se me apagó el celular
/se me apaɡo el θelulaɾ/from spelling rules
In Spanish, "my phone died" is expressed as se me apagó el celular.
This phrase is used when a phone turns off because the battery has run out of power.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase literally translates to "the cell phone turned itself off on me". It uses the reflexive se and the indirect object me to imply that the event happened to the speaker.
Which one should you use?
While you might hear the colloquialism se me murió el celular (literally "my phone died"), the more natural way to describe a battery running out is se me apagó (it turned itself off). You can also focus on the battery itself by saying se me acabó la batería (my battery ran out).
How does it change in a sentence?
In the phrase se me apagó el celular, the verb apagó is in the third-person singular preterite to indicate a completed action in the past.
How do you pronounce it?
/se me apaɡo el θelulaɾ/
Did you know?
- The phrase se me apagó el celular uses a grammar structure called the 'accidental se'. By saying the phone turned itself off 'on me', the speaker linguistically removes their own responsibility for the battery dying.
- While celular is standard in Latin America, people in Spain say móvil. If you use celular in Madrid, locals will immediately know you are from the Americas.
- The word celular comes from the same root as the English word 'cellular'. Both derive from the Latin word for 'small room' or 'cell'.
Examples in context
- Señor, disculpe la interrupción, pero mi teléfono se ha apagado y necesito utilizar un teléfono por favor.Sir, excuse the interruption, but my phone has turned off and I need to use a phone, please.
- Lamento la demora en responder, mi dispositivo móvil se ha quedado sin batería.I apologize for the delay in responding, my mobile device has run out of battery.
- ¡Oye, no pude responderte antes porque se me murió el teléfono!Hey, I couldn't reply earlier because my phone died on me!
- Estaba tratando de llamarte, pero se quedó sin pila mi celular.I was trying to call you, but my cell phone ran out of battery.
- Perdona el retraso, mi móvil se descargó y no tenía cómo comunicarme contigo.Sorry for the delay, my mobile phone died and I had no way to contact you.
- Perdón, se me apagó el celular.Sorry, my phone died.
- No pude llamarte porque se me apagó el celular.I couldn't call you because my phone died.
- ¿Viste mi mensaje? Se me apagó el celular de repente.Did you see my message? My phone suddenly died.
Example conversation
Elena and Alejandro are meeting at a cafe.
- Elena¡Hola, Alejandro! Perdón por la tardanza.Hi, Alejandro! Sorry I'm late.
- Alejandro¿No pasó nada con el transporte?Did something happen with transportation?
- ElenaNo, pero se me apagó el celular y no tenía batería.No, but my phone died and I had no battery.
- AlejandroNo te preocupes, Elena, no hay problema.Don't worry, Elena, no problem.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
