sweat à capuche
The English word 'hoodie' is translated into French as sweat à capuche.
The term refers to a sweatshirt that includes an integral hood.
Meaning: sweatshirt, with an integral hood (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is a combination of sweat (short for sweatshirt) and à capuche, which means 'with a hood'.
Which one should you use?
While sweat à capuche is the standard term, you may also encounter the English loanword hoodie in very casual or youthful settings.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
You can also use the informal un sweat à capuche or the English loanword un hoodie in informal contexts.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Canada, the term chandail à capuchon is commonly used to refer to a hoodie.
How does it change in a sentence?
To make the phrase plural, the noun sweat takes an s, resulting in sweats à capuche, while the prepositional phrase à capuche remains unchanged.
Did you know?
- The word capuche is used in French to describe the hood of a garment and also the 'hood' of a car in certain technical contexts.
- The word capuche historically referred to a monk's cowl, emphasizing the garment's role as a covering for the head and neck.
- The word sweat in French is a 'pseudo-anglicism' because it refers only to the garment and not to the actual act of perspiring.
Examples in context
- Tom aime ce sweat à capuche.Tom loves that hoodie.This sentence is useful for showing how to use sweat à capuche in a simple sentence.Tatoeba #3469915 by GB3, translation #3469907 by Hybrid
- Je porte un sweat à capuche aujourd'hui.I'm wearing a hoodie today.
- J'adore ton sweat à capuche, il a l'air super confortable!I love your hoodie, it looks really comfortable!
- J'ai acheté un hoodie vraiment cool dans cette boutique!I bought a really cool hoodie in that store!
- Mon frère collectionne les hoodies avec des motifs différents.My brother collects hoodies with different patterns.
- Je vais acheter un sweat à capuche pour l'hiver.I'm going to buy a hoodie for winter.
- Tu peux me prêter ton sweat à capuche? Il fait froid aujourd'hui.Can you lend me your hoodie? It's cold today.
- Je porte un sweat à capuche bleu.I am wearing a blue hoodie.
- Où est mon sweat à capuche ?Where is my hoodie?
Example conversation
Lucas and Manon are getting ready to go for a walk.
- LucasIl fait froid, je vais prendre un sweat à capuche.It's cold, I'm going to grab a hoodie.
- ManonTu veux mon sweat à capuche noir ?Do you want my black hoodie?
- LucasOui, merci beaucoup, Manon.Yes, thank you very much, Manon.
- ManonDe rien, Lucas.You're welcome, Lucas.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “hoodie” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries capuche, sweat, à, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
