Flashcards

French fabric vocabulary: materials, weaves and visible textures

Learn French fabric labels with 24 flashcards, from cotton and linen to velvet and twill, then match close-up textures to the right French terms.

In short

Le coton and le lin name fibres; le velours and le satin name fabrics with a recognisable surface. The deck gives twenty material and fabric names plus four structure words, so you can describe both a label and what you see.

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Fibre and structure can describe the same cloth
French phraseWhat it tells you
du satin de soiesatin made from silk
du satin de polyestersatin made from polyester
du jersey de cotonjersey made from cotton
un pantalon en velours côtelétrousers made from corduroy

The whole deck

All 24 cards, with an example each

Fibres and materials on labels

  • le cotoncottonCette chemise est en coton.
  • le linlinenJe porte un pantalon en lin.
  • la lainewoolCette écharpe est en laine.
  • la soiesilkLe foulard est en soie.
  • le cachemirecashmereCe pull en cachemire est très doux.
  • la viscoseviscoseLa robe en viscose tombe bien.
  • le polyesterpolyesterLa doublure est en polyester.
  • l’acrylique (m.)acrylicCe bonnet est en acrylique.

Fabric types and surfaces

  • le veloursvelvetLa veste en velours est verte.
  • le velours côtelécorduroyCe pantalon en velours côtelé est marron.
  • le satinsatinLe ruban en satin brille.
  • le denimdenimCette veste est en denim bleu.
  • la dentellelaceLes manches sont en dentelle.
  • le tulletulleLa jupe a deux couches de tulle.
  • la mousselinechiffonCette blouse en mousseline est légère.
  • la flanelleflannelLa chemise en flanelle est chaude.

Four more fabrics and four structures

  • la polairefleece fabricJe prends ma veste en polaire.
  • le jerseyjersey fabricCe tee-shirt est en jersey.
  • le tweedtweedCe manteau en tweed est épais.
  • la popelinepoplinLa popeline de cette chemise est lisse.
  • la mailleknitted structure; knit fabricOn voit bien les boucles de la maille.
  • le sergétwill weaveLe sergé forme des lignes diagonales.
  • le jacquardjacquard fabricLe motif est tissé dans le jacquard.
  • le matelasséquilted fabricJe cherche un tissu matelassé.

Material samples and distinctive surfaces

Visible texture helps with le velours côtelé, la dentelle and le matelassé. For fibre content, read the garment label: two smooth fabrics can look similar. The cotton and silk pictures include a small raw-material cue; the examples show the names you would use when shopping.

More textures in close-up

Question 1No account needed
Which card has raised parallel ribs?

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

le velours côtelé. The corduroy card shows the raised ribs of le velours côtelé.

Question 2No account needed
Which card has an open floral pattern made from threads?

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

la dentelle. The open floral threadwork is la dentelle, or lace.

Question 3No account needed
Which word matches the padded cloth stitched into diamonds?

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

le matelassé. Le matelassé is the padded fabric with stitched diamond shapes.

Question 4No account needed
Which card shows fine netting with small, regular openings?

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

le tulle. Le tulle is the fine net with small, regular openings shown in the card.

Question 5No account needed
Which term describes a weave with diagonal lines?

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

le sergé. Le sergé is twill, the weave with diagonal ribs shown here.