from one number to another.
- Hors zone – Out of area. When you are outside your carrier’s coverage area.
- Itinérance – Roaming. Using your phone in another region/country.
- Consommation – Usage. Refers to how many minutes, texts, data you’ve used so far this month.
- Verrouillé – Locked. When your keypad or screen is locked on your phone.
- Déverrouiller – To unlock. To unlock your phone if it’s been locked.
- Carte SIM – SIM card. The card in your phone with your subscriber identity information.
- Passerelle de paiement – Payment gateway. For making purchases on your phone.
- Recharge – Top-up. Adding more credit to your prepaid account.
- Forfait bloqué – Blocked plan. When you’ve used up all your minutes or data for the month.
- Je n’ai plus de batterie – My battery is dead. When your phone dies because the battery is out of power.
- Je n’ai plus de crédit – I’m out of credit. No more prepaid balance left on your account.
- Hors réseau – No service. When you have no bars and can’t get a signal.
- Je te rappelle – I’ll call you back. Use this when you can’t talk at the moment but will return the call.
- Ça a coupé – I lost you. When you abruptly lose your connection mid-call.
- Tu as disparu! – I lost you! Same meaning as “ça a coupé.”
- J’arrive! – I’m on my way! Useful text to let someone know you’re en route.
- Où es-tu? – Where are you? Text this if you’re trying to find someone.
- Je suis là – I’m here. Use this when you’ve arrived to meet someone.
- Tonalité – Dial tone. The tone you hear when dialing a number.
- Sonnerie d’attente – Ringback tone. The ringing sound you hear while waiting for someone to answer.
- Interrompre l’appel – To end the call. How you’d say “hang up” a call.
- Micro coupé – Mic muted. When you mute your microphone on a call.
- Haut-parleur activé – Speakerphone on. When speakerphone mode is enabled.
- Numéro préenregistré – Preset number. A saved contact or speed dial number.
- Numérotation abrégée – Speed dial. Calling someone from your speed dial list.
- Numéro favori – Favorite number. A contact you’ve marked as a favorite.
- Répertoire – Contact list. Where your phone contacts are stored.
- Chercher un contact – Search contacts. Looking up a contact in your phone book.
- Sonnerie personnalisée – Custom ringtone. A unique ringtone set for a certain contact.
- Volume maximum – Volume up. Turning the volume all the way up on your phone.
- Volume désactivé – Volume off/silent. Setting your ringer to silent or vibrate only.
- Casque d’écoute – Headphones. For listening privately or hands-free.
- Chargeur – Charger. The adapter used to charge your phone battery.
- Brancher – To plug in. As in, “Je branche mon téléphone pour le charger.”
- Chargé – Charged. When your phone battery is fully charged.
- Hors de portée – Out of range. When you’re too far from a signal or WiFi source.
- Quelle est votre couverture? – What is your coverage? Asking about a carrier’s network coverage area.
- Facture – Bill. Your monthly cellphone bill.
- Forfait bloqué – Blocked plan. When you’ve used up your monthly allotment of minutes, texts, or data.
- Dépassement – Overage. When you go over your plan limits and incur extra charges.
- Franchise – Allowance. The base amount of minutes, texts, and data in your plan.
- Consommation – Usage. How much of your plan you’ve used so far this billing cycle.
- Appel interurbain – Long distance call. Calling a number outside your local coverage area.
- Liste d’appels – Call log. The list of all incoming and outgoing calls.
- Appel manqué – Missed call. A call you didn’t answer.
- Rappel automatique – Callback. Some plans offer automatic callbacks when a line is busy.
- Renvoi d’appel – Call forwarding. Forwarding your calls to another number.
- Numéro masqué – Number blocked. When the caller has hidden their number.
- Identifiant – Login. Your account username, often an email or phone number.
- Mot de passe – Password. The password to access your account.
- Expiré – Expired. When your account access or credit has expired.
- Recharger – To top up. Adding more money to your prepaid account.
- Solde – Balance. The amount left in your prepaid account.
- Problème de réseau – Network issue. When you have a connectivity issue.
- Pas de service – No service. When you have no signal or connection.
- J’ai perdu le signal – I lost service. When your call unexpectedly drops.
