Common clothes in Spanish include la camiseta (T-shirt), la camisa (shirt), los pantalones (trousers), la falda (skirt), el jersey (jumper), la chaqueta (jacket), los zapatos (shoes) and los calcetines (socks). “To wear” is llevar: Llevo una camiseta azul. Many clothes have different names in Latin America.
Clothes vocabulary in Spanish
In the pronunciation column, capitals mark the stressed syllable. “h” stands for the jota, as in Scottish “loch”. “th” is the Spain pronunciation of z, and of c before e or i; in Latin America it is “s”.
Everyday clothes
| Spanish | English | Say it like |
|---|---|---|
| la ropa | clothes | ROH-pah |
| la camiseta | T-shirt | kah-mee-SEH-tah |
| la camisa | shirt | kah-MEE-sah |
| el jersey | jumper (Spain) | hair-SAY |
| la sudadera | sweatshirt, hoodie | soo-dah-DEH-rah |
| los pantalones | trousers | pahn-tah-LOH-nes |
| los vaqueros | jeans (Spain) | bah-KEH-rohs |
| los pantalones cortos | shorts | pahn-tah-LOH-nes KOR-tohs |
| la falda | skirt (Spain) | FAHL-dah |
| el vestido | dress | bes-TEE-doh |
| la chaqueta | jacket, blazer (Spain) | chah-KEH-tah |
| el abrigo | coat | ah-BREE-goh |
| el chándal | tracksuit (Spain) | CHAHN-dal |
| el uniforme | uniform | oo-nee-FOR-meh |
| la corbata | tie | kor-BAH-tah |
| el pijama | pyjamas (Spain) | pee-HAH-mah |
| el bañador | swimsuit, trunks (Spain) | bah-nyah-DOR |
Shoes and accessories
| Spanish | English | Say it like |
|---|---|---|
| los zapatos | shoes | thah-PAH-tohs / sah- |
| las zapatillas (de deporte) | trainers (Spain) | thah-pah-TEE-yahs |
| las botas | boots | BOH-tahs |
| las sandalias | sandals | sahn-DAH-lyahs |
| los calcetines | socks (Spain) | kal-theh-TEE-nes |
| la gorra | cap | GOH-rrah |
| el gorro | woolly hat | GOH-rroh |
| el sombrero | hat (with a brim) | som-BREH-roh |
| la bufanda | scarf | boo-FAHN-dah |
| los guantes | gloves | GWAHN-tes |
| el cinturón | belt | theen-too-RON |
| las gafas | glasses (Spain) | GAH-fahs |
La gorra and el gorro are a useful pair: a peaked cap is feminine, a woolly hat masculine. Las zapatillas can also mean slippers; add de deporte to be clear.
Spain and Latin America
| Spain | Latin America | English |
|---|---|---|
| la camiseta | la playera (Mexico), la remera (Argentina, Uruguay), la polera (Chile) | T-shirt |
| el jersey | el suéter, el pulóver (Argentina) | jumper |
| la chaqueta | la chamarra (Mexico), la campera (Argentina, Uruguay) | jacket |
| la falda | la pollera (Southern Cone) | skirt |
| los vaqueros | los jeans | jeans |
| los calcetines | las medias (many countries) | socks |
| las zapatillas de deporte | los tenis (Mexico, Colombia) | trainers |
| el bañador | el traje de baño | swimsuit |
| las gafas | los lentes, los anteojos | glasses |
Watch las medias: in Spain they are tights or stockings, while in much of Latin America they are simply socks.
Wearing, putting on, taking off
- To wear is llevar. Llevo una camiseta blanca. ¿Qué llevas hoy? In Latin America, usar is also common for clothes worn regularly.
- To put on is ponerse, to take off is quitarse. Me pongo el abrigo. Quítate la gorra en clase. To try on is probarse.
- Use the article, not the possessive, with your own clothes. Me pongo la chaqueta, not “mi chaqueta”: the reflexive already shows whose it is.
- Ropa is singular. La ropa means “clothes”: Mi ropa está sucia. One item is una prenda.
- Pantalones can be plural or singular. los pantalones and el pantalón both mean one pair of trousers. Las gafas is always plural.
Colours, materials and patterns
Colours come after the noun and agree like other adjectives: una falda negra, unos zapatos negros, una camisa verde, unas botas verdes.
