short
/ʃɔʁt/masculine
The French word for shorts is short.
The word is used to refer to a garment worn on the legs, specifically shorts.
Meaning: leg garment (noun)
How do you pronounce it?
/ʃɔʁt/
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly treat the French word short as a plural noun. Instead, you should use it with singular articles, such as un short or le short.
Did you know?
- In Quebec, you are more likely to hear short used as a plural noun, reflecting a stronger influence from North American English than in France.
- If you are referring to a man's boxers or briefs, French speakers do not use short but instead use caleçon or slip.
- A French speaker might use the word bermuda to describe a specific type of longer, more formal short that doesn't use the word short at all.
Examples in context
- Je porte des shorts tout le temps.I wear shorts all the time.This sentence shows how to use short when talking about wearing them frequently.Tatoeba #6473153 by Aiji, translation #5258621 by CK
- J'étais en short.I had shorts on.This sentence demonstrates how to use short to describe what you were wearing.Tatoeba #6147252 by sicerabibax, translation #5850583 by CK
- Il fait encore trop froid pour porter un short.It's still too cold to wear shorts.This sentence shows how to use short when discussing the weather and clothing.Tatoeba #524385 by MUIRIEL, translation #3048839 by patgfisher
- Je porte un bermuda pour la réunion d'affaires demain.I will wear shorts for the business meeting tomorrow.
- Les joueurs de l'équipe portent tous un short de sport.All the team players are wearing sports shorts.
- J'aime porter un short par temps chaud.I like to wear shorts in hot weather.
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Hugo and Léa are getting ready for a walk in the park.
- HugoJe vais mettre un short.I am going to put on a pair of shorts.
- LéaTu préfères ton short bleu ?Do you prefer your blue shorts?
- HugoOui, il fait chaud aujourd'hui.Yes, it is hot today.
- LéaMoi, je garde ma robe.As for me, I am keeping my dress.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “shorts” translations and entries short, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
