She Doesn’t Wear Dresses but She Wears Skirts in Spanish | Say It Like A Native

A natural way to say this is: “Ella no lleva vestidos, pero sí lleva faldas.”

You’re trying to say one clean idea: she avoids dresses, yet she does wear skirts. Spanish can say that in a few ways, and the best choice depends on tone, region, and how “clothes-verb” you want it to sound.

Below you’ll get ready-to-copy translations, small grammar tips that stop common mistakes, and a few swaps that keep the sentence smooth in daily Spanish.

What Most Speakers Would Say First

If you want one sentence that fits most situations, this is the safest pick:

Ella no lleva vestidos, pero sí lleva faldas.

It keeps the contrast sharp. The “sí” adds stress to the second half, like “she does wear skirts.” In speech, the emphasis is strong even if you drop the subject pronoun.

Two More Natural Variants

• No usa vestidos, pero usa faldas. (plain, simple)
• No se pone vestidos, pero se pone faldas. (daily, focused on putting them on)

When You Can Drop “Ella”

Spanish often skips the subject because the verb ending already shows the person. So you’ll hear:

• No lleva vestidos, pero sí lleva faldas.
• No usa vestidos, pero sí usa faldas.

Use “ella” when you need contrast with another person, or when the sentence starts a new topic and you want clarity.

Word Choices That Change The Feel

English leans on “wear,” but Spanish has several normal options. Each one has a slightly different vibe.

“Llevar” For Wearing Clothes

Llevar works well for what someone has on right now or as a usual habit. It’s also the most “textbook-safe” verb for clothing, and it’s backed by standard dictionary usage that includes wearing clothes. You can see that sense in the RAE entry for llevar.

So, lleva faldas can mean she’s wearing a skirt today, or that she tends to wear skirts, depending on context.

“Usar” For Habit And Preference

Usar can sound like a preference or a habit: she chooses skirts, she’s a skirt person. In some places it can feel slightly more formal than llevar, but it’s still common.

“Ponerse” When You Mean “Put On”

Ponerse is great when the focus is the act of getting dressed. If you’re talking about what she’s choosing to put on for an outing, it fits nicely:

• No se pone vestidos, pero sí se pone faldas.

Many speakers would shorten the second half to avoid repetition: No se pone vestidos, pero sí faldas. That drop is normal in casual speech.

“Vestirse” When You Want The Whole Outfit Idea

Vestirse is broader: it points to dressing, not one garment. It’s handy when you’re speaking in general terms:

• Ella no se viste con vestidos; se viste con faldas.

This one reads a bit more formal, so it’s better for writing than quick conversation.

Getting The Contrast Right Without Sounding Stiff

The English “but” maps to pero most of the time. That’s true here. The part that trips learners is the emphasis: English does it with stress, Spanish often does it with sí.

Why “Sí” Has An Accent

In this sentence, sí is the affirmative word (“yes / indeed”). That form takes an accent mark to separate it from si used in conditions. Fundéu explains the difference in si, con y sin acento.

Keep “No” Plain

No never takes an accent mark in Spanish. The RAE’s Diccionario panhispánico de dudas entry on no notes that it’s always written without a tilde.

Comma Or No Comma Before “Pero”

When each side has its own verb (“no lleva… / sí lleva…”), a comma is common: No lleva vestidos, pero sí lleva faldas. In short phrases, some writers skip it. If you’re unsure, keep the comma.

Dress And Skirt Vocabulary That Won’t Trip You Up

The basic nouns are simple:

• Dress = vestido
• Skirt = falda

The RAE defines falda as a garment that hangs from the waist, which matches the everyday meaning learners want.

Plural And Article Choices

Your English sentence uses plurals, and Spanish can mirror that. These all work:

• No lleva vestidos, pero sí lleva faldas. (general statement)
• No lleva los vestidos, pero sí las faldas. (a known set, like items in her closet)
• No lleva un vestido, pero sí una falda. (one specific outfit choice)

If you’re talking about preference, the plural without articles is usually the cleanest.

Regional Notes You May Hear

In parts of Latin America, you may hear pollera for “skirt,” or it may refer to a certain style of skirt. The RAE lists that as a synonym in some contexts, but falda stays widely understood across regions.

She Doesn’t Wear Dresses but She Wears Skirts in Spanish With The Right Nuance

Now you’ve got the building blocks. Here are patterns you can use based on what you’re trying to say, without changing the meaning.

Plain Statement

Ella no lleva vestidos, pero sí lleva faldas.

Preference And Habit

No usa vestidos; prefiere las faldas. This adds a reason-like feel by stating a preference.

