Learn Basic French Jewelry and Accessories

A great beginners lesson in French, the words used for jewelry and accessories are easy to master. You can even practice every  time you put on a necklace or see a piece of jewelry on the people around you. This French vocabulary lesson is very simple and if you practice the words daily, you should have no trouble committing them to memory. By the end of this lesson, you will learn the basic French words for common pieces of jewelry (bijoux) and accessories (accessoires) for both men and women. You can also take comfort in the fact that many pieces of jewelry are almost identical in French and English. This is due to Frances influence over the fashion industry and the fact that English likes to borrow French words and phrases. This means that you already know a few of these words and all you need to do is add a French accent. Note: Many of the words below are linked to .wav files. Simply click on the link to listen to the pronunciation. Types of Rings Rings are a popular piece of jewelry and the French words are very easy. Once you learn that  une bague  means ring, you will often just add a modifier to further define it. The exception is the wedding ring (une alliance), but thats easy enough to remember. Just think of marriage as an alliance (which it is). Ring -  une  bagueEngagement ring -  une  bague de fianà §aillesFriendship ring -  une bague damitià ©Diamond ring -  une bague de diamantWedding ring -  une  alliance Earrings and Necklaces You will often wear a pair of earrings so it is useful to know the French for both the singular and the plural. They are very similar and a perfect example of how that transition is often made. Earring -  une  boucle doreille  Earrings - des boucles doreilles The French word for a  pendant is very similar to English and necklace is easy if you associate it with a collar. Necklace -  un  collierPendant -  un  pendentif Wrist Jewelry Bracelet is one of the French words that migrated to the English language, so cross that one off your list right now! To describe a charm bracelet, the word for charm (breloques) is added to the end. Bracelet -  un  braceletCharm Bracelet -  un  bracelet à   breloques A watch (une  montre) is another piece of jewelry that you will want to know. By adding a descriptive word to the end, you can speak about specific types of watches. Pocket watch - une montre de pocheDiver watch -  une  montre de plongà ©eMilitary watch -  une montre de miltaireLadys watch - une montre dame Mens Jewelry and Accessories Men enjoy a few specific accessories and these should be easy to memorize.   Cufflink -  un  bouton de manchette  Pair of cufflinks -  un paire de boutons de manchetteHandkerchief -  un  mouchoirTie Clip -  un  fixe-cravate  (cravate  means neck  tie) Clothing Accessories and Jewelry Even our clothes need a piece of jewelry or an accessory and these three words are easy additions to your French vocabulary. Brooch -  une  brochePin -  une  Ãƒ ©pingleBelt -  une  ceinture Hair and Head Accessories The English and French words for barrette are the same and ribbon is similar as well, so all you really have to memorize in these accessories is the French word for hat. Barrette -  une  barrette  Hat -  un  chapeauRibbon -  un  ruban Eyeglasses When you are speaking of glasses (des  lunettes), you can add a descriptive word to the end to further define a style of glasses. Sunglasses -  des  lunettes de soleil  (f)  Reading glasses -  des lunettes pour lire (f) Cold Weather Accessories When the temperature drops, we get an entirely new set of accessories. Within this entire lesson, this list of words may be the most difficult to memorize, but keep trying and youll get it. Scarf -  un  foulardMuffler -  un  cache-nezShawl -  un  chà ¢leGloves -  des  gants(m)  Mittens -  des  moufles(f)  Umbrella -  un  parapluie Bags and Totes The common factor in these totes is the word  sac (bag). The descriptive words,  Ãƒ   main  (by hand) and  Ãƒ   dos  (by back or for the back) make perfect sense when the phrase comes together. Purse -  un  sac à   mainBackpack -  un  sac à   dos You may have already learned the  porte  means door, but the  porte  found in these nouns refers to the verb  porter  (to carry). Wallet -  un  portefeuilleBriefcase -  un  porte-documents