Colors in Spanish

Colors / Colores

One of the first things you learn when you are studying a language is the colors. They are basically to describe an object and what it looks like, one of the characteristics that we might first mention, and which is very important. So, it is therefore vital for you to know how to say some of the most common colors in Spanish.

These will help you a lot when it comes to all areas of basic conversation, as you will find that you start to run in a lot of difficulty very quickly when you do not know how to describe something by color. Thus, it is one of the most basic and first pieces of vocabulary that you are likely to learn in general.

Colors can also make up parts of other words, so it is important for you to be able to recognise them and know what is being referred to rather than having a big gap in your knowledge in that department.

For example, orange, it is a word for the color orange, but also it is used for the fruit of the same color in English. So, the word for orange in Spanish is also the word for the same fruit! Knowing this bits and pieces of information will help you to work out other words that you are hearing and will stand you in good stead for future learning.

Basic colors in Spanish

One thing to bear in mind is that in Spanish, colors must agree in gender and number. For example, “red” in Spanish can be “rojo” or “roja”, if you are talking about a feminine subject the sentence would be: “una chaqueta roja” (“a red jacket”). Whereas if the subject is masculine, the sentence would be: “un pantalón rojo” (“a red trouser”).

Spanish words to classify colors

This list will help you to be able to find the Spanish words for the main colors, as well as how to describe their different shades. With this list you will quickly be able to ask for basic things like the purple sweater (un jersey morado) that you like the most, or more complex requests like the light blue form (el formulario azul claro) that you need to process your documentation.

Examples to use colors in Spanish

There is really no limit to the ways in which you might want to use colors to talk about things every single day, even when you would not really think about it. For example, when you are talking about the weather: “El cielo está gris hoy, pero hay algunos parches de azul detrás de esas nubes negras” (“The sky is grey today, but there are some patches of blue behind those black clouds”). When you are trying to describe someone: “Nuestro tutor es el de la chaqueta roja” (“Our tutor is the one in the red jacket”). Or when you are in a shop or restaurant and want to buy something: “Me gustaría la caja azul” (“I would like the blue box”) or “Quiero pedir algún vino tinto” (“I want to order some red wine”).

Thus, when you are first getting to know someone, it might be one of the first questions that you ask to find out more about that person: “¿Cuál es tu color favorito?” (“What is your favourite color?”).

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