coque de téléphone
In French, "phone case" is translated as coque de téléphone.
The term refers to a protective covering for a mobile phone. In a retail context where mobile accessories are already being discussed, speakers will often shorten the phrase and simply use coque to mean "case".
Meaning: covering for a mobile phone (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The word coque literally means "shell" or "husk", referring to a protective outer layer.
How does it change in a sentence?
To form the plural, coques de téléphone, add an s to coque but do not add one to téléphone.
Did you know?
- The word coque originally described the hard outer shell of a berry or a fruit. It is a linguistic evolution from the Latin word coccum, meaning 'berry'.
- Because coque means 'shell' or 'husk', it can also be used in French to refer to the hull of a ship. This creates a mental image of a small vessel protecting your device.
- While coque is the standard term, some French speakers might use étui for a case that fully wraps or folds around the phone like a wallet.
Examples in context
- Excusez-moi, où puis-je trouver un étui de téléphone ?Excuse me, where can I find a phone case?
- J'ai acheté une coque de portable super cool aujourd'hui !I bought a really cool phone case today!
- Regarde ma nouvelle housse de téléphone en cuir, elle est trop belle !Look at my new leather phone case, it's so beautiful!
- J'ai acheté une nouvelle coque de téléphone.I bought a new phone case.
- Ta coque de téléphone est très jolie.Your phone case is very pretty.
- Où est la coque de téléphone de Lucas ?Where is Lucas's phone case?
Example conversation
Léa and Lucas are shopping at a mall.
- LéaRegarde cette coque de téléphone !Look at this phone case!
- LucasElle est sympa, mais trop grande.It is nice, but too big.
- LéaJe pense qu'elle ira sur mon portable.I think it will fit on my mobile.
- LucasAlors, achète-la, Lucas approuve !Then buy it, Lucas approves!
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries coque, de, téléphone, CC BY-SA 4.0.
