Situation: The batteries in your cellphone are running out of charge.
How would a native English speaker quickly and naturally describe this situation?
asked Jan 26, 2011 at 12:10
-
I'd have combined this with your near-identical question on cell phone account credit: english.stackexchange.com/questions/10085/…– CJMCommented Jan 26, 2011 at 12:25
-
5I'd keep them separate. We already have enough questions asking for several things at once.– RegDwigнtCommented Jan 26, 2011 at 12:35
-
@Reg: A question about a phone account and an almost identical question about a phone battery?? And the similarity between the answers too...– CJMCommented Jan 26, 2011 at 13:18
-
2@CJM: my point is that if there are X possible answers to question 1, and Y possible answers to question 2, then combining the questions gets you X*Y possible answers to choose from. Besides, I have a feeling that we are only having this discussion because the two questions have been posted by the same user in rapid succession. Had they been posted by different users on separate occasions, we probably wouldn't want to merge them (though we might cross-link), as they are ultimately asking about two different things.– RegDwigнtCommented Jan 26, 2011 at 13:55
Add a comment
|
5 Answers
My phone is out of juice
This is how a nerd would describe the situation
My phone has died on me
This is how many people refer to this situation
My phone needs to be recharged
This is also a way to express the same fact
I need to charge my phone
Indirect method
Is there a cell-phone charger nearby
Another indirect method.
Can I use your cell-phone?
Cannot always be used effectively :-(
answered Jan 26, 2011 at 16:18
The most common expression I've heard for expressing that a cell phone no longer had power is:
My cell phone battery is dead.
While holding the cell phone, many people omit the words cell phone since it is understood that the thing they are holding is the subject of the statement:
My battery is dead.
Alternatively, many people omit the word battery since it is understood that the battery is the dead part of the cell phone:
My cell phone is dead.
People will also say their cell phone is dead if it is broken via some other means, though, such as it being dropped.
My cell phone battery is almost flat
or
My cell phone is almost out of power
-
3Another more colloquial alternative is 'My phone's almost dead.'– user3444Commented Jan 26, 2011 at 12:27
-
I'd go with "My phone's battery is almost dead"... because w/o "battery" it could mean your phone itself is dying. Commented Jan 26, 2011 at 12:41
-
1@Elendil: My [phone|cell|mobile|mobile phone|handy|cell phone|cellular phone|moby] ['s battery] is [almost] [dead|flat|out of power|out of juice|drained]. There are a thousand colloquial combinations, but my suggestion will be understood by vast majority of English-speakers.– CJMCommented Jan 26, 2011 at 13:23
-
@jae - I think the majority of people in the English-speaking world will assume that when a [battery-powered device] is
deadthat the battery has run out, rather than the device being broken.– CJMCommented Jan 26, 2011 at 13:25 -
1@CJM: I know, I wasn't criticising, just adding.– user3444Commented Jan 26, 2011 at 13:25
All the examples given so far are good, but I would also offer as common expressions
My (cell) phone is almost out of batteries
or
I’m almost out of batteries
or
My phone’s battery is dying
or
My phone is dying
-
Or: My phone is running out of charge. Or: I am running out of charge.– NoahCommented Apr 12, 2012 at 12:56
-
2“My phone is out of batteries” sounds to me like someone has taken out the batteries (how many phones have multiple batteries?). In the singular it works: “My phone’s almost out of battery”. Commented Apr 17, 2014 at 8:18
My Phone battery is getting discharged.
-
2Not unless your phone [why the capital p, incidentally?] battery has been in the army. Getting discharged is not something that happens to a battery. Commented Apr 17, 2014 at 8:17