Colors in French: 25 Essential Words (A1)
🇫🇷 French · 25 cards · A1 · by Théo Marchand
Colours are among the first words you learn in French, and one of the first places the grammar bites. Most of them agree with the noun (une voiture bleue, des yeux bleus), but a few never move: orange, marron, turquoise, bordeaux, and every two-word colour — bleu clair, vert foncé, bleu marine. Then there are the irregular feminines: blanc / blanche, violet / violette, roux / rousse.
There's also a France–Québec split I flag on the cards: in Montréal I say brun where in Lyon I'd say marron. Learn each word inside its example sentence — that way the agreement comes along for free, and you get used to the colour sitting after the noun.
Flip through the cards, then switch to Quiz. Tap the play button on any row to hear it. The full table below is there to read, print or copy into your own flashcard app.
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All 25 cards
| # | French | English | Example | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | la couleur Feminine noun: une couleur, des couleurs. Spelling trap: c-o-u-l-e-u-r, not like English 'color'. | the colour, color | Quelle est ta couleur préférée ? What's your favourite colour? | |
| 2 | rouge Same form for masculine and feminine; add -s in the plural: des pommes rouges. | red | Le feu est rouge, ne traverse pas. The light is red, don't cross. | |
| 3 | bleu Agrees: bleu, bleue, bleus, bleues. | blue | Il a les yeux bleus. He has blue eyes. | |
| 4 | vert Agrees: verte, verts, vertes. 'Peindre en + couleur' is the normal way to say 'to paint something a colour'. | green | On a repeint la porte en vert. We repainted the door green. | |
| 5 | jaune Same form in both genders; takes -s in the plural. | yellow | Les feuilles deviennent jaunes en automne. The leaves turn yellow in autumn. | |
| 6 | noir Agrees: noire, noirs, noires. | black | Je bois mon café noir, sans sucre. I drink my coffee black, no sugar. | |
| 7 | blanc Irregular feminine: blanche (plural blancs, blanches). | white | Tu veux du vin blanc ou du rouge ? Do you want white wine or red? | |
| 8 | gris Feminine: grise, grises. The masculine plural stays 'gris' (no extra -s). 'Il fait gris' = the sky is overcast. | grey, gray | Il fait gris aujourd'hui, prends un parapluie. It's grey today, take an umbrella. | |
| 9 | orange Invariable because it comes from the fruit: des chaussures orange, never 'oranges'. | orange | J'adore ton pull orange. I love your orange sweater. | |
| 10 | rose Same form in both genders, -s in the plural. 'Une rose' is also the flower. | pink | Elle a mis des chaussettes roses. She put on pink socks. | |
| 11 | violet Irregular feminine: violette (plural violets, violettes). | purple, violet | J'ai acheté un cahier violet. I bought a purple notebook. | |
| 12 | marron Invariable (it's the chestnut). Default word for brown objects in France; in Québec people say 'brun'. | brown | Mes chaussures marron sont sales. My brown shoes are dirty. | |
| 13 | brun Agrees: brune, bruns, brunes. In France mainly for hair, skin or beer; in Québec it replaces 'marron' for objects too. | brown; dark-haired | Il a les cheveux bruns. He has brown hair. | |
| 14 | beige Same form in both genders, -s in the plural: des murs beiges. | beige | Il porte toujours un imperméable beige. He always wears a beige raincoat. | |
| 15 | turquoise Invariable (named after the stone): des murs turquoise. | turquoise | J'ai un vieux vélo turquoise. I have an old turquoise bike. | |
| 16 | bordeaux Invariable, named after the wine. Very common for clothes. | burgundy, maroon (wine red) | Elle s'est acheté un manteau bordeaux. She bought herself a burgundy coat. | |
| 17 | bleu clair Two-word colours never agree: des robes bleu clair. Same pattern with any colour: vert clair, rose clair. | light blue | Je cherche une chemise bleu clair. I'm looking for a light blue shirt. | |
| 18 | bleu foncé Invariable, like all compound colours. 'Foncé' = dark, deep. | dark blue | Un jean bleu foncé, ça va avec tout. Dark blue jeans go with everything. | |
| 19 | bleu marine Invariable: des chaussettes bleu marine. Very frequent for uniforms and formal clothes. | navy blue | Elle a choisi un tailleur bleu marine. She chose a navy blue suit. | |
| 20 | mauve Same form in both genders, -s in the plural. Softer and pinker than 'violet'. | mauve, light purple | Ces fleurs mauves sentent très bon. These mauve flowers smell really good. | |
| 21 | doré Agrees: dorée, dorés, dorées. For an object made of real gold, say 'en or'. | golden, gold-coloured | Le ciel devient doré en fin de journée. The sky turns golden at the end of the day. | |
| 22 | argenté Agrees: argentée, argentés, argentées. For real silver, say 'en argent'. | silver, silvery | Elle conduit une petite voiture argentée. She drives a small silver car. | |
| 23 | châtain Used for hair only. Masculine plural 'châtains'; with 'clair' or 'foncé' it stays invariable. | chestnut brown (hair) | Elle a les cheveux châtain clair. She has light brown hair. | |
| 24 | roux Feminine: rousse (plural roux, rousses). Never say 'cheveux rouges' for ginger hair. | red-haired, ginger | Il est roux, comme son père. He's a redhead, like his father. | |
| 25 | de quelle couleur Fixed question phrase; 'couleur' stays singular. Casual spoken version: 'C'est de quelle couleur ?' | what colour | De quelle couleur est ta valise ? What colour is your suitcase? |
Born in Lyon, living in Montréal. I write the phrases the way people actually say them on both sides of the Atlantic and mark the difference when it matters.
Questions about this deck
- Which French colours never change form?
- Colours borrowed from nouns — orange, marron, turquoise, bordeaux, kaki, crème — plus every two-word colour: bleu clair, vert foncé, bleu marine. So you write 'des chaussures marron' and 'des robes bleu clair' with no -e and no -s on the colour. Mauve, rose, écarlate and fauve are exceptions: they behave like ordinary adjectives and take -s.
- Do French colours come before or after the noun?
- After it: une voiture rouge, un chapeau noir, des yeux bleus. Colour adjectives are one of the clearest cases of the after-the-noun rule — putting the colour first only happens in poetry and set expressions, so as a learner always keep it after.
- Is it 'marron' or 'brun' for brown?
- In France, 'marron' is the default for objects (un sac marron) and 'brun' is mainly for hair, skin or beer. In Québec, 'brun' covers objects too: 'un chandail brun' is completely normal there, while 'marron' sounds European. Remember that marron never agrees, but brun does (brune, bruns, brunes).
- How do I say 'light' and 'dark' with colours?
- Add 'clair' for light and 'foncé' for dark after the colour: bleu clair, vert foncé, rose clair. The whole phrase then stays invariable: des murs vert foncé, une jupe rose clair. 'Vif' means bright or vivid, as in rouge vif, and it is invariable in the same way.
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