Computer parts and troubleshooting in French

So you’re probably getting pretty proficient at recognising how to manage your computer.  Well, at least on the surface of it. 

The screen freezes, the internet is slow, the colourwheel won’t stop turning . . . groan! 

But what if you’re in a French conversation class and something happens?  Are you ready? 

Or what if you get the black screen of death and need to get help . . . in French!

Ah . . . “C’est compliqué” I hear you cry.

As we are all subject to little issues with our computers, the need is ever increasing to be able to express yourself in French if you’re on holiday with your iPad or laptop, in your French house or just using your mobile phone. 

However, trying to explain what might be wrong with your device isn’t the everyday vocabulary we really want to use, so here you go . . . I put some essentials together for you

In this mini-lesson, you’ll discover:

• How to pronounce the hard-to-pronounce computer words

• How to explain what's wrong with your computer in French

• How to remember the most important phrases to you 

What are the common electronic devices in French?

Before talking about troubleshooting, you need some basic words. What are the devices you use with a screen to work or to communicate?

From the smallest to the largest, here’s the list of them:

• un smartphone >>> a smartphone
• une tablette >>> a tablet
• un ordinateur portable >>> a laptop computer
• un ordinateur de bureau >>> a desktop computer 

As you can see, apart from the word “ordinateur”, the rest is pretty similar to English. In general, IT words in French are borrowed from English or there’s a minor spelling change.

The French vocabulary of computer hardware.

Now, that you know the devices based on the size of their screen, let’s take a look at some other parts.

Essential French words to know:

• un écran >>> a screen.
• un clavier >>> a keyboard.

• une souris >>> a mouse.

• une clé USB >>> a USB key.
• une imprimante >>> a printer.

Be sure to watch the video to master the pronunciation.

Learn the most common computer troubleshooting in French.

In this section, you will learn the most common problems you could encounter with your electronic devices. For each case, you will have a full sentence to get inspired.

• un écran gelé >>> a frozen screen.

One example for you:

• Zut! Mon écran est gelé. Rien ne marche. >>> Shoot! My screen is frozen.

• un bug >>> a bug.

We use the same word with a French spelling variation like this:

• Mince ! Mon ordinateur portable a buggé ! >>> Shoot! My laptop bugged.

• un virus >>> a virus.

Same word but different pronunciation…

• J’ai téléchargé un virus en regardant un film en streaming. >>> I downloaded a virus from streaming a film.

If you want to express your despair, have a look at this article:

10 French expressions to say you’ve had enough

• un PC lent >>> a slow PC.

There are many factors that may cause your PC or computer to be very slow. Here’s one idea: 

• Je ne peux rien faire. Mon PC est trop lent car j’ai trop de fenêtres ouvertes. >>> I can’t do anything. My PC is too slow because I’ve got too many windows open.

• un disque dur plein >>> a full hard drive.

You could say something like this:

• Je dois absolument libérer de l’espace car mon disque dur est plein ! Je vais tout sauvegarder sur ma clé USB. >>> I really must free up some space because my hard drive is full! I’m going to save on my portable one.

• Plus de batterie >>> dead battery.

You could say “ma batterie est morte” which is the literal translation. However, we naturally say it more this way:

• Ma tablette s’est éteinte car je n’ai plus de batterie. J’ai besoin de mon chargeur tout de suite ! >>> My tablet shut down because my battery is dead. I need my charger now!

• un problème de souris >>> a mouse issue.

Your mouse isn’t working for one of multiple reasons. Here’s one possibility:

• Ma souris ne répond pas. Je dois réinstaller le logiciel. >>> My mouse isn’t responding. I have to reinstall the software.

Do you need to say that something isn’t right? I’ve got the perfect mini-lesson for you:

How to say not right in French

• un problème de son >>> a sound problem.

One of the most common causes is this one:

• On ne m’entend pas. Je dois vérifier mon casque et mon micro. >>> They can’t hear me. I need to check my headset and my microphone.

Note that earphones in French are écouteurs.

• un problème d’imprimante >>> a printer issue.

Here’s what you can do in this context:

• Mon ordinateur ne reconnait pas mon imprimante. Je vais le rallumer, et tester le logiciel et les câbles. >>> My computer doesn’t recognise my printer. I’m going to restart it and test the software and cables.

With many possible issues, you may need synonyms for bad in French like in this post:

10 Synonyms of BAD in French

• un écran cassé >>> a broken screen.

Any accident could break your screen. Here’s an example for you:

• J’ai cassé l’écran de mon smartphone en le faisant tomber >>> I broke my smartphone screen by dropping it on the floor.

• un connexion internet >>> an Internet connection.

Let’s have a look at various examples:

• À la montagne, il n’y a pas de réseau, donc pas d’internet ! >>> In the mountain, there’s no network, so no Internet!
• Je n’ai pas de chance, ma connexion Internet est très mauvaise. >>> I’m unlucky, my Internet connection is very poor.
• Depuis que j’ai cette connexion haut débit, je travaile plus vite. >>> Since I have this high-speed connection, I work faster.

• un écran noir >>> a black screen.

The worst-case scenario is this one:

• Mon dieu ! L’écran est noir ! Je pense que mon ordinateur est mort… >>> Oh my God! The black screen of death! I think my computer is dead.

In conclusion, you have discovered the essential words to describe your electronic devices and the main hardware.

Then, you have seen different contexts where you may experience some technical issues. Fortunately, many words are the same in English. To practice, create your own examples based on your own personal technical issues.

Remember that there’s no need to learn all of them, only the ones you need first.