celular, movil, handy - names for mobiles/cells

Question

I understood in Spain a mobile phone is known as móvil and in the rest of the Spanish speaking world 'celular' whilst in the USA it is a cell phone.

However, I have listened to a podcast from a lady from Madrid who teaches in Switzerland, who refers to them as 'handys' It looks like this may originally have been an informal word from Germany. Is it now common in Spain? what other words are used?

Podcast

It is at the start of the second paragraph.

Here is an article about a phone to show it is móbil in Spain.

It is one I read recently so thought I would share

Juan Millás

Answer 1

No, no usamos handy...otra palabrita spanglish , un asco, a mí no me gusta.

Tampoco usamos celular, que igualmente viene del inglés.

I thought handy was used in Germany do not Spanglish, but it was unclear how much it was now used in Spain (she is from Madrid) - Mardle, Jul 30, 2017

Germany, so not .. - Mardle, Jul 30, 2017

Answer 2

Hello!

Here are two links on how to say mobile phone in other countries.

• cellphone (cellular/cell phone), mobile phone
• what is mobile phone called in different countries?

Hope this helps.

Regards!

Thanks. I was just interested if ' handy' was in fact used in Spain. - Mardle, Jul 29, 2017

Handy is common in Germany. https://forum.wordreference.com/threads/handy-for-mobile-phone.56953/ - NKM1974, Jul 29, 2017

Yes I know and she may have used the word because Swiss German is used where she lives - Mardle, Jul 29, 2017

En España, el teléfono móvil o móvil es común. En América Latina, el teléfono celular o celular es común. - NKM1974, Jul 29, 2017