Hear the feminine
Vert / verte, blanc / blanche
In French the final consonant of a word is often silent. Adding -e makes it heard, so many colours sound different in the feminine. Colours that already end in -e (rouge, jaune, rose) sound the same in every form. Tap a pair to hear both.
Colours that never change
Marron, orange, bleu clair: no agreement
Two groups stay exactly the same in every form. The rule has two famous exceptions, rose and mauve, which do agree.
| Group | Example | English |
|---|---|---|
| Named after a thing | des chaussures marronday shoh-SÜR ma-RON | brown shoes |
| Named after a thing | des robes orangeday ROB o-RONZH | orange dresses |
| Named after a thing | des yeux noisetteday ZYUH nwa-ZET | hazel eyes |
| Two-word colour | une chemise bleu clairün shuh-MEEZ bluh KLAIR | a light blue shirt |
| Two-word colour | des pulls vert foncéday PÜL vair fon-SAY | dark green jumpers |
| Exception: agrees | des fleurs rosesday FLUR ROHZ | pink flowers |
Colour expressions
Une nuit blanche, rire jaune, voir la vie en rose
une nuit blanchezhay pa-SAY ün nwee BLONSH
J’aiI-havepasséspentune nuit blanche.a white night
“I didn’t sleep a wink.”A night with no sleep at all.
rire jauneeel a ree ZHOHN
Ilhea rilaughedjaune.yellow
“He gave a forced laugh.”Laughing without meaning it, from embarrassment.
voir la vie en roseel vwa la VEE on ROHZ
Elleshevoitseesla vielifeen rose.in pink
“She sees life through rose-tinted glasses.”Made famous by Édith Piaf’s song La Vie en rose.
être vert de rageeel ay-TAY vair duh RAZH
Ilheétaitwasvertgreende rage.with rage
“He was livid.”Green for anger in French, not jealousy.
travailler au noireel tra-VAÏ oh NWAR
Ilhetravailleworksau noir.in the black
“He works off the books.”Undeclared work, paid in cash.
donner carte blancheon lwee a do-NAY kart BLONSH
Ontheyluito-hima donnégavecarte blanche.white card
“They gave him a free hand.”English borrowed this one from French.
être fleur bleueel ay tray flur BLUH
Ellesheestistrèsveryfleur bleue.blue flower
“She’s very sentimental.”A romantic, a little naive.
Colours in French life
Bleu, blanc, rouge
Bleu, blanc, rougeThe tricolour flag, le drapeau tricolore, adopted during the Revolution.
Les BleusThe national football and rugby teams, named after their blue shirts.
Le maillot jauneThe yellow jersey worn by the leader of the Tour de France.
Le muguetWhite lily of the valley, given to friends on 1 May for luck.
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