Fiche : Internet words and expressions

To help you to go on the internet
here is a list to explain some words and expressions :

Digital :
Digital technology is to do with computers and the internet …
but also telecommunications such as telephones, televisions …
‘Digital’ is an English word.

Internet :
This is the global digital network of computers which communicate with each other.

Gigabytes (GB) ou Giga :
This is a unit of measurement to indicate a volume of data, such as computer memory or an internet connection.
Giga is the most commonly used word
You can write Go or GB to refer to ‘Gigabytes’ or ‘Giga’.

The web / internet / online :
This is the system which allows you to navigate from page to page by clicking on links on a browser.
You say something is online when it is on the internet.

Browser :
This is a software which enables you to go on the internet.
There are several browsers, such as Google Chrome, Firefox, Safari

Website :
Many businesses and government agencies have websites.
There are also websites for online shopping, informations sites and entertainment sites …
A website has several pages with the same web address.

URL :
A URL is the address of a webpage.
The URL is at the top of the page in the navigation bar.

To go onto a website :

• You have to write the web address into the navigation bar
• Click on the ‘Enter’ key on your keyboard to go to the website.

The website address of Bouygues Telecom is
https://www.bouyguestelecom.fr

The Customer Area page has a different URL but is still part of the same website : https://www.bouyguestelecom.fr/mon-compte

Search Engine :
This is what enables you to do research on the internet,
such as searching for a website, a video or an image …
There are several search engines : Google, Yahoo …
When you open the internet, a search engine will appear.

Social networks :
Social networks are websites or telephone applications that you use to make friends or connections.
There are several social networks, such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Linkedin…
You can discuss things with friends, subscribe to accounts
To join social networks, you need to create an account with an email address and a password

Mobile phone applications (apps) :
A mobile phone application (app) is a software that can be downloaded and used on a smartphone.
Applications (apps) may be free or have to be paid for.
There are different phone apps : banking, games, music, social networks, Google …
See our form Downloading an application

Words for using the internet :

Navigate / surf :
You navigate or surf the web when you visit different websites and click on links to view different pages.

Cursor :
On a computer, the cursor is the arrow which shows where you need to click.
On a computer you move the cursor with a mouse.
On a telephone, you move it with your finger.

Scrolling :
This is the movement to move up or down a webpage
On a computer, you scroll with the mouse wheel
On a telephone, you scroll with your finger

Clicking :
This means to press or click with a mouse or your finger

Typing :
You type to write on the computer keyboard or on your phone.

Typing the URL of a website :
You write the address of the website into the navigation bar to go to it

Chatting :
This means to talk live with someone on the internet

To summarise :

We use the internet to browse the web.

Browsers allow us to view websites.

Search engines enable us to search for information on the internet.

Social networks allow us to talk to our friends
When I talk to my friends on social networks, I can say that I am chatting.

To move around on a website
I use the mouse cursor on my computer
I use my finger on my telephone