Colors in Spanish: 25 Words with Gender Rules
🇪🇸 Spanish · 25 cards · A1 · by Lucía Herrera
Colors are usually the first adjectives my students learn, and also the first place their Spanish starts to wobble. In Spanish the color has to agree with the noun: un coche rojo but una casa roja. Some colors never take an -a (azul, gris, marrón), others never change at all because they come from a thing (rosa, naranja, turquesa), and as soon as you add claro or oscuro the whole phrase freezes: unas paredes azul claro, never azules claras. I've also included the words my students really need: café for brown in Mexico, marrón in Spain, celeste, dorado. Read the note on each card — that's where the traps are.
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
| # | Spanish | English | Example | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | el color Masculine: el color, los colores. The plural adds -es. | the color | ¿Cuál es tu color favorito? What's your favorite color? | |
| 2 | rojo Four forms: rojo, roja, rojos, rojas. | red | Me encanta ese vestido rojo. I love that red dress. | |
| 3 | azul No feminine -a: una camisa azul. Plural: azules. | blue | El cielo está muy azul hoy. The sky is very blue today. | |
| 4 | verde Same form for both genders; plural verdes. With estar it also means 'unripe'. | green | Este plátano todavía está verde. This banana is still green. | |
| 5 | amarillo Agrees: amarillo, amarilla, amarillos, amarillas. | yellow | Pinté la cocina de amarillo. I painted the kitchen yellow. | |
| 6 | naranja From the fruit, so it usually stays the same: unos zapatos naranja (you'll also hear 'naranjas'). 'Anaranjado' is the full adjective but less common in speech. | orange | Quiero la maleta naranja, no la negra. I want the orange suitcase, not the black one. | |
| 7 | rosa Invariable: dos camisetas rosa. In Latin America 'rosado/rosada' is just as common and does agree. | pink | Le regalé una bufanda rosa. I gave her a pink scarf. | |
| 8 | morado The everyday word for purple. Agrees: morada, morados, moradas. 'Lila' (invariable) is a lighter purple. | purple | Se pintó las uñas de morado. She painted her nails purple. | |
| 9 | negro Agrees: negra, negros, negras. | black | Casi siempre visto de negro. I almost always wear black. | |
| 10 | blanco Agrees: blanca, blancos, blancas. | white | Necesito una camisa blanca limpia. I need a clean white shirt. | |
| 11 | gris One form for both genders; plural grises. | gray, grey | Hoy hace un día gris. It's a gray day today. | |
| 12 | marrón Standard in Spain and understood everywhere. No -a form; plural marrones (the accent disappears). | brown | Tengo los ojos marrones. I have brown eyes. | |
| 13 | café Mexico and much of Latin America use 'café' for brown: unos zapatos café (invariable). The same word also means 'coffee'. | brown | Mi perro es café con blanco. My dog is brown and white. | |
| 14 | violeta Named after the flower, so normally invariable. A bluer, softer tone than 'morado'. | violet | Las cortinas del salón son violeta. The living room curtains are violet. | |
| 15 | celeste Very common in Latin America, especially Argentina and Uruguay; in Spain people usually say 'azul claro'. Plural: celestes. | sky blue, light blue | Pintaron el cuarto del bebé de celeste. They painted the baby's room sky blue. | |
| 16 | turquesa From the stone, so invariable: unas toallas turquesa. | turquoise | El mar aquí es turquesa. The sea here is turquoise. | |
| 17 | beige Pronounced 'beis'; in Spain it's often spelled 'beis'. Invariable. | beige | Llevaba un abrigo beige muy elegante. She was wearing a very elegant beige coat. | |
| 18 | dorado Gold-colored. If the object is really made of gold, say 'de oro'. Agrees: dorada, dorados, doradas. | gold, golden | Lleva un reloj dorado. He's wearing a gold watch. | |
| 19 | plateado Silver-colored; the metal is 'la plata'. Agrees: plateada, plateados, plateadas. | silver, silvery | El coche plateado es de mi hermana. The silver car is my sister's. | |
| 20 | claro Goes after the color: rosa claro, gris claro. Used alone with a noun it agrees: una madera clara. | light, pale | ¿Tienes esta blusa en un tono más claro? Do you have this blouse in a lighter shade? | |
| 21 | oscuro Goes after the color: rojo oscuro. Used alone it agrees: una habitación oscura. | dark | En invierno prefiero los colores oscuros. In winter I prefer dark colors. | |
| 22 | azul claro Two-word colors don't change: unas paredes azul claro (never 'azules claras'). | light blue | Quiero pintar las paredes de azul claro. I want to paint the walls light blue. | |
| 23 | verde oscuro Invariable, like every color + claro/oscuro combination: dos mochilas verde oscuro. | dark green | Su uniforme es verde oscuro. His uniform is dark green. | |
| 24 | azul marino 'Marino' means 'of the sea'. Invariable: unos calcetines azul marino. | navy blue | El traje azul marino te queda mejor. The navy blue suit looks better on you. | |
| 25 | ¿De qué color es? The standard way to ask. Plural: ¿De qué color son? The short answer agrees with the noun: —¿La camisa? —Blanca. | What color is it? | —¿De qué color es tu mochila? —Negra. 'What color is your backpack?' 'Black.' |
Native Spanish speaker from Valencia, now in Mexico City. I tutor Spanish online and keep a notebook of the words my students trip over. Every deck here comes from that notebook.
Questions about this deck
- Do Spanish colors change for gender and number?
- Colors ending in -o have four forms (rojo, roja, rojos, rojas). Colors ending in -e or a consonant change only in the plural: verde/verdes, azul/azules, gris/grises, marrón/marrones. Colors borrowed from objects — naranja, rosa, violeta, turquesa, beige — normally stay the same: dos camisetas rosa.
- Is brown 'marrón' or 'café' in Spanish?
- Both are correct, but it's regional. In Spain 'marrón' is standard (ojos marrones). In Mexico and much of Latin America people say 'café' (zapatos café). For hair and eyes many speakers use 'castaño'. 'Marrón' is understood everywhere.
- How do you say light blue and dark blue in Spanish?
- Put claro or oscuro after the color: azul claro, azul oscuro, verde oscuro, rosa claro. These two-word colors never agree, so it's 'unas cortinas azul claro', not 'azules claras'. In much of Latin America 'celeste' is the usual word for light blue, and navy is 'azul marino'.
- Where do colors go in a Spanish sentence?
- After the noun: un coche rojo, una puerta blanca. With verbs, use ser for the color something normally is (La casa es amarilla) and estar for a temporary state (El plátano está verde = it isn't ripe yet). To ask, say ¿De qué color es?
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