French word

portable

Pronunciation

IPA/pɔʁtabl/

Meaning

  • masculine nouncell phone

Example

J'ai oublié mon portable à la maison.

I forgot my cell phone at home.

Illustration for portable (cell phone)

More examples

Peux-tu me prêter ton portable ?

Can you lend me your mobile phone?

Core concept

A personal phone kept close at hand, combining mobility with ordinary calling and text messaging.

Common phrases

  • mon portable

    my mobile phone

  • éteindre le portable

    turn off the mobile phone

  • charger le portable

    charge the mobile phone

Similar words

téléphone portable: A phone designed to be carried around.
smartphone: A mobile phone offering apps and internet access.
téléphone: A device intended for voice calls.

Definition in French

Désigne le téléphone mobile que l'on porte sur soi pour communiquer, appeler ou recevoir des messages.

Word origin

French adopted portable as a noun by shortening téléphone portable, with portable ultimately deriving from Latin portare, 'to carry'.

Usage tips

  • For a laptop, French normally says un ordinateur portable; un portable by itself usually refers to a mobile phone.

Other meanings

  • portableadjective

Opposites

  • téléphone fixelandlinenoun

Related words

  • portatifportableadjective
  • transportabletransportableadjective

Word lists with this word