The warm weather months are here, and that means summer clothes! Before you go shopping at one of the great malls or shopping centers in San Diego or San Francisco, make sure that you know your summer clothing vocabulary in English. The following list includes some of the clothing items you might wear this summer.

Summer Clothing Vocabulary

Flip-flops

If you are going to live in San Diego, you must have flip flops: they are the perfect shoes to wear when you are walking along Mission Beach and Pacific Beach for hours! The best part about wearing flip-flops? You don’t get sand stuck in your shoes!

Sandals

Summer Clothing Vocabulary in English — Photo source.

Sandals are another common shoe for the warm weather months. They are a little more fancy, so wear these at night when you explore the restaurants around Little Italy, go on a date, or have brunch with friends.

Cover-ups

When you travel to the beach, you need something to wear over your bathing suit. A cover up does exactly what its name says: it covers up your body and bathing suit. It’s a great phrasal verb that you will use often when you go for a burrito after a day in PB! (Click here for more phrasal verb practice.)

Sundresses

Sundresses (light, often colorful dresses) are the “summer uniform” for many girls. They can be dressy or casual, so you can wear them to dinner at one of the great restaurants with views of the ocean, or you can wear them for a day exploring Golden Gate Park or Sausalito.

Tank tops

Both men and women wear tank tops: this word is unisex, and the style of shirt is very common during the warm months! The next time you go to Coronado, look around and see how many people are wearing a tank top.

Halter tops

Halter tops are also very common in the summer. Like sundresses, they can be fancy or casual. They’re perfect to wear on a day you explore Balboa Park and its many wonderful museums.

Cargos

Cargo shorts are so common in California that they should just be called “shorts,” because this is the style that everyone wears! Check out the Horton Plaza shopping center and see how many stores have cargos on their mannequins.

Tees

The t-shirt (tee) is universal, casual, and completely Californian. Wear it to class at CISL (and then to any after school activity you attend: from a Padres game to laser tag, a t-shirt is always appropriate)!

Board shorts

Board shorts are another word for “swimming trunks,” which is the bathing suit for men. In California they are called “board shorts” because most people surf: the name “board” refers to the shorts people wear when riding on their “surfboard.”

Do you like the clothes you see? Click on the links and you can purchase them from small-production clothing shops on Etsy.com.

Cover photo source.

Summer Clothing Vocabulary in English + Summer Activities in SD and SF