I was trying to translate portafinestra in English, and I think I found the correct term (French window) whose definition seems to match with what I would define portafinestra: "each of a pair of casement windows extending to the floor in an outside wall, serving as a window and door."
Can I call French window those doors that are opened by sliding them? If it is not the right term, what is a term that I could use also for sliding doors facing on an outside wall?
Best Answer
There are a lot of factors at work here.
As Barrie mentioned, doors that open to the backyard are called patio doors. Patio doors can have two styles: sliding, or hinged.
In the U.S., the sliding style doors are often called "sliding glass doors." The term "French doors" is used for double doors that open outward or inward, particularly when they are made of paned glass.
I found these two images on a retail web site:
The door on the left is listed as a Sliding Patio Door; the one on the right is a French Inswing Patio Door. However, in day-to-day conversation, I'd probably refer them as "the sliding glass door" or "the French doors" – although either of them could be called "the patio door."
With all that said, though, I still found a website that sells "French-Style Sliding Doors," which sounds like an oxymoron to me.