Clothes in French

Wearing or putting on?

  • porter — to be wearing: Il porte une chemise blanche.
  • mettre — to put on: Mets ton manteau.
  • enlever — to take off.

Singular in French

English says "trousers" and "jeans" as plurals; French uses the singular for one pair: le pantalon, le jean.

A false friend

la veste is a jacket, not a vest. A (British) vest is un maillot de corps, and an (American) vest is un gilet.

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French Clothes (A1)

a120 words

20 words for clothes and putting them on and taking them off.

  • les vêtements (m.) · clothes
  • la chemise · shirt
  • le tee-shirt · T-shirt
  • le pantalon · pants
  • le jean · jeans
  • la robe · dress
Show all words
WordMeaningExample
les vêtements (m.)/vɛtmɑ̃/clothesJ'ai besoin de nouveaux vêtements.I need new clothes.
la chemise/ʃəmiz/shirtIl porte une chemise blanche.He's wearing a white shirt.
le tee-shirt/tiʃœʁt/T-shirtIl fait chaud. Mets un tee-shirt.It's hot. Wear a T-shirt.
le pantalon/pɑ̃talɔ̃/pantsCe pantalon est trop long.These pants are too long.
le jean/dʒin/jeansJe porte toujours un jean.I always wear jeans.
la robe/ʁɔb/dressQuelle belle robe !What a beautiful dress!
la jupe/ʒyp/skirtElle porte une jupe noire.She's wearing a black skirt.
la veste/vɛst/jacketPrends une veste. Il fait froid.Take a jacket. It's cold.
le manteau/mɑ̃to/coatMets ton manteau.Put on your coat.
le pull/pyl/sweaterCe pull est chaud.This sweater is warm.
la chaussure, les chaussures/ʃosyʁ/shoesEnlève tes chaussures, s'il te plaît.Please take off your shoes.
la chaussette, les chaussettes/ʃosɛt/socksJ'ai besoin de chaussettes propres.I need clean socks.
le chapeau/ʃapo/hatMets un chapeau au soleil.Wear a hat in the sun.
le sac/sak/bagMon sac est lourd.My bag is heavy.
l'écharpe (f.)/eʃaʁp/scarfMets une écharpe, il y a du vent.Wear a scarf, it's windy.
porter/pɔʁte/wearJe porte des lunettes.I wear glasses.
mettre/mɛtʁ/put onMets tes chaussures.Put on your shoes.
enlever/ɑ̃lve/take offEnlève ta veste.Take off your jacket.
la taille/taj/sizeQuelle taille faites-vous ?What size are you?
essayer/eseje/try onJe peux essayer ça ?Can I try this on?