French Clothing Vocab

If you’re visiting France to go shopping, you’ll want to know how to say all the different kinds of clothing items you may want to buy, or try on, or find in a store.

To do this, you’ll need to know the vocabulary.

So let’s learn it now.

Let’s start with every woman’s favorite. Jewelry!

Firstly, to say jewelry in French, you say “le bijou”. It’s pronounced like “bee-zoo”.

Now let’s learn the main different kinds of jewelry.

Firstly, we have necklaces. Necklace is “le collier”, pronounced “kohl-e-a”.

 Next we’ll learn “ring”. This is “la bague” in French. Pronounced like this: “bahg”.

Then we have earrings, which is “les boucles d'oreilles” in French. Pronounced like this: “book-luh dor-ay”.

Then we have bracelets. “Bracelet” is “le bracelet” in French, but it’s pronounced differently. Like this: “brahs lay”.

Then we have chains. A chain is la chaînette. It’s pronounced like shen – et.

And lastly, we have charms. This is “le porte-bonheur” in French. Pronounced like this: port-bohn-ur.

Next we will learn some of the more common items you may want to ask/look around for while you’re shopping.

We’ll start with jeans. This is “le jean” is French, but pronounced more like this… le jzheen.

You may want to buy yourself a nice fashionable coat while you’re in France. If so, you’ll need to look for “le manteau”. It’s pronounced “mawn-toe”.

Another type of coat you may want is a raincoat. This is “l'imperméable”. It’s pronounced much how it looks, but a thick French accent will always help!

If you’re looking for a jacket, you’ll need to ask for “le blouson”… which is pronounced “bloo-sohn”.

While you’re in France, maybe you’ll want to buy yourself a nice, new, fashionable suit. If you’re a man, you’ll want to ask for a man’s suit… which is “le costume”… (pronounced much how it looks).

If you’re a women, you’ll want to ask for a woman’s suit. This is “le tailleur”… pronounced “ty-er”.

If you want to some shirts… here’s what you’ll need to look/ask for.

If you’re a woman, you’ll want a woman’s shirt which is “le chemisier”. It’s pronounced “shu-meez-eeay”.

If you want a man’s shirt, you’ll ask for “la chemise”, which is pronounced “shu-meez”.

If you need some new pants, you’ll ask for “le pantalon” which is pronounced like this “pahn-tah-lohn”.

Next we have a skirt. This is “la jupe” in French. It’s pronounced like this: “zhoop”.

How about a dress? This is “la robe” in French, and is pronounced the same as it looks.

Next we have a t-shirt. This is “le tee-shirt” and is pronounced the same as English.

If it’s a bit cold, you may like to buy some gloves. This is “des gants” and is pronounced like “gawn”. You may also want to get yourself a scarf. This is “l'écharpe” and is pronounced “ay-sharp”.

Maybe you want a new tie. This is “la cravate” and is pronounced similar to how it looks.

If it’s hot weather, you may want some shorts. This is simply “le short” and is pronounced the same as in English.

Maybe you want to buy some classy new underwear in Paris? Underwear is “les sous-vêtements and is pronouced “soo-vet-mawn”.

And one for the ladies: A bra is “le soutien-gorge”.

Now let’s learn the French for swimsuit. This is “le maillot de bain” in French.

Next we have pajamas. This is simply “le pyjama”, and is pronounced a little differently than in English. It’s “pee-zhah-mah”.

If you want to buy socks, you’ll need to ask for “la chaussette”. It’s pronounced “show-zett”.

And if you want some new shoes to go with those socks, you’ll need to ask for “la chaussure”. That’s pronounced like this: “show-zer”.

Or maybe sandals are your thing .This is “la sandale” and is pronounced the same as in English.

Maybe you’d like boots instead. This is “des bottes” and is pronounced “bawt”.

Some people may prefer slippers. These are “des pantoufles”.

Then we have belts, these are “la ceinture” and it’s pronounced “sahn-tewr”.

One more left… and that’s a hat! This is “le chapeau” in France.

So that rounds up our theme of French clothing. You should now be well prepared for shopping in France now.