Style Rule Or Dress Code

No lleva vestidos, pero sí lleva faldas por el uniforme. This points to a rule or requirement, like school or work.

Contrast With Another Person

Ella no lleva vestidos, pero su hermana sí. Here the second half is shorter because the noun is already understood.

Translation Checklist For Clean, Natural Spanish

When you write or say this sentence, run through a few fast checks. They prevent the most common slips.

• Use pero to join the two ideas. Save sino for “not X, but Y” with a direct correction.
• Add sí when you want strong contrast: “she does wear skirts.”
• Skip ella unless you need clarity or contrast with someone else.
• Keep nouns plural for general preference. Switch to singular if you mean one outfit.
• Pick the verb that fits your scene: llevar (wear), usar (habit), ponerse (put on).

If you’re wondering about sino vs si no spelling, the RAE clears it up in ¿Cuándo se escribe «sino» y cuándo «si no»?.

Common Mistakes And Quick Fixes

Even seasoned learners trip on a couple of details with this sentence. Here are the fixes that keep it sounding natural.

Repeating Too Much In The Second Half

No se pone vestidos, pero sí se pone faldas is correct, but it can sound heavy. A lighter option is:

No se pone vestidos, pero sí faldas.

Using “Sino” When You Just Need “Pero”

Sino is used for direct correction: No lleva vestidos, sino faldas. That version is valid if you mean “not dresses, but skirts” as a correction. If you mean two separate facts side by side, stick with pero and, if you want, add sí.

Forgetting Agreement

If you add adjectives, match gender and number:

• vestidos largos
• faldas cortas

Spanish listeners notice agreement errors fast, so it’s worth a quick check.

Small Add-Ons That Make It Sound Real

Spanish also lets you add tiny words that match how people talk.

• casi nunca (almost never): No lleva vestidos casi nunca, pero sí faldas.
• siempre (always): No usa vestidos; siempre usa faldas.
• a veces (sometimes): No lleva vestidos, pero a veces sí una falda.

These additions are optional. Use them when you want to show frequency, not when you just want a clean split.

Pronunciation Tips For “Vestidos” And “Faldas”

Vestidos has stress on -ti-: ves-ti-dos. Faldas is stressed on fal-: fal-das. If you keep the stress steady, the sentence flows better and the contrast lands where you want it.

Table Of Translation Building Blocks

This table breaks your English sentence into pieces and shows the Spanish options that stay natural in real use.

English Piece	Spanish Options	When It Fits
She	ella / (omit)	Use ella for contrast; omit for normal speech.
doesn’t wear	no lleva / no usa / no se pone	llevar is neutral; usar leans preference; ponerse is getting dressed.
dresses	vestidos	Plural for a general habit.
but	pero	Standard contrast between two clauses.
she does wear	sí lleva / sí usa	Add sí for strong contrast.
skirts	faldas (also polleras in some regions)	falda is widely understood; regional words depend on place.
one outfit choice	un vestido / una falda	Use singular when talking about a specific outfit.
direct correction	no … sino …	Use when you’re correcting, not just contrasting.

How To Pick The Best Version In Real Life

If you’re texting a friend, keep it short: No usa vestidos, pero sí faldas. If you’re writing a description, Ella no lleva vestidos, pero sí lleva faldas reads clean and clear. If you’re talking about getting dressed right now, switch to ponerse.

Also think about what the second half is doing. If it’s just “she wears skirts,” you can omit sí. If the whole point is the contrast, keep sí.

Table Of Ready-To-Copy Sentences

Pick the line that matches your situation and copy it as-is.

Use Case	Spanish Sentence	Tone Note
Neutral, most situations	Ella no lleva vestidos, pero sí lleva faldas.	Clear contrast with emphasis.
Casual chat	No usa vestidos, pero sí faldas.	Short and natural.
Right now, getting dressed	No se pone vestidos, pero sí una falda.	Focuses on the act of dressing.
Direct correction	No lleva vestidos, sino faldas.	Sounds like you’re correcting a mistaken idea.
Contrast with another person	Ella no lleva vestidos, pero su amiga sí.	Second half is clipped on purpose.
Closet description	No compra vestidos; compra faldas.	Shifts to shopping behavior.

Quick Self-Check Before You Hit Publish Or Send

Read your sentence out loud once. If it feels heavy, drop repeated words in the second half. If it feels flat, add sí. If it feels unclear, add ella at the start. That’s it.

With those small choices, your Spanish will sound like something a real speaker would say, not a word-for-word copy from English.