Colors in French

Colors are useful for describing the people, places, and things around you. In French, you'll use words such as rouge, bleu, and vert in many everyday situations.

You'll learn the basic colors, how to use them with nouns, and how to ask what color something is.

Basic color vocabulary

Start with some of the most common colors in French.

You can use a color on its own when the context is clear:

Using colors with nouns

In French, a color usually comes after the noun it describes.

noun + color

This is different from English, where the color usually comes before the noun.

You can also use a color after être:

Colors can change form

Many French color adjectives change to agree with the noun they describe.

Compare these examples:

For many colors, the feminine form is made by adding -e. Some colors, such as blanc, change in a different way.

Colors can also change when they describe a plural noun:

Some color words, including orange and marron, do not change in these examples.

At A1, focus on recognizing these different forms as you encounter them. You don't need to memorize every agreement pattern at once.

Light and dark colors

Use clair to describe a lighter shade and foncé to describe a darker shade.

color + clair / foncé

For example:

Asking what color something is

Use de quelle couleur to ask what color something is.

De quelle couleur est... ?

You can answer with être followed by the color:

Talking about colors you like

Use aimer or préférer to talk about colors you like.

To ask someone about their favorite color, use Quelle est ta couleur préférée ?

Quelle est ta couleur préférée ?

Before you go

Start by learning the basic color words and noticing them in simple combinations such as une voiture rouge or un sac noir. As you use colors with different nouns, pay attention to how some of their forms change.