How to Talk about Clothes in Spanish

Has your suitcase gotten lost and now you’re in a hotel room in Barcelona not knowing what to wear for the business meeting you have the next day?

Are your trekking boots coming unglued after the first leg of your Patagonia trip?

Or perhaps the weather has suddenly changed in Bogota, leaving you in urgent need of a sweater?

Anyone who travels to Spanish-speaking countries may find themselves discussing clothes for one reason or another.

To get you ready for such an event, I have prepared a list of the essential words and phrases to talk about clothes in Spanish:

Basic Clothing Vocabulary in Spanish

Knowing how to talk about clothes in Spanish requires you to learn the names of different garments:

• 🇪🇸 la ropa  – 🇬🇧 clothes
• 🇪🇸 un vestido –🇬🇧 a dress
• 🇪🇸 un pantalón – 🇬🇧 ants, trousers
• 🇪🇸 una blusa – 🇬🇧 blouse
• 🇪🇸 una falda – 🇬🇧 a skirt
• 🇪🇸 una chaqueta – 🇬🇧 jacket
• 🇪🇸 un chaleco – 🇬🇧 sweater
• 🇪🇸una camiseta  – 🇬🇧 T-shirt
• 🇪🇸 un traje de baño  – 🇬🇧 swimsuit
• 🇪🇸 unos zapatos – 🇬🇧 shoes
• 🇪🇸 la ropa interior –🇬🇧 underwear
• 🇪🇸 un pijama –🇬🇧 a pajamas 
• 🇪🇸 una parka – 🇬🇧 parka

Did you notice how the word “ropa” is singular and feminine, while the word “clothes” is plural? 

Languages don’t always translate exactly the same. Differences in gender and number are one of the common mistakes English speakers have when learning Spanish. 

Talking about clothes in Spanish – useful verbs

Apart from the simplest sentences naming clothes, any other context we give to this vocabulary requires the use of specific verbs. 

Here are some of them:

• 🇪🇸 usar – 🇬🇧 o wear
• 🇪🇸 ponerse  -🇬🇧 to put on
• 🇪🇸 quitarse / sacarse –🇬🇧 to take off
• 🇪🇸 lavar –🇬🇧 to wash
• 🇪🇸 planchar –🇬🇧 to iron
• 🇪🇸 probarse –🇬🇧 to try on
• 🇪🇸 comprar –🇬🇧 to buy
• 🇪🇸 costar -🇬🇧 to cost
• 🇪🇸 regalar –🇬🇧 to give as a present
• 🇪🇸 manchar  –🇬🇧 to stain
• 🇪🇸 botar –🇬🇧 throw away
• 🇪🇸 ordenar –🇬🇧 to order, to organize
• 🇪🇸 gustar -🇬🇧 to like

Would you like to see how these verbs work in sentences? You’ll find a few examples below:

🇪🇸 Me gusta tu vestido.
🇬🇧 I like your dress.

🇪🇸 Casi nunca uso ropa formal.
🇬🇧 I hardly ever wear formal clothes.

🇪🇸 Quítate los zapatos antes de entrar.
🇬🇧 Take off your shoes before entering. 

🇪🇸 Pónete una chaqueta, hace frío afuera.
🇬🇧 Put on a jacket; it is cold outside. 

🇪🇸 Hay que lavar esta camisa.
🇬🇧 It’s necessary to wash this shirt. 

🇪🇸 Este vestido no se plancha.
🇬🇧 This dress is non-iron.

🇪🇸 Por favor, ordena tu ropa. Tu closet es un desastre. 
🇬🇧 Please, put your clothes in order. Your wardrobe is a disaster. 

🇪🇸 La abuela me regaló una camiseta para mi cumpleaños.
🇬🇧 Grandma gave me a T-shirt for my birthday.

🇪🇸 ¿Me puedo probar esta falda?
🇬🇧 Can I try this skirt on?

🇪🇸 ¿Cuánto cuesta esta parka ?
🇬🇧 How much does this parka cost?

🇪🇸 Juanito ha manchado su ropa con el helado.
🇬🇧 Juanito has stained his clothes with an ice-cream.

🇪🇸 No botes tu ropa vieja. Regálala a los pobres mejor.  
🇬🇧 Don’t throw away your old clothes. Better give it to the poor. 

How to shop for clothes in Spanish – common phrases

Do you want to buy some new clothes when in a Spanish speaking country? Make sure to learn some useful shopping vocabulary:

• 🇪🇸 el precio –🇬🇧 the price
• 🇪🇸 la talla –🇬🇧 the size
• 🇪🇸 el probador –🇬🇧 the dressing room
• 🇪🇸 la etiqueta –🇬🇧 the tag
• 🇪🇸 el recibo / la boleta –🇬🇧 the receipt
• 🇪🇸 la garantía -🇬🇧 the warranty
• 🇪🇸 envolver –🇬🇧 to wrap
• 🇪🇸 cambiar -🇬🇧 to change
• 🇪🇸 devolver -🇬🇧 to return
• 🇪🇸 quedar bien -🇬🇧 to fit

Imagine you’re in a clothing store, looking for some clothes for a hiking trip to the famous Machu Picchu in Peru:

🇪🇸 Disculpe, ¿cuál es el precio de estas botas?
🇬🇧 Excuse me, what’s the price of these boots?

