French Vocabulary Guide: Talking About New Technologies

Here we are again with another exciting article on a highly relevant topic: new technologies. Since they are omnipresent in most people’s lives nowadays—from the youngest to the oldest—and have become indispensable in work, leisure, education, healthcare, and transportation, we couldn’t skip this topic! Today, we will share some essential vocabulary and useful phrases when discussing new technologies with French speakers.

What Are “New Technologies”?

Before diving into the vocabulary, let’s clarify what we mean by “technologies” versus “new technologies.”

Technology in its broadest sense refers to the application of scientific knowledge to practical human needs, influencing and modifying our environment. This includes everyday tools like:

• Une machine à laver – a washing machine
• Une télécommande – a remote control
• Une brosse à dents – a toothbrush
• Un tournevis – a screwdriver

However, today we are focusing on new technologies (les nouvelles technologies).

Vocabulary and Phrases Related to New Technologies

New technologies are a big part of daily life, from smartphones and social media to online services and smart devices. In this section, you’ll find essential French vocabulary and phrases to help you talk about technology with ease

Smartphones & Computers

Smartphones are one of the most-used technological tools today, but many people also rely on computers, laptops, and tablets. These devices have introduced new vocabulary into everyday conversation.

Vocabulary:

• un téléphone – a phone
• un smartphone – a smartphone
• un ordinateur – a computer
• un ordinateur portable / un laptop – a laptop
• une tablette – a tablet
• charger – to charge
• éteindre – to turn off
• débrancher – to unplug
• allumer – to turn on
• télécharger – to download

Common Phrases:

• Je ne laisse jamais mon téléphone allumé la nuit. I never leave my phone on at night.
• Je le charge avant d’aller dormir, puis je le débranche, et je l’éteins. I charge it before I go to sleep, then unplug it and turn it off.
• J’attends que le téléchargement de cette application se termine avant d’éteindre mon ordinateur/mon laptop. I wait for the download of this application to finish before turning off my computer/laptop.
• N’oublie pas de débrancher ton smartphone mais aussi le chargeur de la prise. Don’t forget to unplug your smartphone and charger from the socket.

Internet & Connectivity

Let’s talk about the internet in general and the terms and phrases you absolutely need to know.

Vocabulary:

• Internet – Internet
• un réseau – a network
• une connexion – a connection
• se connecter – to log in/connect
• un mot de passe – a password
• réinitialiser – to reset
• s’inscrire – to register/sign up
• le wifi – Wi-Fi

Common Phrases:

• Mince, je ne me souviens plus de mon mot de passe… Je ne peux pas me connecter à ce site… Je vais devoir le réinitialiser ou m’inscrire de nouveau ! Gee, I can’t remember my password… I can’t sign in to this site… I’ll have to reset it or register again!
• Je n’arrive pas à me connecter, il n’y a pas de wifi ? I can’t sign in, isn’t there any Wi-Fi?
• Si, mais on a changé le mot de passe. Attends, je te le donne. There is, but we changed the password. Hold on, I’ll give it to you.

Online Services & Digital Storage

Saving files is a task most of us do daily so let’s see how to express this in French.

Vocabulary:

• un service en ligne – an online service
• un compte – an account
• les informations personnelles – personal information
• un disque dur – a hard drive
• une sauvegarde – a backup
• stocker – to store
• démarrer – to start up

Common Phrases:

• Pour accéder au service en ligne, tu dois d’abord saisir quelques informations personnelles et te créer un compte. To access the online service, you first need to enter some personal information and create an account.
• J’ai allumé mon PC et il n’a pas encore démarré, il est lent, je crois que le disque dur est saturé. I’ve turned on my PC and it hasn’t started up yet, it’s slow, I think the hard disk is full.
• Une fois sur le site, déroule le menu pour choisir la langue. Once you’re on the site, pull down the menu to choose your language.
• J’ai trop de photos stockées sur mon PC. Je vais les mettre sur mon disque dur externe et faire une sauvegarde des fichiers les plus importants. I’ve got too many photos stored on my PC. I’m going to put them on my external hard drive and back up the most important files.

