Buying Clothes
These phrases will help you confidently navigate a clothing store in French, from browsing and finding the right size to making your final decision.
Key Phrases
Je regarde juste pour le moment, je vous fais signe si j'ai besoin.
neutralI'm just looking for now, I'll let you know if I need anything.
A standard, polite way to decline help from a shop assistant while keeping the door open.
On fait juste un petit tour pour voir ce que vous avez.
casualWe're just having a quick look to see what you have.
Using 'on' for 'we' is standard in spoken French; great for when you are shopping with a friend.
Est-ce que je pourrais essayer ce pantalon pour voir comment il me va ?
politeCould I try these trousers on to see how they fit?
A slightly softer, more polite request using the conditional 'pourrais'.
Je peux essayer ça ? Je crois que ça m'ira bien.
casualCan I try this on? I think it will look good on me.
Drops the formal 'est-ce que' for a more direct, everyday spoken rhythm.
Où se trouvent les cabines d'essayage, s'il vous plaît ?
politeWhere are the fitting rooms, please?
Very standard and polite; works in any boutique or department store.
Excusez-moi, elles sont de quel côté les cabines d'essayage ?
casualExcuse me, which way are the fitting rooms?
Placing the subject pronoun 'elles' at the start is a very natural feature of informal spoken French.
Est-ce que vous auriez le même modèle dans la taille au-dessus ?
neutralWould you happen to have the same model in the next size up?
Use 'la taille au-dessus' for size up, and 'la taille en dessous' for size down.
Vous l'avez en taille M ou c'est le dernier qui vous reste ?
casualDo you have it in size M or is this the last one you have left?
A natural way to ask about stock using a relative clause ('qui vous reste').
C'est un peu trop serré, je ne pense pas que ce soit ma taille.
neutralIt's a bit too tight, I don't think it's my size.
Expressing a negative opinion triggers the subjunctive mood ('soit').
Il est beaucoup plus grand que ce que je pensais, en fait.
casualIt's a lot bigger than I thought, actually.
Uses a comparative and the common conversational filler 'en fait' at the end.
Est-ce qu'il se fait dans d'autres couleurs, comme le bleu marine par exemple ?
neutralDoes it come in other colors, like navy blue for example?
The pronominal verb 'se faire' is idiomatically used to ask if something is manufactured or available.
Vous l'avez en noir ? Je mets rarement des couleurs aussi vives.
casualDo you have it in black? I rarely wear such bright colors.
Using 'mettre' instead of 'porter' for wearing clothes is very common in everyday speech.
Je vais le prendre, il est très confortable et la coupe me plaît.
neutralI'll take it, it's very comfortable and I like the fit.
'La coupe' refers to the cut or fit of the garment.
C'est bon pour moi, je le garde. On peut payer par carte ?
casualIt's good for me, I'm keeping it. Can we pay by card?
'C'est bon pour moi' is a very natural, informal way to signal your final decision.
Je vais encore y réfléchir, merci beaucoup pour votre patience.
politeI'm going to think about it a bit more, thank you very much for your patience.
The standard polite exit when you don't want to buy anything.
Ça ne me va pas très bien, je vais vous le laisser.
neutralIt doesn't look very good on me, I'll leave it with you.
'Je vais vous le laisser' is the standard phrase for returning an item to the staff without buying.