Colors in Spanish
Learn Spanish Vocabulary
The main colors in Spanish are:
- negro - black
- marrón / café - brown
- gris - gray / grey
- blanco - white
- amarillo - yellow
- anaranjado / naranjo - orange
- rojo - red
- rosado - pink
- morado / púrpura - purple
- azul - blue
- verde - green
You will notice that for some colors there are two different words for it. Which one you use depends on the country you are in.
Colores have different forms
Colors are adjectives that must agree with the gender and number of the noun.
It is importante to remember that the colors that end in -O or -A have a masculine and feminine form as well as a singular or plural form and must coincide with the noun (or subject).
For example there are 4 forms of the color Blanco.
- Un sombrero blanco - (Blanco is in masculine and singular form, just like the word it describes)
- Unos sombreros blancos - (Blancos is in masculine and plural form)
- Una casa blanca - (Blanca is in feminine and singular form)
- Unas casas blancas - (Blancas is in feminine and plural form)
With words that don't end in -O or -A (like verde and gris) don't have a change in the masculine or feminine form. You do however have to add the -S or -ES for its plural form.
- Un sombrero verde
- Unos sombreros verdes
- Una casa verde
- Unas casas verdes
A color can also be a noun in a sentence
- El rojo enfurece a los toros.
Word order with colors
1. The verb SER + color (Ser - because the color won't change or it has always been that color)
- Mi auto es verde
- Su mochila es amarilla
2. The verb ESTAR + color (Estar - It is only temporarily this color, it may change color tomorrow)
- Mi ojo está rojo (my eye normally isn't this color, maybe it is infected)
- El cielo hoy está azul (today the sky is blue though it might be cloudy tomorrow)
3. The noun + color
- La alfombra roja
- Los lapices azules
Claro - Oscuro - Fuerte
When we talk about colors, we can also include different tones, shades and intensities by using the following expressions:
- claro = light
- oscuro = dark
- fuerte = bright
Claro is the opposite of Oscuro
Fuerte is a bright intense color that is easy to see.
- Verónica tiene ojos verdes oscuros.
- Su pelo gris claro la hacía ver mayor.
- Su corbata rosada fuerte no le queda bien.
You will notice that the words claro, oscuro and fuerte go after the color.
Spanish has a word specifically used for the color light blue ... celeste.
Typical things of each color
The following is a list of the things that are typically associated with each color:
(Below you will find a picture with more examples)
Rojo: frutillas, vino, sangre, rosas.
Anaranjado: zapallo, zanahoria, pelota de basketball, naranja.
Amarillo: queso, sol, mantequilla, limón.
Azul: cielo, océano, pitúfo
Verde: hoja, árbol, pasto, rana, moco
Negro: murciélago, noche, neumático.
Blanco: papel, azúcar, leche.
Rosado: cerdo, lengua, dulce de algodón.
Marrón: madera, cigarro, tierra.
Gris: rocas, plomo, plata.
Morado: uva, hematoma (moratón)
What other typical things can you add to each color?
Next Activities
Try our interactive Spanish vocabulary games:
Colores 1 - (Picture game) Names of colors
Colores 2 - (English to Spanish translation game) How do you say x in Spanish?
Colores 3 - ¿De qué color es X? (What color is X?)
Ver nuestra página de los colores en español.
Para Profesores y Padres
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