Talking About Clothes in French

In this lesson, you’ll learn how to describe what you or someone else is wearing, as well as how to talk about buying new clothes. You’ll also learn the difference between neuf and nouveau — two French words that both mean “new,” but are used in slightly different ways.

Sentence Builder
Qu’est-ce que vous portez ? What are you wearing?
Start with
Je porte… I wear / I’m wearing…
Il porte… He wears / He’s wearing…
Elle porte… She wears / She’s wearing…
One item
un jean jeans
une chemise a shirt
un pull chaud a warm jumper
un pantalon trousers
une robe neuve a brand new dress
Add more detail
et une chemise and a shirt
et des chaussures and shoes
et des chaussures élégantes and stylish shoes
et un pull chaud and a warm jumper
porter means “to wear”.
Je / Il / Elle porte The form is the same here, so these starters combine easily.
un pantalon / un short These are singular in French, even when English uses a plural word.

Grammar Tip: Singular vs Plural in French and English

In English, some clothes are always plural, such as trousers, shorts, or glasses.
In French, these words are usually singular — unless there are actually two of them!

✅ un pantalon → trousers (singular in French)
✅ un short → shorts (singular in French)
✅ des chaussures → shoes (plural, because there are two!)

Talking About Buying Clothes

Sentence Builder
Qu’est-ce qu’il / elle a acheté ? What did he / she buy?
Start with
Il a acheté… He bought…
Elle a acheté… She bought…
J’ai acheté… I bought…
Clothes
un jean neuf new jeans
une robe neuve a new dress
un nouveau manteau a new coat
une nouvelle chemise a new shirt
des chaussures neuves new shoes
Add a reason
pour une fête for a party
pour un mariage for a wedding
pour les vacances for the holidays
pour l’école for school
pour le travail for work
acheter means “to buy”.
a acheté means “bought” or “has bought”.
neuf / neuve usually means brand new.

Grammar Tip: Neuf vs Nouveau — What’s the Difference?

Both neuf and nouveau mean “new”, but they don’t mean the same kind of new.
Here’s how to tell them apart:

Word
Meaning
Example
neuf / neuve
Brand new, unused, or newly bought.
J’ai acheté une robe neuve. I bought a brand new dress.
nouveau / nouvelle
New to someone, different, or newly introduced.
J’ai un nouveau manteau. I have a new coat.
neuf
Focuses on the condition of the item.
des chaussures neuves brand new shoes
nouveau
Focuses on the idea that something has changed or been added.
un nouveau style a new style

So:

  • un costume neuf → a brand new suit (just bought, never worn)
  • un nouveau costume → a new suit (for a new occasion, but not necessarily brand new)

Forms of “neuf”

Form
Used with
Example
neuf
Masculine singular
un manteau neuf a brand new coat
neuve
Feminine singular
une robe neuve a brand new dress
neufs
Masculine plural
des pulls neufs brand new jumpers
neuves
Feminine plural
des chaussures neuves brand new shoes

✅ un costume neuf – a brand new suit
✅ une jupe neuve – a brand new skirt
✅ des chaussures neuves – brand new shoes

Try It Yourself

Provide the French for the following phrases.

Try It Yourself: Talking About Clothes Translate each sentence into French. Think of your answer first, then reveal the model answer.
Question 1
Give the following in French: I am wearing jeans and a shirt.
Je porte un jean et une chemise.
Question 2
Give the following in French: She is wearing a brand new dress.
Elle porte une robe neuve.
Question 3
Give the following in French: He bought new jeans for the holidays.
Il a acheté un jean neuf pour les vacances.
Question 4
Give the following in French: She bought new shoes for a party.
Elle a acheté des chaussures neuves pour une fête.
Question 5
Give the following in French: I bought a new coat for work.
J’ai acheté un nouveau manteau pour le travail.

Cultural Note: Fashion and Everyday Style in France

Fashion plays an important part in French culture. Even for everyday wear, people often aim for simple mais chic — simple but stylish.
Words like un pull, un jean, and des chaussures élégantes come up frequently in conversation when describing what people wear for work or outings.

France, of course, is renowned for its high fashion (la mode), and nowhere more so than in Paris.

It is home to many famous fashion designers including Chanel, Louis Vuitton, Givenchy, Balmain, Christian Louboutin, Pierre Cardin, Yves Saint Laurent, Roger Vivier, Thierry Mugler, Christian Dior, Jean Paul Gaultier, Hermès, Lanvin, Chloé, Rochas, and Céline – to name just a few!