🇪🇸 Necesito unas camisetas de mujer, talla S.
🇬🇧 I need a couple of women T-shirts, size S.

🇪🇸 ¿Dónde están los probadores, por favor?
🇬🇧 Where are the dressing rooms, please?

🇪🇸 ¿Lo tiene en una talla más grande / más pequeña?
🇬🇧 Do you have it in a bigger / smaller size?

🇪🇸 ¿Lo tiene en otro color?
🇬🇧 Do you have it in a different color?

🇪🇸 e qué está hecho / hecha? – (depends if the garment is masculine or feminine in Spanish)
🇬🇧 What is it made of?

🇪🇸 ¿Esta camisa es de 100% algodón?
🇬🇧 Is this shirt 100% cotton?

🇪🇸 ¿Tiene garantía?
🇬🇧 Does it have a warranty?

🇪🇸 ¿Me lo puede envolver para regalo, por favor?
🇬🇧 Can you gift-wrap it, please?

🇪🇸 Necesito cambiar este short / pantalón corto. Me queda muy grande. 
🇬🇧 I need to change these shorts. They are too big. 

🇪🇸 ¿Tiene el recibo / la boleta?
🇬🇧 Do you have the receipt?

🇪🇸 Quisiera devolver esta falda.
🇬🇧 I’d like to return this skirt. 

🇪🇸 Estos zapatos tienen un defecto. 
🇬🇧 These shoes have a defect. 

For those of you who would like to review Spanish shopping vocabulary in more detail, please check out one of my previous posts on that topic. 

Describing clothes in Spanish with suitable adjectives

Adjectives can come in extremely handy when talking about clothes in Spanish. 

Have a look at the following table to see if you know them all:

And here’s how you can make specific descriptions:

🇪🇸 Me he comprado estos zapatos formales. Estaban muy baratos.
🇬🇧 I have bought these formal shoes. They were very cheap.

🇪🇸 Esta chaqueta es demasiado cara.
🇬🇧 This jacket is too expensive. 

🇪🇸 Necesito unos pantalones de buzo cómodos. 
🇬🇧 I need some comfortable sweatpants.  

🇪🇸 Esta blusa es muy fea y pasada de moda.
🇬🇧 This blouse is very ugly and old-fashioned.

🇪🇸 Para la entrevista de trabajo ponte algo más formal. 
🇬🇧 Put on something more formal for your job interview.

🇪🇸 Tu camisa está sucia y arrugada. Tírala al lavado.
🇬🇧 Your shirt is dirty and wrinkled. Toss it with the laundry. 

🇪🇸 Esta falda corta es muy inapropiada para la ocasión. 
🇬🇧 This mini-shirt is very inappropriate for the occasion. 

Are you struggling with correct adjective forms? My Ultimate Guide to Spanish Adjectives will help clarify all of your doubts. 

Common accessories and how to call them in Spanish

A belt, a scarf, a handbag…

What would be our clothes without accessories, right?

If you want to know how to talk about clothes in Spanish effectively, you´ll also have to learn a few additional words, such as:

• 🇪🇸 un cinturón –🇬🇧 a belt
• 🇪🇸 una corbata –🇬🇧 a tie
• 🇪🇸 un sombrero –🇬🇧 a hat
• 🇪🇸 una gorra –🇬🇧 a cap
• 🇪🇸 un gorro de lana -🇬🇧 a wool cap
• 🇪🇸 unos lentes de sol –🇬🇧 sunglasses
• 🇪🇸 una cartera / un bolso -🇬🇧 a handbag
• 🇪🇸 un collar –🇬🇧 a necklace
• 🇪🇸 una pulsera -🇬🇧 a bracelet 
• 🇪🇸 unos aros / aretes -🇬🇧 earrings
• 🇪🇸 una bufanda -🇬🇧 a  woolen scarf
• 🇪🇸 un pañuelo -🇬🇧 a head scarf
• 🇪🇸 unos guantes –🇬🇧 gloves
• 🇪🇸 unos calcetines -🇬🇧 socks
• 🇪🇸 un maletín –🇬🇧 a briefcase

And here are some sample ideas of how to use those words:

🇪🇸 Este pantalón me queda suelto. Necesito un cinturón.
🇬🇧 These pants are too loose. I need a belt. 

🇪🇸 Si viajas a Polonia en invierno, lleva guantes, bufanda y un gorro de lana. 
🇬🇧 If you travel to Poland in winter, take gloves, a scarf, and a wool hat. 

🇪🇸 El color de esta corbata no combina con la chaqueta.
🇬🇧 The color of this tie doesn’t match the jacket. 

🇪🇸 No me gustan los collares. Prefiero llevar un pañuelo delgado alrededor del cuello. 
🇬🇧 I don’t like necklaces. I prefer to wear a thin scarf around my neck. 

🇪🇸 Si vas a la playa, lleva un sombrero de paja o lentes de sol.
🇬🇧 If you are going to the beach, take a straw hat or sunglasses. 

🇪🇸 Tu maletín de cuero está muy desgastado.
🇬🇧 Your leather briefcase is very worn-out.