Welcome to Clothing Talk, where you’ll learn the most useful French words for talking about clothes, along with real-life example sentences to see them in context. By the end, you’ll be able to name common clothing items and even ask for them in a store!

Tops

Let’s start with the basics on top: French words for shirts, blouses, sweaters, and more. These are the everyday clothes you wear on your upper body.

French	English	Example Sentence (French)	Example Sentence (English)
un t-shirt	a t-shirt	J’ai acheté un t-shirt bleu.	I bought a blue t-shirt.
une chemise	a shirt	Il porte une chemise blanche.	He is wearing a white shirt.
un pull	a sweater	Elle porte un pull chaud.	She is wearing a warm sweater.
un sweat à capuche	a hoodie	Je mets mon sweat à capuche.	I’m putting on my hoodie.
un débardeur	a tank top	En été, je porte un débardeur.	In summer, I wear a tank top.
une blouse	a blouse	La blouse est en soie.	The blouse is made of silk.

Bottoms

Now let’s move on to the French words for pants, skirts, and shorts—everything you wear on your lower body.

French	English	Example Sentence (French)	Example Sentence (English)
un pantalon	pants/trousers	J’ai acheté un pantalon noir.	I bought black pants.
une jupe	a skirt	Elle porte une jupe rouge.	She is wearing a red skirt.
un short	shorts	En été, je mets un short.	In summer, I wear shorts.
un jean	jeans	Il porte un jean déchiré.	He is wearing ripped jeans.
un legging	leggings	Je mets un legging pour courir.	I wear leggings to run.

Outerwear

These are the French words you need for coats, jackets, and other items that keep you warm or dry.

French	English	Example Sentence (French)	Example Sentence (English)
une veste	a jacket	J’ai mis ma veste ce matin.	I put on my jacket this morning.
un manteau	a coat	Il porte un manteau long.	He is wearing a long coat.
un imperméable	a raincoat	J’ai un imperméable jaune.	I have a yellow raincoat.
un blouson	a bomber jacket	Elle porte un blouson en cuir.	She is wearing a leather bomber jacket.
un doudoune	a puffer jacket	La doudoune est très chaude.	The puffer jacket is very warm.

Accessories

Finally, here are the French words for common clothing accessories like hats, scarves, and belts.

French	English	Example Sentence (French)	Example Sentence (English)
une écharpe	a scarf	Je porte une écharpe rouge.	I’m wearing a red scarf.
un chapeau	a hat	Il a un chapeau noir.	He has a black hat.
une ceinture	a belt	Sa ceinture est en cuir.	Her belt is made of leather.
des gants	gloves	J’ai des gants en laine.	I have wool gloves.
un sac	a bag	Elle a un sac à main.	She has a handbag.

Putting It All Together

Here’s a quick example dialogue using some of the vocabulary you’ve learned:

En français:

— Bonjour! Je cherche un pantalon et un pull. — Nous avons des pantalons noirs et des pulls gris. — Je prends le pantalon noir et le pull gris, s’il vous plaît.

In English:

— Hello! I’m looking for pants and a sweater. — We have black pants and gray sweaters. — I’ll take the black pants and the gray sweater, please.

Great job! You’re now ready to talk about clothing confidently in French—whether you’re shopping, packing, or just describing your outfit.

— Bonjour! Je cherche un pantalon et un pull. — Nous avons des pantalons noirs et des pulls gris. — Je prends le pantalon noir et le pull gris, s’il vous plaît.

— Hi! I want a jacket and a hat. — We have leather jackets and black hats. — I’ll take the leather jacket and the black hat, please.

— Hello! I’m looking for pants and a sweater. — We have black pants and gray sweaters. — I’ll take the black pants and the gray sweater, please.

— Hello! I’m looking for a skirt and a blouse. — We have red skirts and white blouses. — I’ll take the red skirt and the white blouse, please.

— Hello! I’m looking for pants and a sweater. — We have black pants and gray sweaters. — I’ll take the black pants and the gray sweater, please.

This is a simple shopping dialogue where the customer asks for pants and a sweater and the shop assistant responds with available colors. The conversation ends with the customer making a purchase.

Flashcards (1 of 21)

English: a t-shirt
Example Sentence (English): I bought a blue t-shirt.

Last updated: Wed Jun 18, 2025