Spanish Colors: Colors in Spanish With Gender and Plural Form Explained
Last updated: February 1, 2026
Learning Spanish colors is one of those foundational skills that you'll use constantly in real conversations. Whether you're describing what someone's wearing, talking about your favorite things, or just trying to navigate a paint store in Latin America, knowing how to properly use color in Spanish will make your life way easier. The tricky part isn't just memorizing the words themselves, but understanding how Spanish color adjectives work with gender and number agreement. Let's break down everything you need to know about Spanish colors, from the basics to the grammatical quirks that trip people up.👇
- What are the Spanish colors
- Understanding colours in Spanish as adjectives
- Using color adjectives in Spanish sentences
- The plural forms of Spanish colors
- Learn Spanish beyond basic colors
- Colors in Spanish to describe people
- Expanding your Spanish vocabulary using colors for expressions
- Common mistakes when learning the list of colors in Spanish
- Learning colors in Spanish through immersion
- FAQs
What are the Spanish colors
The basic color vocabulary in Spanish covers the same spectrum you'd expect in English. Here are the essential ones you'll use all the time:
Spanish | English |
|---|---|
Rojo | Red |
Azul | Blue |
Amarillo | Yellow |
Verde | Green |
Naranja | Orange |
Morado /Púrpura | Purple |
Rosa | Pink |
Marrón /Café | Brown |
Negro | Black |
Blanco | White |
Gris | Gray |
Pretty straightforward so far, right? These are the core Spanish color words that every learner should memorize first. You'll notice some colors, like brown, have two common options. In Spain, you'll hear "marrón" more often, while "café" is super common throughout Latin America.
Understanding colours in Spanish as adjectives
Here's the thing about colors in Spanish: they function as adjectives, which means they need to agree with the noun they're describing.
This is where English speakers often mess up because we just say "the blue car" or "the blue house" without changing anything. In Spanish, the color adjective changes based on what you're describing.
When you use azul to describe something, you need to think about whether that thing is masculine or feminine, singular or plural.
- A blue car would be "un coche azul" (Masculine),
- but a blue house would be "una casa azul" (Feminine).
- If you're talking about multiple blue cars, you'd say "coches azules" (Plural).
The good news? Azul is one of those colors that doesn't change between masculine and feminine forms. It stays the same. The color adds an "es" because azul ends in a consonant. Colors ending in consonants add "es" for plural, while colors ending in vowels just add "s".
Colors that change with gender in the grammar
Some Spanish color words change their endings based on whether the noun is masculine or feminine:
- Rojo becomes roja for feminine nouns. So "el vestido rojo" (The red dress, if dress were masculine, but actually vestido IS masculine), versus "la camisa roja" (The red shirt, feminine).
- Amarillo becomes amarilla. "El coche amarillo" (The yellow car) but "la flor amarilla" (The yellow flower).
- Negro becomes negra. "El gato negro" (The black cat, masculine) versus "la gata negra" (The black cat, feminine).
- Blanco becomes blanca. "El papel blanco" (The white paper) versus "la pared blanca" (The white wall).
Colors that stay the same
Some colors don't change between masculine and feminine, which makes life easier:
- Azul stays azul for everything. "El cielo azul" (The blue sky) and "la puerta azul" (The blue door).
- Verde stays verde. "El árbol verde" (The green tree) and "la manzana verde" (The green apple).
- Naranja stays naranja. This one's actually a noun that became a color adjective, so it doesn't change. "El coche naranja" and "la casa naranja" both work.
- Rosa stays rosa in most cases, though you'll occasionally hear people use "rosado/rosada" which does change.
- Gris stays gris for both genders.
Using color adjectives in Spanish sentences
Learning the words is one thing, but you need to know how to actually use them in conversation.
The most common pattern is to place the color adjective after the noun it describes. This feels backward for English speakers at first.
- I have a red car" becomes "Tengo un coche rojo" (Literally: I have a car red).
- She's wearing a blue dress" becomes "Ella lleva un vestido azul" (She wears a dress blue).
When you want to say something IS a certain color, you use the verb "ser":
- El cielo es azul.
The sky is blue. - Las rosas son rojas.
The roses are red. - Mi coche es negro.
My car is black.
Here's a practical example:
- Me gusta la camisa verde.
