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Spanish · Vocabulary · A1 to B2

Colours in Spanish: rojo, roja, rojos, and why rosa never changes

1 · Pick a colour
2 · Pick a thing
una casa roja
unaacasahouserojared
OO-nah KAH-sah RROH-hah · “a red house” Why: Rojo-type colours have four forms; this one matches a feminine singular noun. 4 forms: -o, -a, -os, -as

Short answer: colours are adjectives and go after the noun: un coche rojo, “a red car”. They agree with the noun in gender and number, so rojo has four forms (rojo, roja, rojos, rojas), and colours ending in -e or a consonant have two (verde, verdes; azul, azules). Colours named after things, such as rosa (rose) and naranja (orange), often stay the same: unos zapatos rosa.

How colours agree

Four forms, two forms, one form

Agreement means the adjective changes its ending to match the noun: masculine or feminine, singular or plural. Every Spanish colour belongs to one of three groups.

Groupel cochela casalos zapatoslas flores
rojo, amarillo, blanco, negroEnd in -o: four formsrojorojarojosrojas
verde, azul, gris, marrón-e or consonant: two formsazulazulazulesazules
rosa, naranja, violetaNamed after a thing: usually one formrosarosarosarosa
Shades

Azul claro, verde oscuro, verde botella

Add claro (light) or oscuro (dark) after the colour. With two words, the colour stops agreeing: una camisa azul claro, unos pantalones verde oscuro. Shades named after things work the same way.

Colour idioms

Ponerse rojo, estar sin blanca, poner verde

Sehimselfpusoputrojo.red
seh POO-soh RROH-hoh · “He went red.”
Ponerse + colour: to turn a colour, usually from embarrassment.
EstoyI-amsinwithoutblanca.white(coin)
es-TOY seen BLAN-kah · “I’m broke.”
La blanca was an old coin: “without a penny”.
Lohimpusieronthey-putverde.green
loh poo-SYEH-ron BEHR-deh · “They tore him to shreds.”
Poner verde a alguien: to criticise someone behind their back.
Loitveseestodoallde color de rosa.rose-coloured
loh beh TOH-doh deh koh-LOR deh RROH-sah · “She sees everything through rose-tinted glasses.”
As in English, rosa means optimism.
Meto-mequedéI-stayeden blanco.in white
meh keh-DEH en BLAN-koh · “My mind went blank.”
Quedarse en blanco: to go blank, in an exam or a speech.
Buscashe-looks-fora suherpríncipe azul.blue prince
BOOS-kah ah soo PREEN-thee-peh ah-THOOL · “She’s looking for her Prince Charming.”
The fairy-tale prince is blue in Spanish.
Colours in Spanish life

La Roja, los blancos, and no yellow on stage

La RojaThe nickname of Spain’s national football team, from its red shirts.
Los blancos, los merenguesReal Madrid plays in white; fans and journalists call the team los blancos.
No yellow on stageMany Spanish actors avoid wearing amarillo in the theatre: it is said to bring bad luck.
RojigualdaThe red and yellow of the Spanish flag; la rojigualda is the flag itself.
Keep going

Related guides

la falda rojaClothes vocabulary →Colours in action: una camisa azul.rojo, rojaAdjectives and agreement →The full rules for gender and number.estar sin blancaIdioms →More vivid Spanish expressions.la caraBody vocabulary →Ponerse rojo and other body reactions.