français · A1 · vocabulary · 4 minutes
Everyday clothes
Say what someone wears and make descriptions agree.
Understand the choice
Build an outfit from tops, bottoms, outerwear, and shoes. Notice that pantalon is singular in French even when English trousers is plural, while chaussures normally appears in the plural.
Core rule: Porter means to wear or carry; clothing adjectives agree with the clothing noun.
Notice it in context
Je porte une veste, une chemise et des chaussures noires.
I am wearing a jacket, a shirt, and black shoes.
Une introduces two feminine singular garments; noires agrees with feminine plural chaussures.
Elle porte une robe bleue.
She is wearing a blue dress.
Bleue adds feminine -e and follows robe.
Il me faut un manteau parce qu’il fait froid.
I need a coat because it is cold.
Il me faut expresses a need; parce que gives the reason.
What to remember
- Habit means an item of clothing or formal attire, not an English habit.
- Mettre focuses on putting clothes on; porter describes wearing them.
Common trap: Do not say des pantalons for one pair merely because English uses a plural noun: un pantalon is one pair of trousers.