Colors allow you to add simple details to descriptions. Instead of saying only une voiture, you can say une voiture rouge. Instead of identifying un sac, you can describe it as noir, bleu, or vert.
Common colors in French
Start with the colors you are likely to encounter in everyday descriptions.
| French | English |
|---|---|
| rouge | red |
| bleu | blue |
| vert | green |
| jaune | yellow |
| orange | orange |
| rose | pink |
| violet | purple |
| noir | black |
| blanc | white |
| gris | gray / grey |
| marron | brown |
When the thing you are describing is already clear, you can also use a color with être.
| French | English |
|---|---|
| C'est rouge. | It's red. |
| C'est bleu. | It's blue. |
| C'est vert. | It's green. |
| C'est noir. | It's black. |
Describe something with a color
In French, a color usually comes after the noun it describes.
noun + color
This gives you combinations such as:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| une voiture rouge | a red car |
| un vélo bleu | a blue bike |
| un sac noir | a black bag |
| une pomme verte | a green apple |
| une maison blanche | a white house |
Notice that French and English put the words in a different order. English has "a red car," while French has une voiture rouge**.
You can also make a complete sentence with être:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| La voiture est rouge. | The car is red. |
| Le vélo est bleu. | The bike is blue. |
| La maison est blanche. | The house is white. |
The color still describes the same thing, but être connects the noun and its description.
Colors often agree with a noun
You may have noticed vert becoming verte and blanc becoming blanche. Many French colors are adjectives, so their form changes to agree with the noun they describe:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| un sac noir | a black bag |
| une voiture noire | a black car |
| un sac vert | a green bag |
| une pomme verte | a green apple |
| un mur blanc | a white wall |
| une maison blanche | a white house |
For many colors, you will see an -e in the feminine form. Other colors have a larger change, as with blanc and blanche.
Colors and plural nouns
Colors can also change form when they describe plural nouns:
| Singular | Plural |
|---|---|
| un vélo noir | des vélos noirs |
| une voiture noire | des voitures noires |
| un sac vert | des sacs verts |
| une pomme verte | des pommes vertes |
When beginning French, the important point is to notice that the color belongs to the noun and may change with it. You will learn the wider patterns of adjective agreement separately.
Some colors, including orange and marron, do not change to agree with the noun:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| une voiture orange | an orange car |
| des voitures orange | orange cars |
| un sac marron | a brown bag |
| des sacs marron | brown bags |
Ask what color something is
When you do not know the color, you can ask with de quelle couleur.
De quelle couleur est... ?
Use the question with the thing you want to identify:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| De quelle couleur est la voiture ? | What color is the car? |
| De quelle couleur est le vélo ? | What color is the bike? |
| De quelle couleur est ton sac ? | What color is your bag? |
The answer can use être followed by the color.
| French | English |
|---|---|
| La voiture est rouge. | The car is red. |
| Le vélo est bleu. | The bike is blue. |
| Mon sac est noir. | My bag is black. |
This question and answer pattern lets you move beyond recognizing color words and use them to exchange information.
From learning to practice
Colors become useful when they help distinguish one person or thing from another. As you describe what you see, the position and form of the color can become part of the description rather than something you have to work out separately.