Clothing styles and fashion
Styles vestimentaires et mode
- Talk about your favourite outfit.
- Describe your outfit and fashion.
Explorez les styles de vêtements et la mode en français avec des expressions clés comme "tenue préférée", "robe élégante", et "veste décontractée" pour décrire et discuter vos choix vestimentaires au travail ou entre amis.
Vocabulary (18) Share Copied!
Exercises Share Copied!
These exercises can be done together during conversation lessons or as homework.
Exercise 1: Dialogue Cards
Instruction: Select a situation and practice the conversation with your teacher or fellow students.
Exercise 2: Multiple Choice
Instruction: Choose the correct solution
1. Quand j'__________ la tenue, je sentais que c'était parfait pour la soirée.
(When I __________ the outfit, I felt it was perfect for the evening.)2. Avant de choisir ma robe, j'__________ toujours plusieurs modèles dans la cabine d'essayage.
(Before choosing my dress, I __________ always tried on several models in the fitting room.)3. Chaque année, la haute couture __________ à Paris, offrant des collections impressionnantes.
(Every year, haute couture __________ in Paris, offering impressive collections.)4. Quand je __________ à découvrir la mode des années 80, je pensais que les couleurs vives étaient très populaires.
(When I __________ to discover 80s fashion, I thought bright colors were very popular.)Exercise 3: A shopping day for a perfect outfit
Instruction:
Verb Tables
Commencer - Commencer
Imparfait
- je commençais
- tu commençais
- il/elle/on commençait
- nous commencions
- vous commenciez
- ils/elles commençaient
Enlever - Enlever
Imparfait
- j'enlevais
- tu enlevais
- il/elle/on enlevait
- nous enlevions
- vous enleviez
- ils/elles enlevaient
Grammar Share Copied!
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Verb conjugation tables for this lesson Share Copied!
Enlever to remove Share Copied!
imparfait
| French | English |
|---|---|
| (je/j') enlevais | I was removing |
| (tu) enlevais | you were removing |
| (il/elle/on) enlevait | he/she/one was removing |
| (nous) enlevions | we were removing |
| (vous) enleviez | You were removing |
| (ils/elles) enlevaient | they removed |
Commencer to begin Share Copied!
imparfait
| French | English |
|---|---|
| (je/j') commençais | I was beginning |
| (tu) commençais | you were beginning |
| (il/elle/on) commençait | he/she/one was beginning |
| (nous) commencions | we were beginning |
| (vous) commenciez | you were beginning |
| (ils/elles) commençaient | they began |
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Lesson Overview: Clothing Styles and Fashion
This lesson focuses on discussing and describing clothing styles and fashion preferences in French at an A2 level. It develops your ability to talk about outfits, shopping experiences, and personal style through practical dialogues and exercises featuring common clothing vocabulary and expressions.
Key Topics Covered
- Describing work and casual attire: Learning to talk about clothes like "une chemise bleue" (a blue shirt), "un pantalon noir" (black pants), "une robe simple" (a simple dress), and more.
- Shopping interactions: Asking for advice on outfits, expressing opinions on styles, and discussing colors and comfort.
- Talking about personal style and clothing combinations: Using vocabulary to describe what you are wearing and your preferred styles.
- Imparfait tense practice: Exercises and a short story focus on regularly used verbs in the imperfect tense such as commencer (to start), enlever (to take off), and essayer (to try on), which are essential for narrating past habits and actions in French.
Important Vocabulary and Expressions
- tenue préférée – favorite outfit
- élégant / chic – elegant / chic
- détendu / décontracté – casual / relaxed
- je porte – I am wearing
- essayer une robe – to try on a dress
- cabine d'essayage – fitting room
- couleurs neutres – neutral colors
- un pull léger – a light sweater
Grammar Focus: Imparfait of Common Verbs
The lesson highlights how to conjugate and use the imperfect tense for verbs like:
- commencer (je commençais, tu commençais, il/elle commençait, nous commencions, vous commenciez, ils commençaient)
- enlever (j'enlevais, tu enlevais, il/elle enlevait, nous enlevions, vous enleviez, ils enlevaient)
- essayer (imparfait conjugations similar to regular -er verbs)
This tense is used to describe ongoing or habitual actions in the past, such as "Quand j'enlevais la tenue..." (When I was taking off the outfit...)
Differences and Useful Expressions in French and English
French often expresses descriptions of clothing with porter (to wear), which directly corresponds to English "to wear," but French requires definite articles, like Je porte un t-shirt blanc (I am wearing a white t-shirt). Also, colors agree in gender and number with nouns (e.g., une robe rouge but un pantalon rouge). The imparfait tense, frequently used here, has no direct simple equivalent in English but conveys past habits or descriptive background.
Some useful phrases to describe clothing include:
- J'aime beaucoup ta tenue aujourd'hui. – I really like your outfit today.
- Elle est à la fois décontractée et chic. – It is both casual and chic.
- Cette robe est très agréable à porter. – This dress is very comfortable to wear.
- Les couleurs vont bien ensemble. – The colors go well together.
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