Colours in Spanish - gender and number (adjectives)

Most colours in Spanish are regular adjectives that agree in gender and number with the noun they accompany. Here is a table showing regular and irregular colour adjectives in Spanish:

Colours in Spanish

Masculine singular    Feminine singular Masculine plural Feminine plural English 
rojo                roja rojos rojas red
amarillo amarilla amarillos amarillas yellow
negro negra negros negras black
blanco blanca blancos blancas white
morado morada morados moradas purple
verde verde verdes verdes green
azul azul azules azules blue
gris gris grises grises grey
marrón marrón marrones marrones brown
rosa rosa

rosa/

rosas

rosa/

rosas

pink
naranja naranja

naranja/

naranjas

naranja/

naranjas

orange
violeta violeta

violeta/

violetas

violeta/

violetas

violet

 

As you can see, there are adjectives that follow the regular rule for endings using  -o/-as/-os/-as (rojo, amarillo, negro, blanco, morado). There are also adjectives where the singular masculine form ends in -e or a consonant, and it keeps the same form in the feminine singular (verde, azul, gris, marrón) and both gender plurals end with -es (not -os/-as). 

There are also colours that reference a fruit (naranja) or a flower (rosa, violeta) which have just one form that ends in -a for all masculine, feminine, singular and plural, although it is also correct to use the ending -as for both masculine and feminine plurals. 

Here are some examples:

El vestido amarilloThe yellow dress

Una flor amarillaA yellow flower

Tengo una manzana roja.I have a red apple.

Hay muchos cuadernos rojos.There are lots of red notebooks.

Los adornos blancos son más bonitos.The white ornaments are nicer.

El campo verdeThe green field

Las aceitunas verdesThe green olives

Hay un coche rosa en el aparcamiento.There is a pink car at the car park.

Tenemos dos faldas violeta.We have two violet skirts.

Tenemos dos faldas violetas.We have two violet skirts.

Puedes coger las flores naranja del jardín.You can take the orange flowers from the garden.

Estas flores naranjas son muy bonitas.These orange flowers are very pretty.

When we refer to "the colour ..." we always use the name of the colour in its masculine singular form, for example:

Me gusta el color azul.I like blue (the colour blue).

Yo prefiero el color rojo.I prefer red (the colour red).

We can also use the colour as a noun, always in its masculine singular form:

El violeta es un color muy bonito. (El color violeta...)Violet is a pretty colour. (The colour violet is pretty.)

El amarillo es perfecto para la habitación del bebé. (El color amarillo...)Yellow is perfect for the baby's room. (The colour yellow is perfect for the baby's room.)

See also lessons on adjective agreement depending on their ending (regular and irregular):

 

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Examples and resources

Estas flores naranjas son muy bonitas.These orange flowers are very pretty.
Me gusta el color azul.I like blue (the colour blue).
Yo prefiero el color rojo.I prefer red (the colour red).
El amarillo es perfecto para la habitación del bebé. (El color amarillo...)Yellow is perfect for the baby's room. (The colour yellow is perfect for the baby's room.)
El violeta es un color muy bonito. (El color violeta...)Violet is a pretty colour. (The colour violet is pretty.)
Me gusta el color amarillo.I like yellow (the colour yellow).
Una flor amarillaA yellow flower
El campo verdeThe green field
Tengo una manzana roja.I have a red apple.
Las aceitunas verdesThe green olives
Tenemos dos faldas violeta.We have two violet skirts.
Elena tiene los ojos grises y el pelo negro.Elena has grey eyes and black hair.
El vestido amarilloThe yellow dress
Hay muchos cuadernos rojos.There are lots of red notebooks.
Los adornos blancos son más bonitos.The white ornaments are nicer.
Hay un coche rosa en el aparcamiento.There is a pink car at the car park.
Puedes coger las flores naranja del jardín.You can take the orange flowers from the garden.
Tenemos dos faldas violetas.We have two violet skirts.
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