This page covers common types of shoes and footwear in French, organized by category. Each word includes singular and plural forms, along with example sentences using the singular form.

Types of Shoes

This section lists the general types of shoes you’re likely to encounter, from casual to formal.

French Singular	French Plural	English Singular	English Plural	French Example	English Example
une chaussure	des chaussures	a shoe	shoes	J’ai acheté une nouvelle chaussure.	I bought a new shoe.
une ballerine	des ballerines	a ballet flat	ballet flats	Elle porte des ballerines rouges.	She wears red ballet flats.
une chaussure de sport	des chaussures de sport	a sneaker	sneakers	Il a des chaussures de sport blanches.	He has white sneakers.
un soulier	des souliers	a shoe (literary)	shoes	Le roi porte des souliers dorés.	The king wears golden shoes.
une sandale	des sandales	a sandal	sandals	J’aime porter des sandales en été.	I like to wear sandals in summer.
une mule	des mules	a mule (type of shoe)	mules	Elle a acheté des mules noires.	She bought black mules.
une bottine	des bottines	an ankle boot	ankle boots	Les bottines sont en cuir.	The ankle boots are leather.
une botte	des bottes	a boot	boots	Il porte des bottes de pluie.	He wears rain boots.
une tong	des tongs	a flip-flop	flip-flops	Aux vacances, je porte des tongs.	On vacation, I wear flip-flops.
une espadrille	des espadrilles	an espadrille	espadrilles	Les espadrilles sont confortables.	Espadrilles are comfortable.

Special Occasion Footwear

These are the types of shoes you might find at formal events or parties.

French Singular	French Plural	English Singular	English Plural	French Example	English Example
un escarpin	des escarpins	a high-heeled shoe	high-heeled shoes	Elle porte des escarpins noirs.	She wears black high heels.
une chaussure de danse	des chaussures de danse	a dance shoe	dance shoes	Il a des chaussures de danse brillantes.	He has shiny dance shoes.
un mocassin	des mocassins	a loafer	loafers	Il met ses mocassins en cuir.	He puts on his leather loafers.
une chaussure à bride	des chaussures à brides	a strapped shoe	strapped shoes	Elle porte des chaussures à brides.	She wears strapped shoes.

Athletic Footwear

This section covers specialized shoes for sports and outdoor activities.

French Singular	French Plural	English Singular	English Plural	French Example	English Example
une chaussure de course	des chaussures de course	a running shoe	running shoes	Je porte des chaussures de course légères.	I wear lightweight running shoes.
une chaussure de randonnée	des chaussures de randonnée	a hiking shoe	hiking shoes	Nous avons acheté des chaussures de randonnée.	We bought hiking shoes.
une chaussure de football	des chaussures de football	a football (soccer) shoe	football shoes	Les chaussures de football sont en crampons.	Football shoes have cleats.
une chaussure de tennis	des chaussures de tennis	a tennis shoe	tennis shoes	Elle joue en chaussures de tennis blanches.	She plays in white tennis shoes.

Children’s Footwear

These are common shoe types for kids.

French Singular	French Plural	English Singular	English Plural	French Example	English Example
un chausson	des chaussons	a slipper	slippers	Le bébé porte des chaussons doux.	The baby wears soft slippers.
une sandale	des sandales	a sandal	sandals	Les enfants ont des sandales colorées.	The children have colorful sandals.
une chaussure à velcro	des chaussures à velcro	a Velcro shoe	Velcro shoes	Il met ses chaussures à velcro tout seul.	He puts on his Velcro shoes by himself.

Materials and Descriptions

These adjectives and materials can help you describe shoes more precisely.

French Singular	French Plural	English Singular	English Plural	French Example	English Example
en cuir	–	made of leather	–	Ces chaussures sont en cuir.	These shoes are made of leather.
en toile	–	made of canvas	–	J’aime les chaussures en toile.	I like canvas shoes.
à talon	–	with a heel	–	Elle porte des chaussures à talon.	She wears heeled shoes.
plat / plate	–	flat	–	Je préfère les chaussures plates.	I prefer flat shoes.
imperméable	–	waterproof	–	Ces bottes sont imperméables.	These boots are waterproof.

Useful Phrases

These phrases can help you talk about shoes in everyday conversation.

French Phrase	English Phrase	French Example	English Example
essayer des chaussures	to try on shoes	Puis-je essayer ces chaussures ?	May I try on these shoes?
chausser du 38 (39, etc.)	to wear size 38 (39, etc.)	Je chausse du 38.	I wear size 38.
mettre des chaussures	to put on shoes	Mets tes chaussures !	Put on your shoes!
enlever ses chaussures	to take off one’s shoes	Enlève tes chaussures, s’il te plaît.	Take off your shoes, please.

------ That’s the shoes and footwear vocabulary in French, complete with singular and plural forms as well as example sentences.

Flashcards (1 of 30)

English Singular: a shoe
English Plural: shoes
English Example: I bought a new shoe.

Last updated: Wed Jun 18, 2025

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