Useful expressions to describe actions carried out with a cell phone in French
- Composer un numéro – To dial a number
- Décrocher – To answer a call
- Prendre un appel – To take a call
- Mettre fin à un appel – To end a call
- Raccrocher – To hang up
- Remercier et raccrocher – To say goodbye and hang up
- Activer le haut-parleur – To turn on speakerphone
- Couper le son du microphone – To mute the microphone
- Rejeter/refuser un appel – To reject/decline a call
- Envoyer à la messagerie vocale – To send to voicemail
- Laisser un message vocal – To leave a voicemail
- Écouter les messages vocaux – To check voicemail
- Renvoyer un appel – To forward a call
- Transférer un appel – To transfer a call
- Mettre en attente – To put on hold
- Envoyer un texto/SMS – To send a text
- Envoyer une pièce jointe – To send an attachment
- Charger le téléphone – To charge the phone
- Déverrouiller l’écran – To unlock the screen
- Prendre une photo – To take a picture
- Prendre une capture d’écran – To take a screenshot
- Activer le mode avion – To turn on airplane mode
- Connecter/déconnecter le Bluetooth – To turn Bluetooth on/off
- Passer d’un appel à l’autre – To switch between calls
- Régler le volume – To adjust the volume
- Composer le numéro abrégé de quelqu’un – To speed dial someone
- Consulter le répertoire – To check the contacts list
- Ajouter un contact – To add a contact
- Modifier un contact – To edit a contact
- Supprimer un contact – To delete a contact
- Passer un appel en visio – To make a video call
- Activer le haut-parleur – To turn on speakerphone
- Désactiver le son – To mute the sound
- Régler le volume – To adjust the volume
- Verrouiller le clavier – To lock the keypad
- Changer la sonnerie – To change the ringtone
- Mettre en silencieux – To set to silent/vibrate
- Personnaliser l’écran d’accueil – To customize the home screen
- Télécharger une application – To download an app
- Désinstaller une application – To uninstall an app
- Vérifier l’historique des appels – To check the call history
- Vérifier l’utilisation des données – To check data usage
- Activer/désactiver les données mobiles – To turn mobile data on/off
- Activer/désactiver le WiFi – To turn WiFi on/off
- Redémarrer le téléphone – To restart the phone
- Réinitialiser le téléphone – To reset the phone
- Sauvegarder des données – To back up data
- Restaurer des données – To restore data
- Naviguer sur internet – To browse the internet
- Ouvrir le navigateur web – To open the web browser
- Visiter un site web – To visit a website
- Mettre un site web en favori – To bookmark a website
- Fermer une page web – To close a web page
- Actualiser une page – To refresh a page
- Rechercher quelque chose en ligne – To search for something online
- Cliquer sur un lien – To click on a link
- Zoomer/dézoomer – To zoom in/out
- Faire défiler l’écran – To scroll on the screen
- Glisser-déposer – To drag and drop
- Entrer une adresse email – To enter an email address
- Vérifier les e-mails – To check email
- Rédiger un e-mail – To compose an email
- Joindre un fichier – To attach a file
- Envoyer un e-mail – To send an email
- Lire/ouvrir un e-mail – To read/open an email
- Répondre à un e-mail – To reply to an email
- Transférer un e-mail – To forward an email
- Supprimer un e-mail – To delete an email
- Se déconnecter – To log out
- Se connecter à un réseau Wi-Fi – To connect to a Wi-Fi network
- Se déconnecter du Wi-Fi – To disconnect from Wi-Fi
- Entrer le mot de passe Wi-Fi – To enter the Wi-Fi password
- Appairer un appareil Bluetooth – To pair a Bluetooth device
- Se connecter au Bluetooth – To connect via Bluetooth
- Déconnecter le Bluetooth – To disconnect Bluetooth
- Écouter de la musique – To listen to music
- Ouvrir l’application musique – To open the music app
- Mettre une chanson en lecture – To play a song
- Mettre en pause – To pause
- Passer à la chanson suivante/précédente – To skip to the next/previous song
- Ajuster le volume – To adjust the volume
- Activer le mode avion – To turn on airplane mode
- Désactiver le mode avion – To switch airplane mode off
- Vérifier le niveau de batterie – To check the battery level
- Vérifier la force du signal – To check the signal strength
- Prendre une capture d’écran – To take a screenshot
- Supprimer des applications – To delete apps
- Vérifier l’espace de stockage – To check storage space
- Vider le cache – To clear the cache
Hopefully this provides a helpful starter vocabulary for cell phone French. Don’t be intimidated by learning a new language – start with the practical terms you’re likely to use everyday. Before you know it, you’ll be texting, calling and managing phone settings completely en français! With some practice and patience, you’ll be having phone conversations in your new language.
