portable
/pɔʁ.tabl/
The English word 'portable' is translated into French as portable. Wiktionary also lists portatif.
Meaning: able to be carried or moved (adj)
Ways to say it
| French | IPA |
|---|---|
| portable | /pɔʁ.tabl/ |
| portatif | /pɔʁ.ta.tif/ |
Both portable and portatif are used to describe something that is able to be carried or moved. In everyday spoken French, un portable is the standard shorthand for un téléphone portable, meaning a mobile phone.
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective portable follows standard French grammar and takes an 's' to form the plural, written as portables.
How do you pronounce it?
portable is pronounced /pɔʁ.tabl/ and has 2 syllables.
Did you know?
- To describe a 'portable' charger or a 'portable' speaker, French often uses nomade to emphasize that the object is designed for a mobile lifestyle.
- In French, un portable can refer to both a mobile phone and a laptop computer, as ordinateur portable is often shortened to just portable.
- Using 'un portable' to mean 'a cell phone' is common in France, but in some other Francophone regions, people may prefer 'un cellulaire'.
Examples in context
- Les pieuvres se servent de coques de noix de coco comme abris portatifs.Octopuses use coconut shells as portable shelters.This sentence uses portatif to describe portable shelters.Tatoeba #6291198 by nimfeo, translation #5889035 by zumley
- Tom ne veut pas d'un iPad. Il veut un portable qui accepte le Flash.Tom doesn't want an iPad. He wants a portable device that supports Flash.This sentence uses portable to refer to a portable device.Tatoeba #1181435 by rene1596, translation #1025928 by CK
- L'expression « portable » est ambigu car on ne sait pas s'il s'agit d'un téléphone, d'un ordinateur ou un autre appareil portable.The expression "portable" is ambiguous, as you don't know whether it refers to a telephone, a computer, or another portable device.This sentence uses portable to illustrate how the expression can be ambiguous when referring to a telephone, a computer or another device.Tatoeba #4065367 by Eldad, translation #4065369 by Eldad
- J'ai besoin d'un nouvel ordinateur portable.I need a new laptop.
- Assurez-vous de ne pas perdre votre dispositif portable.Make sure not to lose your portable device.
- Est-ce que tu as mis ton portable dans ton sac ?Did you put your phone in your bag?
- J'ai besoin d'acheter un nouveau téléphone portable.I need to buy a new mobile phone.
- Tu peux me prêter ton GSM pendant que je répare le mien ?Can you lend me your cell phone while I fix mine?
- Mon baladeur est tombé en panne, je dois en acheter un nouveau.My portable audio player broke, I need to buy a new one.
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Gabriel and Emma are discussing which speaker to buy for a trip.
- GabrielOn devrait acheter un haut-parleur portable.We should buy a portable speaker.
- EmmaC'est une excellente idée, Gabriel.That's an excellent idea, Gabriel.
- GabrielEst-ce que ce modèle est vraiment portable ?Is this model really portable?
- EmmaOui, il tient dans mon sac.Yes, it fits in my bag.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “portable” translations and entries portable, portatif, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
