How to Say What Someone Is Wearing in Italian: Clothes and Colors
Learn to describe what people are wearing in Italian using clothing items and colors, with the verb indossare and adjective agreement.
By TheaFirst conversations · Yapr Learn
In this lesson you will learn to describe what someone is wearing in Italian, using clothing vocabulary and colors. This is different from describing physical appearance: here the focus is on clothes. You will use the verb indossare (to wear) and make color adjectives agree with the clothing noun. For example, 'Lei indossa una giacca blu' means 'She is wearing a blue jacket.' By the end, you will be able to say what you and others are wearing in everyday situations.
By the end, you can…
- name common clothing items in Italian.
- use the verb indossare to say what someone is wearing.
- make color adjectives agree with the clothing noun.
- ask and answer questions about what someone is wearing.
Listen once. Try it slowly. Then say it without looking.
Checking available voices…
Lei indossa una giacca blu.
She is wearing a blue jacket.
LEH-ee een-DOHS-sah OO-nah JAHK-kah BLOO
Use indossare for 'to wear'. Blu is invariable for masculine and feminine singular.
Lui porta una camicia bianca.
He is wearing a white shirt.
LOO-ee POR-tah OO-nah kah-MEE-chah BYAHN-kah
Portare also means 'to wear' in everyday speech. Bianca agrees with camicia (feminine singular).
Io indosso i jeans e una maglietta rossa.
I am wearing jeans and a red T-shirt.
EE-oh een-DOHS-soh ee JEENZ eh OO-nah mah-LYEHT-tah ROHS-sah
Jeans is plural in Italian. Rossa agrees with maglietta (feminine singular).
Che cosa indossa Maria?
What is Maria wearing?
keh KOH-zah een-DOHS-sah mah-REE-ah
Use this question to ask about someone's clothing. Indossa is third-person singular.
Noi indossiamo pantaloni neri e scarpe marroni.
We are wearing black trousers and brown shoes.
NOH-ee een-dohs-SYAH-moh pahn-tah-LOH-nee NEH-ree eh SKAR-peh mahr-ROH-nee
Pantaloni and scarpe are plural, so colors are plural: neri, marroni.
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Make it make sense
Useful pattern
The basic pattern is: subject + indossare (conjugated) + indefinite article + clothing item + color adjective. The color adjective must agree in gender and number with the clothing noun. Examples: 'Lui indossa un cappotto nero' (He is wearing a black coat); 'Lei indossa una gonna nera' (She is wearing a black skirt); 'Loro indossano scarpe nere' (They are wearing black shoes). Some colors are invariable: blu, rosa, viola, and arancione. Marrone is normally variable (marroni in the plural), though in some regional usage it may stay invariable. For example, 'una giacca blu' (a blue jacket) and 'un maglione blu' (a blue sweater) both use blu unchanged.
When to use it
Use indossare in neutral or formal contexts, and portare in everyday conversation. Both are correct. For example, 'Oggi porto una camicia azzurra' (Today I'm wearing a light blue shirt) is common in speech. Use indossare when you want to be precise or in writing. To ask about someone, say 'Che cosa indossa?' or 'Che cosa porta?' To answer, start with the person: 'Lui indossa...', 'Lei indossa...', 'Io indosso...'. Remember that in Italian, possessive adjectives are not used with clothing as often as in English: 'Indosso una giacca' is more natural than 'Indosso la mia giacca' unless you need to specify ownership.
Listen to each line, then take one part and reply out loud.
Ciao! Che cosa indossa Luca oggi?
Hi! What is Luca wearing today?CHAH-oh! keh KOH-zah een-DOHS-sah LOO-kah OH-jeeLuca indossa una camicia bianca e pantaloni neri.
Luca is wearing a white shirt and black trousers.LOO-kah een-DOHS-sah OO-nah kah-MEE-chah BYAHN-kah eh pahn-tah-LOH-nee NEH-reeE Maria? Che cosa porta?
And Maria? What is she wearing?eh mah-REE-ah? keh KOH-zah POR-tahMaria porta una gonna rossa e un maglione grigio.
Maria is wearing a red skirt and a grey sweater.mah-REE-ah POR-tah OO-nah GOHN-nah ROHS-sah eh oon mah-LYOH-neh GREE-johA little context goes a long way
In Italian, describing clothing often includes colors and materials. Indossare is slightly more formal than portare, but both are widely used. Marrone (brown) is normally variable in standard Italian (marroni in the plural), though in some regional usage it may stay invariable. Also, when talking about clothing, Italians often use the verb mettersi (to put on) for actions: 'Mi metto una giacca' (I put on a jacket). Be aware that using the wrong color agreement can sound odd, so practice gender and number.
One thing to watch for
Saying 'Lei indossa una giacca blu' but using 'blu' as if it changes: 'blua' or 'blue'.
Try this instead: Blu is invariable in Italian. It does not change for gender or number. Say 'una giacca blu', 'un maglione blu', 'scarpe blu'. Other invariable colors include rosa, viola, and arancione. For colors that do change, like rosso, make sure to agree: 'una gonna rossa', 'pantaloni rossi'.
Your turn
Try answering out loud before checking a possible answer.
1How do you say 'She is wearing a green dress' in Italian? (Use indossare.)
Show a sample answer
Lei indossa un vestito verde.
Verde is invariable for masculine and feminine singular, so it stays verde. The article un is used with vestito (masculine singular).
2Translate: 'We are wearing blue jeans and white shoes.'
Show a sample answer
Noi indossiamo i jeans blu e scarpe bianche.
Jeans is plural, blu is invariable. Scarpe is feminine plural, so bianche agrees. You could also say portiamo instead of indossiamo.
3Ask: 'What is he wearing?' in Italian.
Show a sample answer
Che cosa indossa lui?
This uses the third-person singular of indossare. You can also say 'Che cosa porta lui?' Both are correct.
Use indossare or portare to say what someone is wearing. Make color adjectives agree with the clothing noun, but remember that blu, rosa, and viola never change. Practice with common items like giacca, camicia, pantaloni, and scarpe.
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