Hello, dear readers! Question for you: are you reading this on your computer or your phone? Either way, it is undeniable that we use our phones all the time for a variety of purposes, be it for reading work-related e-mails, chatting with friends, reading the news, using social media, playing games, getting informed and many more. Maybe even just for the alarm clock. With all these functions, most of us have become inseparable from our devices and rely on it throughout the day. But are you able to refer to all these activities you perform on your phone in English? Well, today we are going to learn some essential vocab connected to cellphones. 

phone/ cellphone – your mobile device

• I can’t find my phone. Have you seen it? – I can’t find my phone. Have you seen it? 

• It is impossible to live without a cellphone nowadays.

ring – the sound your phone makes when someone calls you

• Your phone is ringing!
• Can you believe  the teacher’s phone started ringing in the middle of the lecture?

turn on – to make your phone start operating

• Ever since I dropped my phone in the water, it won’t turn on anymore 

turn off – the opposite of turn on, to make your phone stop operating

• The flight attendant asked all passengers to turn off their mobile phones 

call – to contact someone

• Mrs. Lúcia called but left no message
• If you suspect anything, call the police 

hang up – to end a phone call with someone

• Do not hang up, your call is very important to us 
• He got upset and hung up on me 

answer – to get a phone call when your phone is ringing

• I could not answer your call, I was in a meeting  
• We spent the whole day calling Mark, but he is not answering! 

number – the series of digits used to call a person

• I would call her, but I do not know the number 
• Give me your number, I’ll add you on Skype

screen – the flat panel on your phone on which images and data are displayed

• I accidentally dropped my phone and the screen cracked
• Experts say that staring at the screen of your phone can harm your sleep

notification – a message automatically sent to notify about activity on one of your social media accounts

• I just got a notification that someone is following me on Instagram 
• You have ten new notifications on Whatsapp 

to text – to send someone a message over your phone

• I texted him two hours ago and he still hasn’t replied 
• We don’t call each other much, but we’re always texting each other

to get a text –  to receive a message on your phone

• I just got a text from Roberto, he is going to be late

to charge (the phone) – to connect your phone to a plug for power

• Is there an outlet around here? I need to charge my phone

charger – the device used to charge your phone

• I left my charger at home, can you lend me yours? 

case – the cover for your mobile device

• A  solid case protects your device

delete – to erase information from your phone

• I need to delete some pictures, my memory is almost used up 
• Why did you delete your text? 

ringtone – the music your phone plays when it rings

• Her ringtone is the Star Wars’ theme song 

reception – the quality of the phone signal

• I’ll call you back because reception here really sucks
• It is hard to get reception on the road 

password – the secret word you use to gain access to your phone or other websites 

• To connect to the wi-fi, you will need the password

silent mode – when your phone doesn’t ring loudly

• The play is about to begin, please set your phones to silent mode
• I forgot to switch my phone to silent and it rang in the middle of the wedding! 

to top up your phone – to pay more money to use your phone services

• I can’t text anyone right now, I need to top up my phone first 

update – to make your phone more modern

• To enjoy the new features, you need to update the app

type – to use your fingers to form words on your phone screen

• Marta is typing a reply 

provider – the company that offers your phone services 

• My provider rates are too high, I’m thinking of switching 

SIM card – a smart card inside your phone, with all your personal data

• Do you know where I can get a new SIM card for my phone? 

 data – what allows you to access the internet on your phone

• I ran out of data so quickly this month 

missed call – when you don’t answer a phone call

• Whoa, I’ve got 7 missed calls from home! Something must have happened 

I gotta hang up now! Good week to all.