- Compound colours do not change: una chaqueta azul marino (a navy blazer), una camiseta verde claro.
- Rosa and naranja do not change for gender and are often left unchanged in the plural too: unas zapatillas rosa or rosas, both accepted.
- Materials take de: una camisa de algodón, un jersey de lana, unas botas de cuero.
- Patterns take de: de rayas (striped), de cuadros (checked), de lunares (spotted).
Para ir al colegio, llevo un uniforme: una chaqueta azul marino, una camisa blanca y una corbata.For school I wear a uniform: a navy blazer, a white shirt and a tie.
Los fines de semana llevo vaqueros y una sudadera.At weekends I wear jeans and a hoodie.
School uniform is a good cultural topic: in Spain, uniforms are rare in state schools and more common in private and state-funded private schools (colegios concertados).
Idioms and expressions
| Spanish | Literally | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| quitarse el sombrero | to take off your hat | to take your hat off to someone |
| sudar la camiseta | to sweat the shirt | to give it everything (sport) |
| cambiar de chaqueta | to change jacket | to change sides |
| aquí hay tela | there’s cloth here | there’s a lot to deal with |
| estar en paños menores | to be in small cloths | to be in your underwear |
Typical mistakes of English-speaking learners
- “Las ropas”: clothes in general is singular, la ropa.
- Colour before the noun: “una roja camiseta” instead of una camiseta roja.
- No agreement: “unos zapatos negro”.
- “Vestir” for wear: possible but formal; in class use llevar.
- “Mi abrigo” with ponerse: Me pongo el abrigo.
- Gorra and gorro mixed up.
- English z: zapatos starts with “th” in Spain or “s” in Latin America, never with a buzzing z.
In class: clothes as a word of the day
Clothes are the easiest theme to show: the class is full of real examples.
- Show the picture and the English word: “scarf”.
- Ask ¿Cómo se dice en español? Pupils guess with a partner or on a mini whiteboard.
- Reveal la bufanda with its pronunciation. The class repeats it together, then two pupils alone.
- Show the example sentence: En invierno llevo una bufanda de lana.
- Give the reuse task: each pupil adds a colour, and agrees it: una bufanda roja, una bufanda gris.
- Recall yesterday’s word and one from last week.
That is exactly what a daily routine does: a word pupils can see, then reuse straight away.
Guessing games
¿Quién es?: a pupil describes what a classmate is wearing, the class guesses who: Lleva unas zapatillas blancas y una sudadera gris. Riddles work too: Me la pongo en la cabeza cuando juego al béisbol. ¿Qué es? (la gorra). A dressing-up bag lets KS2 pupils act out ponerse and quitarse.
- A1The word with its article and a colour: una camiseta azul
- A2Describe what you wear: Para ir al colegio llevo…, los fines de semana llevo…
- B1Past and shopping: Ayer me probé unos vaqueros, pero eran demasiado grandes.
- B2Opinions on uniform and fashion: No creo que el uniforme sea necesario.
At KS2, a picture and a dressing-up game are enough. At KS3, insist on agreement and position of the colour. At GCSE, clothes come back through shopping, school and identity.
For more illustrated words between lessons, the free site unapalabrapordia.es, created by the maker of VocaDial, publishes an illustrated Spanish word every day, translated into French, English and German, with its pronunciation and an example sentence recorded in all four languages.
The “La palabra” module does it for you
A picture and the word in the pupils’ language: the class works out how to say it, then the word is revealed with its pronunciation and an example sentence to reuse. No preparation needed: try everything free for 15 days of use.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say "clothes" in Spanish?
La ropa, a singular noun: Mi ropa está limpia (My clothes are clean). One item of clothing is una prenda.
How do you say "to wear" in Spanish?
Llevar: Llevo un jersey azul. To put on is ponerse and to take off is quitarse.
How do you say "T-shirt" in Spanish?
La camiseta in Spain. In Mexico it is la playera, in Argentina and Uruguay la remera, in Chile la polera.
Where do colours go with clothes in Spanish?
After the noun, and they agree: una falda roja, unos zapatos rojos. Compound colours such as azul marino do not change.
Do Spanish pupils wear school uniform?
Mostly not in state schools. Uniforms are more common in private schools and in state-funded private schools (colegios concertados).