How to Say "Cellphone" in French

portable

/pɔʁ.tabl/

The French word for cellphone is portable.

portable refers to a handheld device used for making phone calls and sending messages.

Which one should you use?

While portable is a common shorthand for cellphone, it is also an adjective meaning 'portable' or 'handheld'.

In France, portable is the standard colloquial term for a cellphone.

The word is pronounced /pɔʁ.tabl/ and has 2 syllables.

English speakers may mistakenly use the word 'cellphone' directly in French, but you should use portable or téléphone portable instead.

French learners may notice that the root of portable, porter, also means 'to wear' clothing. This creates a linguistic link between carrying a phone and wearing a shirt.
While portable is common in France, if you are in Quebec, you are more likely to hear the term cellulaire used for the same device.
Because portable is also a general adjective, a French speaker could use the same word to describe a laptop (ordinateur portable) and a cellphone.

T’as un portable ?
Do you have a cellphone?
Tatoeba #3468215 by gillux, translation #535419 by CM
Le portable de Tom sonna.
Tom's cellphone rang.
Tatoeba #5800856 by Toynop, translation #1874315 by CK
Il vérifie son téléphone portable.
He's checking his cellphone.
Tatoeba #1802003 by sacredceltic, translation #1801661 by Spamster
Je ne peux pas trouver mon téléphone portable. Est-ce que tu peux m'aider?
I can't find my cellphone. Can you help me?
J'ai oublié mon portable chez moi. Je vais devoir retourner le chercher.
I forgot my cellphone at home. I'll have to go back and get it.
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Nathan and Chloé are sitting in a cafe.

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