01
das Phone
phone
A modern telephone, especially a smartphone. The term is borrowed from English.
example
Ich muss kurz mein Phone laden, der Akku ist fast leer.
I need to charge my phone quickly; the battery is almost dead.
das Phone
phone
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Meanings
Usage tips
Register and style
'Phone' is an English loanword and is used mainly in colloquial speech, especially by younger speakers. In more formal contexts or in written language, other terms are more common.
EXAMPLE
Hast du mal dein Phone? Ich muss kurz was nachschauen.
Do you have your phone for a second? I need to look something up quickly.
Typical collocations
Common verbs used with 'Phone' (phone) are 'laden' (to charge), 'checken' (to check), 'entsperren' (to unlock), or 'benutzen' (to use). These verbs describe typical actions with a smartphone.
EXAMPLE
Ich checke morgens als Erstes die Nachrichten auf meinem Phone.
The first thing I do in the morning is check the messages on my phone.
Origin from English
The word 'Phone' was taken directly from English. This is the case with many terms from the fields of technology and digital media.
EXAMPLE
Mein neues Phone hat eine viel bessere Kamera als das alte.
My new phone has a much better camera than the old one.
Compare with
Phone vs Handy
mobile phone / cell phone
'das Handy' and 'das Phone' both mean a mobile phone, especially often a smartphone in everyday language. 'Handy' is the normal, very common word in German. 'Phone' comes from English and sounds more modern or technical, but also somewhat colloquial. Learners may confuse the words because both can refer to the same device. In most normal situations, 'Handy' is more natural. 'Phone' fits better in casual language or when you want to emphasize the modern smartphone character.
Phone
Max zeigt mir sein neues Phone, weil die Kamera besonders gut ist.
Max shows me his new phone because the camera is especially good.
Handy
Mein Handy liegt noch in der Küche, deshalb habe ich deinen Anruf nicht gehört.
My cell phone is still in the kitchen, so I didn't hear your call.
In real life
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