Colours in Spanish and French
Colours are adjectives, so in both languages they follow the noun and most of them agree with it. The table gives the masculine and feminine form where they differ; the ones without a second form do not change for gender.
The words
| Picture | English | Spanish | French |
|---|---|---|---|
| red | rojo | rouge | |
| orange | anaranjado / naranja | orange | |
| yellow | amarillo | jaune | |
| green | verde | vert | |
| blue | azul | bleu | |
| purple | morado | violet | |
| pink | rosado / rosa | rose | |
| brown | marrón / café | marron | |
| black | negro | noir | |
| white | blanco | blanc | |
| grey, gray | gris | gris | |
| gold, golden | dorado | · | |
| silver | plateado | · | |
| beige | · | beige |
Where two forms are given, both are standard in different regions and both are marked right on the answer keys. Every word is checked in two dictionaries: how we check. Pictures: OpenMoji, CC BY-SA 4.0, and Language Sheets.
Make a worksheet: colours
Word search, bingo, crossword, matching or flashcards, with a separate answer key.
Spanish: rojo, roja, rojos, rojas
Colours ending in -o have four forms: el coche rojo, la casa roja, los libros rojos.
Colours ending in -e or a consonant change only for number: verde, verdes; azul, azules; gris, grises.
Rosa and naranja are often kept invariable when used as colours (camisetas rosa), which is why the list teaches rosado and anaranjado and notes the shorter forms.
French: vert, verte, verts, vertes
Most colours add -e for the feminine and -s for the plural: un pull vert, une robe verte.
Colours already ending in -e do not change for gender: rouge, jaune, rose.
Colours named after things stay invariable: marron and orange do not take -s or -e (des chaussures marron).
In the classroom
Colour-in sheets are the classic: print the matching sheet in outline mode and pupils colour each circle. Bingo with colour words is quick to call and easy for young classes.