tesla home battery plan--lithium ion battery technoogy for home energy market--would combine w/solar panels to let homeowners power their homes without buying elect from utilities. analysts say such a device could be disruptive in the us and europe as customers seek to avoid utility fees by going off grid p 18 the week feb 27 15
Generalities
- Des chaussures - f - shoes. Watch out for your pronunciation. There are 2 ss, which makes for a strong S sound. There is no Z sound in that word. Don't mistake that word with "une chaussette" = a sock.
- Une semelle - a sole but also an insert.
- Un lacet - a lace
- Un talon - a heel
- Le dessus de la chaussure - the top part of the shoe
- Le dessous de la chaussure - the bottom part of the shoe
- L'intérieur de la chaussure - the inside of the shoe
- Un cordonnier is a shoe maker/repairman and he works at "une cordonnerie".
- Shoes are usually "en cuir" (made of leather), "en daim" (suede), "en synthétique" (synthetic), en toile (cloth).
Les Chaussures pour Femmes
- Des chaussures à talons : high heel shoes. Not necessarily super high, but anything over one inch.
- Des escarpins - m - classic high heel shoes
- Des chaussures plates : flat heel shoes.
- Des ballerines - ballerinas
- Des chaussures à plateformes - platform shoes (think Lady Gaga)
- Un talon - a heel
- Des talons hauts - high heels.
- Des talons compensés : wedge shoes
- Des mocassins - m- loafers (for men and women)
- Les mules - f - open heel shoes (if there is a specific name, please email me at camille@frenchtoday(dot)com - merci !!
- Des derbies et des richelieus - m - we are here reaching the limits of my personal shoe vocabulary... a picture is worth a thousand words so here you go...
Les Bottes
- Des bottes - boots. Watch out! this sounds like "hot", not "hoot".
- Des bottines - ankle boots. We also call them "boots" with an English pronunciation.
- Des bottes à talons - high heel boots
- Des Santiags - cowboy boots
- Des bottes de ski - ski boots
- Des après-ski - snow boots
- Des bottes de pluie - rain boots
- Des bottes en caoutchouc - rubber boots
- Des bottes en cuir - leather boots
Les Chaussures de sport
- Des baskets - f - tennis shoes, but usually referring to bulky sports shoes you'd wear to actually practice a sport, like runners. Say the final "t".
- Des tennis - tennis shoes, but more casual. Frenchmen wear them a lot (see page 2)
- Des chaussures de randonnées - hiking boots
- Des chaussures de cyclisme - bicycle shoes... actually just add the sport after "des chaussures de..." and you'll be fine.
Plus de Chaussures
- Des sandales - sandals
- Des tongs - flip-flops
- Les nu-pieds - other way to say sandals or flip-flops (lit. naked foot)
- Des sabots - m - clogs
- And of course, the famous French "Espadrilles" - f - cloth shoes with straw soles.
Les vêtements : clothes.
- Les fringues : clothes in slang (ends on a G sound)
Les vêtements d’extérieur - outerwears
- Un manteau : a coat, a dress coat, usually long. It’s also the generic word to say something warm to wear outside.
- Une veste : a blazer, also generic for outerwears.
- Un imperméable : a raincoat.
- Un K-way (pronounced "ka way"), un coupe-vent : a rain jacket. K-way is a brand, but it's so popular that it became the word used to describe this very thin plastic jacket that you can fold into a small bag and then tie around your waist. Most kids have one for Spring days!
- Un blouson : an waist length jacket, a bomber jacket, often used to describe a leather jacket : un blouson en/de cuir.
- Un anorak : a ski jacket.
- Une doudoune : that’s somewhat a new word. It's a sort of padded/ski jacket, parka (see a picture here)
Les hauts : tops
- Un chandail : a sweater - sounds like “eye”, and a bit old fashion.
- Un tricot : a (knitted) sweater - very old fashion
- Un pull : a sweater - most commonly used word nowadays
- Un (pull à) col-roulé : turtle neck sweater
- Un pull en V : un pull à col en V - V neck sweater
- Un pull à col rond : round neck sweater
- Un cardigan, un gilet : cardigan sweater (open in front with buttons)
- Une chemise : a shirt (usually for man, but could be used for women also).
- Une chemise à manches courtes : short sleeve shirt
- Une chemise à manches longues : long sleeve shirt
- Une chemise à manches trois quarts : 3/4 length sleeve shirt
- Une blouse : a lady’s shirt (a bit old fashion)
- Un chemisier : a lady’s shirt - yes, I know it's a masculine word to describe women clothes, whereas "une chemise" for man is feminine... go figure!
- Un T-shirt : Tshirt, pronounced in Franglish “ti sheurt”
- Un débardeur : tank top (wife beater :-)
Un Costume - men suit
- Also means a costume as in a disguise.
- Une veste : a blazer, a sports coat. Un gilet : a vest - watch out for the false cognate - “un gilet” is the 3rd part of a 3 piece man suit, the one you wear under the jacket ≠ “une veste” which is the blazer part. “Un gilet” is also a cardigan sweater. “Un gilet” is also called “un veston” but it’s old fashion.
- Un complet : a man’s suit - very old fashion.
- Un tailleur : a lady’s suit. You can say “un tailleur pantalon” : lady’s pants suit, or “un tailleur jupe” : skit’s suit. "Tailleur" as the sound of "Thai" in it.
- Un smoking : a tuxedo.
Les bas - the bottoms
- Un pantalon : pants - note this word is usually used in the singular. “Des pantalons” to refer to one pair of pants is possible, but quite old fashion.
- Un jean : jeans. Singular as well. Not pronounced like the French name “Jean” but like the English word “jean” (djin).
- Un short : shorts. (singular)
- Un bermuda : knee length shorts
- Un Capri : above the ankle pants.
- Un caleçon : leggings (a sort of stretchy pants). Watch out, this is also the word for men’s underwear: boxer shorts.
Pour les femmes : for ladies
- Une robe : a dress – not a robe which is « un peignoir ».
- Une robe du soir : an evening dress. Do not mistake it with "une chemise de nuit" with is a nightgown to go to bed...
- Une robe bustier : a strapless dress
- Une robe sans-manche : a sleeveless dress
- Une robe à manches longues/courtes : a dress with long/short sleeves
- Une robe avec des petites bretelles - a dress with small straps
- Une jupe : a skirt.
- Une mini-jupe : very short skirt
- Une jupe au dessus du genou : above the knee length skirt
- Une jupe au dessous du genou : under the knee length skirt
- Une jupe longue : long skirt
- Une jupe plissée : pleated skirt
- Une jupe droite : straight skirt
- Une jupe fendue : a skirt with a slit
Pour la nuit : for the night
- Une chemise de nuit : a night gown.
- Un pyjama : PJs. Singular in French.
- Une robe de chambre : a robe (to be inside the house)
- Un peignoir (de bain) : a bathrobe
- Des pantoufles : slippers
Vêtements spéciaux - special clothing
- Une salopette : an overall
- Un bleu de travail : it's a type of overall protection clothing that contractors wear... usually blue.
- Un uniforme : a uniform
- Un tablier : an apron
- As far as I know, there is no word for "scrubs". We'd say "une blouse d'infirmier/infirmière, de docteur...".
