French Technology and Communication Vocabulary

A collection of French-to-English vocabulary terms covering telecommunications, mobile phone usage regionalisms, and computing basics.

l'appel (m.)

A phone call

la batterie

The battery (of a phone or device)

le selfie

A selfie photo

le smartphone

A smartphone

le SMS / le texto

A text message

le téléphone portable (ou portable)

The standard term for a mobile phone in France

un natel

The term for a mobile phone used in Switzerland

un gsm

The term for a mobile phone used in Belgium

un cellulaire / un cell

Terms for a mobile phone used in Québec

contacter quelqu'un

To contact someone

décrocher

To pick up or answer the phone

raccrocher

To hang up the phone

éteindre

To turn off a device

allumer

To turn on a device

répondre au téléphone

To answer the phone

téléphoner à quelqu'un / appeler quelqu'un

To call someone on the phone

être joignable

To be reachable or available by phone

raccrocher au nez

To hang up in someone's face (to hang up rudely)

le clavier

The computer keyboard

la clé USB

The USB key or flash drive

l'écran (m.)

The digital screen

l'imprimante (f.)

The printer

imprimer

To print a document

l'appli(cation) (f.)

An application or app

le PC / l'ordinateur

A personal computer

la souris

A computer mouse

le courriel / le mail / l'e-mail

An email message

se connecter

To connect or log in online

se désabonner

To unsubscribe from a service or list

le réseau social

Social network (e.g., Facebook, Instagram)

en ligne

Online

envoyer un courriel

To send an email

le site Internet

The website

télécharger

To download a document, video, or photo

faire une visio(conférence)

To perform a video conference or video call