I like the green shirt. (The color verde comes after the noun camisa and agrees with it.)
The plural forms of Spanish colors
Can colors in Spanish be plural? Absolutely. When you're describing multiple things, the color adjective needs to match that plural form.
For colors ending in vowels, just add "s":
- Rojo becomes rojos/rojas
- Blanco becomes blancos/blancas
- Negro becomes negros/negras
For colors ending in consonants, add "es":
- Azul becomes azules
- Gris becomes grises
Examples in action:
- Los coches azules (The blue cars)
- Las casas blancas (The white houses)
- Los gatos negros (The black cats)
- Las flores rojas (The red flowers)
This gender and number agreement is crucial for sounding natural. Spanish speakers notice when you mess this up, even though they'll usually understand what you mean.
Learn Spanish beyond basic colors
Once you've got the main colors down, you can expand your spanish vocabulary with more specific shades and variations:
Spanish | English |
|---|---|
Celeste | Sky blue |
Turquesa | Turquoise |
Violeta | Violet |
Beige | Beige, borrowed from French |
Dorado | Golden |
Plateado | Silver |
Marrón claro | Light brown |
Azul oscuro | Dark blue |
Verde lima | Lime green |
Rojo vino | Wine red |
You can modify colors by adding "claro" (Light) or "oscuro" (Dark) after them. "Azul claro" means light blue, while "azul oscuro" means dark blue. These modifiers come after the color itself.
Colors in Spanish to describe people
Beyond objects, you'll use colors to describe people, too. Hair color, eye color, and skin tone all use these same color words:
- Tiene ojos azules .
He/she has blue eyes. - Tiene el pelo negro.
He/she has black hair. - Tiene la piel morena.
He/she has brown/dark skin.
For hair specifically, you might also hear:
- Rubio /rubia (Blonde)
- Castaño (Brown/Chestnut, for hair)
- Pelirrojo /pelirroja (Red-haired)
These follow the same agreement rules. A blonde woman is "una mujer rubia," while a blonde man is "un hombre rubio."
Expanding your Spanish vocabulary using colors for expressions
Spanish has tons of idiomatic expressions using colors:
- Ponerse rojo (To turn red, to blush)
- Estar verde (To be green, meaning inexperienced)
- Verse negro (To see it black, meaning to have a tough time)
- Príncipe azul (Prince charming, literally blue prince)
- Chiste verde (Dirty joke, literally green joke)
These expressions show how colors carry cultural meanings beyond just describing what things look like. You won't learn these from a basic color chart, but you'll hear them all the time in real conversations.
Common mistakes when learning the list of colors in Spanish
- One mistake beginners make is forgetting that the color adjective needs to agree with the noun, not with the speaker or the person being described. If a man is describing his red shirt, it's still "mi camisa roja" because camisa is feminine, even though he's male.
- Another common error is putting the color before the noun, like in English. While there are rare poetic exceptions, in everyday speech the color comes after: "coche rojo," not "rojo coche."
- People also forget about plural agreement. "The blue cars" needs to be "los coches azules," not "los coches azul." That final "es" matters.
Learning colors in Spanish through immersion
The best way to actually remember these colors is to use them constantly.
- When you're watching Spanish content, pay attention to how native Spanish speakers describe things. You'll notice patterns in how they use color adjectives that textbooks don't always capture.
- Try describing everything around you in Spanish as practice. "El teléfono es negro" (The phone is black), "la pared es blanca" (The wall is white), "el libro es azul" (The book is blue). It sounds silly, but this kind of active practice makes the grammar patterns stick way faster than just memorizing lists.
Anyway, if you want to practice these colors with real Spanish content, Migaku's browser extension and app let you look up words instantly while watching shows or reading articles. You'll see exactly how native speakers use these color words in context. There's a 10-day free trial if you want to check it out.
FAQs
Any idea on how to memorize Spanish color wheel really fast?
When you learn Spanish through real content, you see how colors appear in natural contexts. Someone might say "Prefiero el azul" (I prefer the blue one) without even mentioning what object they're talking about, because it's understood from context. That's the kind of natural usage you pick up from immersion.
If you consume media in Spanish, and you understand at least some of the messages and sentences within that media, you will make progress. Period.
What's your favorite color?