Colours Flashcards
Red
Rojo
ROH-hoh
Variations: Rojo changes to roja when the noun it’s describing is feminine.
Pink
Rosado
rosa
ROH-sah
Scarlet
Escarlata
Ruby
Rubí
Maroon
Granate
Magenta
Magenta
Mahogany
Caoba
Orange (Latin America)
Naranja
nah-RAHN-hah
Orange (Spain)
Anaranjado/a
ah-nah-rahn-HAH-doh
Anaranjado/a is more common in Spain.
Peach
Latin America
Latin America
Durazno
Peach
Spain
Spain
melocotón
Amber
Ámbar
Apricot
Albaricoque
Coral
Coral
Yellow
Amarillo/a
ah-mah_REE-yoh
Variations: Amarillo changes to amarilla when the noun it’s describing is feminine.
Lemon
Limón
Gold (masculine)
Dorado
Gold (feminine)
Dorada
Dandelion
Diente de león
Mustard
Amarillo mostaza
Just “mostaza “
Cream
Crema
Blonde (Masculine)
Rubio
Blonde (Feminine)
Rubia
Green
Verde
VEHR-deh
Variations: Verde never changes, despite the gender of the noun it describes.
Emerald
Verde esmeralda
Olive
Verde olivo
Lime
Lima
Pear
Pera
Mint
Menta
Teal
Cerceta
verde azulado
Blue
Azul
ah-ZUHL
Variations: Azul also stays the same no matter the noun’s gender.
Turquoise
Turquesa
Navy
Azul marino
Sky blue
Azul cielo
azul celeste
Baby blue
Azul bebé
Royal blue
Azul real
Purple
Morado
moh-RAH-doh
Variations: Morado changes to morada when it describes a feminine noun. Its alternative name púrpura, on the other hand, stays the same, although it isn’t all that common these days.
Violet, purple
Violeta
Lilac
Lila
Indigo
Índigo
Lavender
Lavanda
Grape
Uva
Plum
Ciruela
Brown
Café
kah-FEH
Variations: Marrón (mah-ROHN) is more common in Spain. Café is more common in Latin America. Neither change gender.
Chestnut
Castaño
kah-STAHN-yoh
Chocolate
Chocolate
Auburn
Castaño rojizo
Tan
Bronceado
Beige
Beige
Black
Negro
NEH-groh
Variations: Negro becomes negra when the noun is feminine.
Jet black
Negro azabache
Pitch black
Negro intenso
Ebony
Ébano
Coal
Carbón
Onyx
Ónix
White
Blanco
BLAHN-koh
Variations: Blanco changes to blanca when the noun is feminine.
Silver
Plateado
Gray
Gris
GREES
Ivory
Marfil
Off-white
Blanquecino
Pearl
Perla
Alabaster
Alabastro
Where do colours go?
the color words go after the noun they describe.
El coche azul. (The blue car. Literally, “the car blue.”)
number and gender
When using the color words as adjectives, you must make the colors agree with the number and gender of the noun.
Los ojos azules. (The blue eyes.)
Las casas blancas. (The white houses.)
color that doesn’t end in o
A color that doesn’t end in o won’t change its spelling
Gender change rules don’t always apply, as any color that doesn’t end in an o won’t change its spelling.
For example: verde (green), azul (blue) and rosa (pink).
What verb do you use with colours?
- You usually use ser with colors
- When describing what color something is, such as in a sentence like “The phone is black,” you almost always use the verb ser.
- The verb estar (to be) generally refers to temporary states of being. There are rare cases in which you might need to use estar to describe the color of something.
- Here’s an example: If you wanted to say that today the sky is gray because of an impending rainstorm, you could use the verb estar (since it’s normally blue):
- El cielo está gris. (The sky is gray.)
El teléfono es negro. (The phone is black.)
de color
Another way to describe color in Spanish is to say that something is de color… (the color…).
With this construction, you’ll always use the masculine, singular version of the color—regardless of the noun!
Las camisetas son de color rosa. (The shirts are the color pink.)
noun + color + adjective/noun
When you combine noun + color + adjective/noun, the color and adjective/noun don’t change genders.
This means that no matter what gender or number the main noun is, the color and the adjective/noun will remain in the masculine singular form.
El libro azul oscuro. (The dark blue book.)
La camisa azul oscuro. (The dark blue shirt.)
Los libros azul oscuro. (The dark blue books.)
Las camisas azul oscuro. (The dark blue shirts.)
Colours being nouns
Colors can also act as nouns, not just adjectives.
When a color functions as a noun, it will always be masculine, no matter what.
El rosa es mi color favorito. (Pink is my favorite color.)
Los naranjas te quedan muy bien. (Orange colors suits you very well.)