Colors in French

Colors are one of the easiest and most fun vocabulary topics to learn. Like in English, color words can be used both as nouns (i.e. the color red/rouge) and as adjectives (i.e. a red bicycle/une bicyclette rouge).

Here are some of the most common color words in French:
RedRouge (Roo-zh)
Orange Orange (Oh-rahnzh)
Yellow Jaune (zhawn)
Green Vert/Verte (vehr/vehrt)
Blue Bleu/Bleue (bluh)
Navy Blue Bleu Marine (bluh mareen)
Purple Pourpre (poor-prh)
Violet/Violette (vee-oh-leh/vee-oh-leht)
Pink Rose (rose)
Black Noir/Noire (nwahr)
White Blanc/Blanche (blahng/blahnsh)
Grey Gris/Grise (gree/greez)
Brown Marron (mah-rohng)
Dark Brown Marron foncé (mah-rohng fon-say)
Silver Argenté (ar-zhahn-tay)
Gold Doré (do-reh)
Light Clair (clare)
Dark Foncé (fon-say)

In English and French we have one identic color word that it is written in the same way but the pronounciation is different : "orange".
The French color word "Pourpre" is less used than "Violet".

When you use colors as adjectives in Spanish, they behave the same way as other adjectives: they agree with the nouns they describe in both gender (by adding the letter "e" at the end of the adjective if there is not already one, to indicate the feminine / for the masculine, there is no letter to add) and number (by adding the letter "s" at the end of the adjective). They always come after the nouns they describe. This is different from English, so be careful!

Un livre rouge [a red book]
Deux livres rouges [two red books]
Une maison rouge [a red house]
Deux maisons rouges [two red houses])

Be careful!
To make the feminine form of Violet, you have to add before the letter "e" another "t".
To make the feminine form of Blanc, you have to add before the letter "e" the letter "h".

Une fleur violette [a violet flower]
Une robe blanche [a white dress]

Orange, Marron, are invariable, meaning it doesn't change in number or gender to match the nouns it describes, because these words are also nouns.

Un crayon orange [an orange pencil]
Deux voitures orange [two orange cars]

Related Links:
French Language
Counting from 0 to 100 in French
Definite Articles in French
Family Vocabulary in French

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