In this post, I thought we’d learn the Arabic vocabulary used to talk about الهَواتِف المَحمولة mobile phones. For example, making calls, texting, getting a phone plan, etc. You’ll find that some Arabic speakers refer to many such vocabulary words in English as well as in Arabic similar to the case of many other technological terms. You’ll also notice that within the Arabic usage of such terms, you have both the MSA and colloquial versions. I have included a couple short mobile telephone network adds as an example of how these vocabulary words are used in context.

Let’s begin with mobile/cellular phone: الهاتِف المَحمول (formal MSA term)

Other words used to refer to cell phones are: تَلَفون، خَلَوي، مَوبايل، جَوال

(Levantine example)

شو نوع موبايلك؟  What kind of mobile phone do you have? 📱

 

smart phone:  هاتِف ذَكي but most people just say “سمارت فون”

phone number: رَقم الهاتِف or رَقم تَلَفون

to call/dial: يَتَّصِل بـِ   in Levantine we also say يَحكي مَع

call (noun): مُكالَمة

text message: رِسَالة نَصية or رِسَالَةً قَصِيرَة for SMS

to text: يُرْسِلُ رِسَالَةً قَصِيرَة  or in Levantine, you will hear “يَبْعَت “مسج” أو “تكست”

to answer a call: يُجِيب / يَرُدّ

number is busy:  الرَّقَم مَشْغول

phone plan or phone line: خَط الهاتِف or خَط تلفون

to charge: يَشحن and charger is شاحِن

.لازِم إشحن تلفوني   I have to charge my pone.  (Levantine)

Sim card: شَريحة موبايل

to turn off phone: يُطفئ الهاتف  and to silence phone is يَضع الهاتِف في وَضْع الصامِت

Wi-Fi: واي فاي  

في واي فاي؟  Is there Wi-Fi?  (Levantine)

App: تَطبيق  and to download an app is يُحَمِل تَطبيق

ringtone: نَغَمة  

شو نغمة تلفونك؟  What’s your phone ringtone? 🎵  (Levantine)

settings: إعدادات

network: شَبَكة

minutes: دَقائِق

Internet package: حُزْمة الانترنت

photo: صورة and to take a photo is يأخُذ صورة

Here are two Jordanian mobile phone network adds. Try to listen for some of the words we learned above. 📱

لازمني موبايل جديد

Listen for the words (…موبايل، خط جماعتي، اتصل على)

خطوط U الجديدة المدفوعة مسبقاً

Listen for the words (خط، حزمة الإنترنت، دقائق، مكالمات، شبكة)

I hope this post helped you become more familiar with vocabulary surrounding cell phones.

Till next week, happy Arabic learning! 😊