Vocabulary list
Tissu or étoffe: French fabric words for choosing cloth
Compare tissu and étoffe, learn fabric and texture phrases, and recognise the paper-tissue trap. Pictures, a fabric-shop scene and four questions.
- B1
- 10 words
- Gender marked
- With examples
- Learn this in the B1 notebook →
In short
Un tissu and une étoffe can both mean fabric or cloth. Tissu is the broad everyday choice; étoffe also appears in descriptions of cloth for clothing or furnishings. For an English paper “tissue”, use un mouchoir en papier.
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At the fabric counter
Find:
The material and its use
Pattern, texture and thickness
- Client
Bonjour, je cherche du tissu pour faire deux coussins.
Hello, I’m looking for fabric to make two cushions.
- Vendeuse
Vous préférez une étoffe unie ou à motifs ?
Would you prefer plain or patterned fabric?
- Client
Unie, plutôt bleue. Ce tissu est en coton ?
Plain, preferably blue. Is this fabric cotton?
- Vendeuse
Oui. Vous pouvez toucher cet échantillon.
Yes. You can feel this sample.
The conversation moves naturally from tissu to étoffe: both name the cloth. Unie and bleue in the customer’s answer refer back to une étoffe. With tissu, use masculine forms: un tissu uni, un tissu bleu, un tissu épais.
What is the difference between tissu and étoffe?
Cette association renforce le tissu social du quartier.
This association strengthens the neighbourhood’s social fabric.
Elle a l’étoffe d’une dirigeante.
She has the makings of a leader.
Le tissu social describes a network of relationships. Avoir l’étoffe de describes the qualities needed for a role. In a science text, le tissu musculaire means muscle tissue. Keep these expressions separate from the paper handkerchief: un mouchoir en papier.