Ways to say it
| French | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| moniteur | /mɔ.ni.tœʁ/ | masculine |
| écran | /e.kʁɑ̃/ | masculine |
When referring to an electronic display, you can use two different terms depending on whether you are focusing on the hardware or the visual surface. Related verbs for different types of display include afficher (to show conspicuously), étaler (to spread out) and montrer (to show).
Which one should you use?
Moniteur is used more frequently in technical or professional contexts to refer to the physical computer monitor hardware. In contrast, écran is the more common term used to refer to the screen itself or the visual display area. In everyday French, when talking about looking at a display like a smartphone or TV, people almost always use écran rather than moniteur.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The plural form of écran is écrans and the plural form of moniteur is moniteurs.
How do you pronounce it?
/mɔ.ni.tœʁ/
Did you know?
- The word écran was borrowed into Old French from a Middle Dutch word meaning 'shield'.
- While écran is used for electronics today, it also refers to a 'smoke screen' (écran de fumée) when used figuratively to describe a deceptive cover-up.
- The word écran originally referred to a physical shield or partition used to protect people from heat or sight, long before it ever described a piece of glass.
Examples in context
- L'exposition d'art moderne présente des œuvres magnifiques.The modern art exhibition displays magnificent artworks.
- Le boulanger a fait un magnifique étalage de ses pâtisseries.The baker made a beautiful display of his pastries.
- Marc m'a montré son nouveau dessin.Marc showed me his new drawing.
- L'étal des fruits et légumes est particulièrement coloré au marché.The display of fruits and vegetables is particularly colorful at the market.
- Le placardage des annonces a attiré beaucoup d'attention.The display of advertisements attracted a lot of attention.
- Le moniteur est trop petit.The monitor is too small.
- Je dois nettoyer mon moniteur.I need to clean my monitor.
- Ton moniteur est cassé.Your monitor is broken.
Example conversation
Lucas and Manon are in an office setting.
- LucasEst-ce que ton moniteur fonctionne ?Is your monitor working?
- ManonNon, mon moniteur est noir.No, my monitor is black.
- LucasTu devrais appeler le technicien.You should call the technician.
- ManonOui, tu as raison, Lucas.Yes, you are right, Lucas.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “display” translations and entries moniteur, écran, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries moniteur, écran, CC BY-SA 4.0.
