French clothing vocabulary, including common garments, accessories, and more to help you talk about what you wear.
This article covers essential French vocabulary for clothing and accessories. You’ll learn how to name common garments, describe materials, and talk about shopping for clothes—all with example sentences to see the words in context.
Clothing Basics
These are some of the most common clothing items you’ll need to describe everyday outfits in French.
| French Singular | French Plural | English Singular | English Plural | French Example | English Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| le t-shirt | les t-shirts | t-shirt | t-shirts | J’ai acheté un nouveau t-shirt. | I bought a new t-shirt. |
| la chemise | les chemises | shirt | shirts | Il porte une chemise blanche. | He’s wearing a white shirt. |
| le pantalon | les pantalons | pants | pants | Elle met un pantalon noir. | She’s wearing black pants. |
| la jupe | les jupes | skirt | skirts | J’ai une jupe rouge. | I have a red skirt. |
| la robe | les robes | dress | dresses | Elle porte une robe élégante. | She’s wearing an elegant dress. |
| le pull | les pulls | sweater | sweaters | Je mets un pull chaud. | I’m putting on a warm sweater. |
| la veste | les vestes | jacket | jackets | Il a une nouvelle veste. | He has a new jacket. |
| le manteau | les manteaux | coat | coats | Le manteau est trop grand. | The coat is too big. |
| les chaussettes | — | socks | — | Où sont mes chaussettes ? | Where are my socks? |
| les chaussures | — | shoes | — | J’ai acheté des chaussures noires. | I bought black shoes. |
Él lleva una ___ blanca.
Which French word means 'shirt'?
la chemise
'La chemise' is French for 'shirt'. The other options refer to pants, sweater, and skirt.
Ella lleva un ___ elegante.
Which French word means 'dress'?
la robe
'La robe' means 'dress' in French. 'Le pull' is sweater, 'la jupe' is skirt, and 'la veste' is jacket.
Accessories
Use these words to talk about smaller items that complete an outfit.
| French Singular | French Plural | English Singular | English Plural | French Example | English Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| la ceinture | les ceintures | belt | belts | Elle porte une ceinture en cuir. | She’s wearing a leather belt. |
| le chapeau | les chapeaux | hat | hats | Il met un chapeau de paille. | He’s wearing a straw hat. |
| l’écharpe (f.) | les écharpes | scarf | scarves | J’ai une écharpe bleue. | I have a blue scarf. |
| les gants | — | gloves | — | Je porte des gants en laine. | I’m wearing wool gloves. |
| les lunettes (de soleil) | — | (sunglasses) | — | Elle a des lunettes de soleil. | She has sunglasses. |
| le sac | les sacs | bag | bags | J’ai un sac à dos rouge. | I have a red backpack. |
| la montre | les montres | watch | watches | Il regarde sa montre. | He’s looking at his watch. |
| le portefeuille | les portefeuilles | wallet | wallets | J’ai perdu mon portefeuille. | I lost my wallet. |
| le foulard | les foulards | scarf | scarves | Elle porte un foulard en soie. | She’s wearing a silk scarf. |
| les bijoux | — | jewelry | — | Elle porte des bijoux en or. | She’s wearing gold jewelry. |
Materials
These vocabulary words will help you describe what clothing is made from.
| French Singular | French Plural | English Singular | English Plural | French Example | English Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| le coton | — | cotton | — | Ce t-shirt est en coton. | This t-shirt is made of cotton. |
| la laine | — | wool | — | Ce pull est en laine. | This sweater is made of wool. |
| la soie | — | silk | — | La robe est en soie. | The dress is made of silk. |
| le cuir | — | leather | — | La ceinture est en cuir. | The belt is made of leather. |
| le polyester | — | polyester | — | Ce pantalon est en polyester. | These pants are made of polyester. |
| le lin | — | linen | — | J’aime les chemises en lin. | I like linen shirts. |
| le denim | — | denim | — | Le jean est en denim. | The jeans are made of denim. |
| le velours | — | velvet | — | La veste est en velours. | The jacket is made of velvet. |
| la fourrure | — | fur | — | Elle porte une écharpe en fourrure. | She’s wearing a fur scarf. |
| le nylon | — | nylon | — | Ces chaussettes sont en nylon. | These socks are made of nylon. |
Describing Clothes
These adjectives and phrases will help you describe size, color, and style.
| French Singular | French Plural | English Singular | English Plural | French Example | English Example |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| petit / petite | petits / petites | small | small | Ce t-shirt est trop petit. | This t-shirt is too small. |
| grand / grande | grands / grandes | large / tall | large / tall | Elle porte une robe grande taille. | She’s wearing a size large dress. |
| court / courte | courts / courtes | short | short | La jupe est trop courte. | The skirt is too short. |
| long / longue | longs / longues | long | long | Il a un pantalon long. | He has long pants. |
| coloré / colorée | colorés / colorées | colorful | colorful | J’aime les pulls colorés. | I like colorful sweaters. |
| uni / unie | unis / unies | plain | plain | Ce t-shirt est uni, sans motifs. | This t-shirt is plain, without patterns. |
| rayé / rayée | rayés / rayées | striped | striped | Elle porte un pull rayé. | She’s wearing a striped sweater. |
| à fleurs | — | floral | — | J’ai une robe à fleurs. | I have a floral dress. |
| élégant / élégante | élégants / élégantes | elegant | elegant | C’est une robe élégante. | It’s an elegant dress. |
| décontracté / décontractée | décontractés / décontractées | casual | casual | Je porte des vêtements décontractés. | I wear casual clothes. |
Shopping for Clothes
These phrases will help you talk about buying clothes and asking for sizes or fitting rooms.
| French Phrase | English Translation | French Example | English Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Je cherche… | I’m looking for… | Je cherche un manteau chaud. | I’m looking for a warm coat. |
| Avez-vous… ? | Do you have…? | Avez-vous cette chemise en bleu ? | Do you have this shirt in blue? |
| Quelle taille faites-vous ? | What size are you? | Quelle taille faites-vous ? | What size are you? |
| Je fais du 38. | I’m a size 38. | Je fais du 38 en pantalon. | I’m a size 38 in pants. |
| Puis-je l’essayer ? | Can I try it on? | Puis-je essayer cette jupe ? | Can I try on this skirt? |
| Où sont les cabines d’essayage ? | Where are the fitting rooms? | Où sont les cabines d’essayage ? | Where are the fitting rooms? |
| Ça me va bien. | It fits me well. | Ce pull me va bien. | This sweater fits me well. |
| C’est trop grand / petit. | It’s too big / small. | Ce pantalon est trop petit. | These pants are too small. |
| Combien ça coûte ? | How much does it cost? | Combien coûte cette robe ? | How much does this dress cost? |
| Je le/la prends. | I’ll take it. | Je prends ce manteau. | I’ll take this coat. |
Conclusion
Now you have a solid foundation of French clothing vocabulary, from naming items to describing materials and shopping. Practice using these words in your daily life to build confidence—and bientôt, you’ll be able to talk about fashion like a native !
Flashcards (1 of 50)
- English Singular: t-shirt
- English Plural: t-shirts
- English Example: I bought a new t-shirt.
Last updated: Thu Jun 12, 2025
