German Clothes & Garments Vocabulary
This set covers everyday clothing items, from der Anzug (suit) and das Hemd (shirt) to die Hose (trousers) and der Mantel (coat). One trap: die Hose is singular in German even though "trousers" is plural in English, so you say "die Hose ist neu" not "die Hosen sind neu" unless you actually mean several pairs. Another surprise is der Rock, which means skirt, not the music genre or a stone.
Learn these 31 words
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All 31 words
clothing, clothes
Wo finde ich Kleidung? – Jacken im ersten, Jeans im zweiten Stock. — Where do I find clothing? – Jackets on the first floor, jeans on the second floor.
plural: die Anzüge
suit
Mein Mann muss sich einen neuen Anzug kaufen. — My husband needs to buy a new suit.
jeans
Ich mag Jeans lieber als Röcke. — I prefer jeans to skirts.
plural: die Kleider
dress
Julia möchte ein rotes Kleid kaufen. — Julia wants to buy a red dress.
plural: die Mäntel
coat
Es ist kalt. Zieh deinen Mantel an! — It's cold. Put on your coat!
plural: die Pullover
sweater
Ich muss mir einen Pullover kaufen. — I need to buy a sweater.
plural: die Röcke
skirt
Der Rock ist zu eng. — The skirt is too tight.
plural: die T-Shirts
t-shirt
Haben Sie dieses T-Shirt auch in M? — Do you have this t-shirt in size M?
plural: die Blusen
blouse
Ich hätte gerne eine weiße Bluse. — I would like a white blouse.
plural: die Garderoben
wardrobe
Die Mäntel bitte an der Garderobe abgeben. — Please leave the coats at the wardrobe.
plural: die Hemden
shirt
Nikos trägt heute ein weißes Hemd. — Nikos is wearing a white shirt today.
plural: die Hosen
trousers, pants
Können Sie die Hose etwas kürzer machen? — Can you make the pants a bit shorter?
plural: die Jacken
jacket
Zieh dir eine Jacke an. Es ist kalt. — Put on a jacket. It's cold.
plural: die Knöpfe
button
An meiner Jacke fehlt ein Knopf. — My jacket is missing a button.
plural: die Kostüme
costume
In dem Film tragen die Leute bunte Kostüme. — In the movie, people wear colorful costumes.
plural: die Uniformen
uniform
In der Schule, die sie besucht, trägt man Uniformen. — At the school she attends, students wear uniforms.
warm sweater
Für den Winter brauche ich einen warmen Pullover. — For winter I need a warm sweater.
plural: die Ärmel
sleeve
Der Ärmel meines Hemdes ist zu lang. — The sleeve of my shirt is too long.
plural: die Dreiteiler
a three piece suit
Ein eleganter Dreiteiler passt zu jedem Geschäftstreffen. — An elegant three-piece suit suits every business meeting.
plural: die Jacken
jacket
Die rote Jacke hängt im Kleiderschrank. — The red jacket hangs in the wardrobe.
rags
Er zog seine alten Klamotten an und verließ das Haus. — He put on his old rags and left the house.
plural: die Lippenstifte
lipstick
Sie trägt einen roten Lippenstift. — She wears red lipstick.
- abwetzenC1
to scuff / wear down
Die Schuhe wetzen ab. — The shoes scuff away.
bare-headed
Der barhäuptige Mann betrat die Kirche. — The bare-headed man entered the church.
plural: die Gehröcke
frock / coat
Der Gehrock war früher formale Kleidung. — The frock coat was formal attire long ago.
plural: die Gewänder
garment / garb
Das fließende Gewand der Priesterin war weiß. — The flowing garment of the priestess was white.
plural: die Lendenschürze
a loincloth
Der Lendenschurz war Urvolksbekleidung. — The loincloth was primitive peoples' clothing.
plural: die Mieder
a bodice
Das Mieder formt die Figur. — The bodice shapes the figure.
plural: die Soutanen
a cassock
Der Priester trug eine schwarze Soutane. — The priest wore a black cassock.
plural: die Tunikas
a tunic
Die alte Tunika war aus Baumwolle gefertigt. — The old tunic was made of cotton.
plural: die Wämser
a jerkin
Im Mittelalter trugen Männer einen Wams unter der Rüstung. — In the Middle Ages, men wore a jerkin under their armor.
How to learn this set
Notice that most clothing nouns here are feminine: die Jeans, die Bluse, die Hose, die Jacke, die Uniform, die Garderobe. When you learn a new one, guess "die" first and you'll be right more often than not. For der Pullover and der Mantel, the masculine gender sticks better if you picture putting them on over your head or shoulders, since both are "outer" layers you pull on rather than step into. Drill die Kleidung as the umbrella term, then sort the rest under it: Oberteile (Hemd, Bluse, Pullover, T-Shirt) versus Unterteile (Hose, Rock) versus outerwear (Mantel, Jacke). For der Dreiteiler, break it down: drei + Teile (three parts), the same logic you'll see in other German compound nouns for multi-piece items.
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Frequently asked questions
Is Hose singular or plural in German?
Die Hose is grammatically singular, even though English 'trousers' is plural. Use 'die Hose ist' for one pair, and only switch to plural (die Hosen) if you're talking about multiple pairs.
What's the difference between Kleidung and Kleid?
Die Kleidung is the general word for clothing or clothes as a category. Das Kleid means a specific dress, one garment you wear. They're not related the way the spelling suggests.
What does Klamotten mean in German?
Klamotten is an informal, plural-only word for clothes or 'rags,' similar to how English speakers casually say 'my clothes' or 'my stuff.' It's more relaxed than die Kleidung and common in everyday speech.
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