Printing & Scanning

Next, let’s move on and talk about printing and scanning in the French language.

Vocabulary:

• imprimer – to print
• un imprimante – a printer
• scanner – to scan
• un document – a document
• un fichier – a file
• un PDF – a PDF

Common Phrases:

• J’ai reçu un document en PDF que je dois imprimer et signer, puis scanner de nouveau. I received a PDF document that I have to print and sign, then scan again.
• J’ai enfin terminé ma présentation PowerPoint pour demain ! Je vais l’imprimer. I’ve finally finished my PowerPoint presentation for tomorrow! I’m going to print it out.

Smart Devices & Contactless Payment

Contactless payments have become an integral part of everyday life. So let’s see how that works in French.

Vocabulary:

• un appareil intelligent – a smart device
• une smart TV – a smart TV
• un QR code – a QR code
• payer sans contact – to pay contactless
• une montre connectée – a smartwatch
• configurer – to set up

Common Phrases:

• J’ai configuré ma smart TV pour qu’elle s’éteigne avant 22h et pour que l’écran se mette en mode « nuit » à partir de 19h. I’ve set my smart TV to turn off before 10 PM and for the screen to switch to night mode after 7 PM.
• Il n’y a pas de menu physique dans ce restaurant, tu dois scanner le QR code sur la table pour voir le menu sur ton téléphone. There’s no physical menu in this restaurant; you have to scan the QR code on the table to see the menu on your phone.
• Je vais régler par carte. I’ll pay by card.
• Tu payes sans contact ? Are you paying contactless?
• Oui, avec ma montre, mon téléphone est déchargé. Yes, with my watch. My phone’s out of battery.

Social Media Vocabulary

And last but not least, let’s cover social media vocabulary.

Vocabulary:

• publier – publish/post
• liker – like
• suivre – follow
• arrêter de suivre (unfollow) – unfollow
• abonnés – followers/subscribers
• un compte – an account
• un commentaire – a comment
• un message privé – a private message (DM)
• une publication / un post – a post
• créer le buzz – create buzz
• un faux compte – a fake account
• signaler un compte – report an account
• bloquer un compte – block an account

Common Phrases:

• Je viens de publier une nouvelle photo sur Instagram. I just posted a new photo on Instagram.
• Tu as liké ma dernière publication ? Did you like my latest post?
• J’adore cette créatrice de contenu, je la suis sur toutes les plateformes. I love this content creator, I follow her on all platforms.
• Si tu ne veux plus voir ses publications, tu peux arrêter de le suivre. If you don’t want to see his posts anymore, you can unfollow him.
• Elle a déjà un million d’abonnés sur TikTok ! She already has a million followers on TikTok!
• Je vais créer un compte sur cette nouvelle application. I’m going to create an account on this new app.
• Merci pour ton commentaire sous ma vidéo ! Thanks for your comment under my video!
• Envoie-moi un message en privé/un M.P./un D.M. sur Instagram. Send me a message in private/direct message/DM on Instagram.
• Son dernier post a créé/fait le buzz sur X ! His latest post went viral on X!
• Attention aux faux comptes/aux comptes fake qui essaient d’imiter les influenceurs. Watch out for fake accounts trying to impersonate influencers.
• Si tu es victime de cyberharcèlement, signale-le à la plateforme. If you are a victim of cyberbullying, report it to the platform.
• J’ai dû bloquer cet utilisateur, il envoyait trop de spams. I had to block this user, he was sending too much spam.

Conclusion

New technologies are constantly evolving, and so is the vocabulary associated with them. Every year, new terms emerge, so stay connected!

Also, keep in mind that in the field of technology, many terms have been borrowed from English and are commonly used in French, such as laptop or unfollow.

Now that you’ve learned some useful vocabulary, why not practice using it in conversation? Bonne chance !