Clothes and Shopping

Clothes vocabulary plus a handful of shop phrases covers one of the most common real-world situations you will face in English.

The clothes

Upper: shirt, T-shirt, blouse, jumper (US: sweater), jacket, coat Lower: trousers (US: pants), jeans, shorts, skirt, dress Feet: shoes, boots, trainers (US: sneakers), socks Extras: hat, scarf, gloves, belt, tie, bag

Careful: pants means underwear in British English and trousers in American English. Context usually saves you, but it is worth knowing.

Always plural

trousers, jeans, shorts, glasses, tights have no singular. Use a pair of:

I bought a pair of jeans. (not a jean) These trousers are too big. (not is)

Wear, put on, try on, fit, suit

These five are not interchangeable:

• wear — have it on: She's wearing a blue coat.
• put on — the action of dressing: Put on your shoes.
• try on — test it in a shop: Can I try this on?
• fit — the right size: It doesn't fit — it's too small.
• suit — looks good on you: That colour really suits you.

Fit is about size; suit is about appearance. Mixing them is a classic error.

In the shop

• I'm just looking, thanks. (when a shop assistant approaches)
• Do you have this in a medium?
• Have you got these in a size 40?
• Where are the fitting rooms?
• Can I try this on?
• It's too tight / too loose / too long.
• Do you have a bigger one?
• I'll take it.
• Can I pay by card?

Returning something

• I'd like to return this, please.
• It doesn't fit. / It's faulty.
• Do you have the receipt?
• Can I get a refund or an exchange?

Refund = your money back. Exchange = a different item instead.

Test yourself

The quiz below covers the five verbs and the shop phrases.