Colors - Learn Spanish
In this lesson you'll learn the Spanish words for common colors. Colors can be either nouns or adjectives. When used as adjectives, they require the same grammatical endings as other adjectives. See the Adjectives lesson to learn how to use adjectives in Spanish.
Online flashcards and a quiz are included in the lesson to help you learn the Spanish words for colors.
Los Colores
(light green)
(dark red)
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Grammar
Colors as Adjectives
When a color is used as an adjective, it always follows the noun it describes. If the noun that the color describes is plural, an s is added to the end of the adjective, or es if the adjective ends in a consonant.
If the masculine form of the noun ends in o, then the the o is changed to an a for feminine nouns. Some words for colors, such as naranja and rosa end in a when used with both masculine and feminine nouns.
The word claro can be added after the color to indicate light and the word oscuro can be added after the color to indicate dark. These compound colors do not change regardless of the gender or number of the noun they describe.
Here is a list of common Spanish colors showing both the masculine and feminine forms.
Masculine | Feminine | English |
---|---|---|
amarillo | amarilla | yellow |
azul | azul | blue |
azul marino | azul marino | navy blue |
blanco | blanca | white |
cian | cian | cyan |
dorado | dorada | gold |
gris | gris | grey |
magenta | magenta | magenta |
marrón | marrón | brown |
moreno, púrpura | morena, púrpura | purple |
naranja, anaranjado | naranja, anaranjada | orange |
negro | negra | black |
plateado | plateada | silver |
rojo | roja | red |
rojo oscuro | rojo oscoro | dark red |
rosa | rosa | pink |
verde | verde | green |
verde claro | verde claro | light green |
Colors as Nouns
When a color is used as a noun it is always masculine. For example: El naranja es mi color favorito.
Flashcards
Here are some flashcards to help you learn the Spanish words for common colors.
Practice
The best way to learn a language is to practice speaking, writing, and thinking in the language you want to learn. In this section you have the opportunity to practice writing the Spanish words for colors in sentences.
Like other adjectives in Spanish, colors follow the noun they refer to. If the word for a color ends in o, the o is changed to an a when used with a feminine noun. If the color is used with a plural noun, an s or es is added to the end of the color.
Write out the sentence using the Spanish word for the color in parentheses.
El cielo es ___. (blue) | |
El perro es ___. (black) | |
La casa es ___. (green) | |
La camisa es ___. (red) | |
El gato es ___. (grey) | |
La chaqueta es ___. (white) | |
La flor es ___. (pink) |
Quiz
Take this online quiz to see how well you know the Spanish words for colors. Press the Start button to begin.