Basic Colors in French and Introduction to Adjectives

In this lesson we study color adjectives in French. We will see how to agree adjectives, exceptions and we will do a translation exercise.

✚ Objectives:

1. Vocabulary list
2. The color adjective and the agreement with the noun
3. The exceptions
4. Practical exercises

1. Basic Colors and Their Forms in French

Here’s a table showing the masculine and feminine forms of basic colors in French, along with their English translations:

2. Agreement of Adjectives

Reminder: In French, adjectives agree in gender and number with the noun.
For example, if the noun is feminine plural, the adjective that refers to it is also feminine plural.

📌  un petit chat : chat is masculine singular, petit is also masculine singular
📌  une petite voiture : voiture is feminine singular, petit is also feminine singular.
This rule also applies to color adjectives.

Examples

• Le chien noir                     The black dog
• La voiture verte               The green car
• Les stylos bleus                The blue pens
• Les maisons blanches    The white houses

⚠️ but :

Please note: “orange” and “brown” are invariable.

• Les voitures orange. ( les voitures oranges )
• La voiture marron.    ( les voitures marrons )

Practice Exercise

Describe objects using the appropriate form of color adjectives. Remember to adjust the adjective to match the gender and number of the noun. For example:

• Le ciel est bleu.              The sky is blue.
• Les fleurs sont roses. The flowers are pink.

🍀 PRACTICE 🍀

Translation : Here is a translation exercise to practice colors in French.

➜ Translate into English:

1. Le chien noir.
2. Des chiens blancs.
3. Une maison bleue.
4. Des maisons rouges.
5. Une table blanche et une chaise verte.

➜ Translate into French :

1. A gray cat.
2. A red apple.
3. Pink books.
4. A brown car. ⚠️
5. Orange flowers. ⚠️

Keywords : colors in French