Les couleurs / Colors

Colors in French are adjectives that usually come after the noun they describe. Most colors agree in gender and number with the noun, but some are invariable. Learning colors is essential for describing objects, clothes, and the world around you.

Plural agreement: add -s to the color, just like any adjective: un pull vert → des pulls verts [de pyl vɛʁ]; une jupe grise → des jupes grises [de ʒyp ɡʁiz]. Invariable colors (marron, orange) never take -s.

Basic Colors

French	IPA	English	Feminine
blanc	[blɑ̃]	white	blanche [blɑ̃ʃ]
noir	[nwaʁ]	black	noire [nwaʁ]
rouge	[ʁuʒ]	red	rouge [ʁuʒ]
bleu	[blø]	blue	bleue [blø]
vert	[vɛʁ]	green	verte [vɛʁt]
jaune	[ʒon]	yellow	jaune [ʒon]
gris	[ɡʁi]	gray	grise [ɡʁiz]
rose	[ʁoz]	pink	rose [ʁoz]
violet	[vjɔ.lɛ]	purple	violette [vjɔ.lɛt]
brun	[bʁœ̃]	brown (hair)	brune [bʁyn]

Invariable Colors

These colors never change form (no feminine, no plural):

French	IPA	English	Origin
marron	[ma.ʁɔ̃]	brown	from marron (chestnut)
orange	[ɔ.ʁɑ̃ʒ]	orange	from orange (fruit)

Example: des chaussures marron (not marrons) — invariable, no agreement.

Light and Dark Colors

Add clair (light) or foncé (dark) after a color to make it more precise. When you do this, the color itself becomes invariable, and only clair/foncé stay unchanged too:

• une chemise bleu clair [yn ʃə.miz blø klɛʁ] — a light blue shirt
• des yeux vert foncé [de zjø vɛʁ fɔ̃.se] — dark green eyes

Describing People

French	IPA	English
les cheveux blonds	[le ʃə.vø blɔ̃]	blond hair
les cheveux bruns	[le ʃə.vø bʁœ̃]	brown hair
les yeux bleus	[le.zjø blø]	blue eyes
les yeux marron	[le.zjø ma.ʁɔ̃]	brown eyes (invariable)

Ask: C’est de quelle couleur? [sɛ də kɛl ku.lœʁ] — What color is it?

Practice Sentences

1. Elle a les yeux bleus et les cheveux blonds. [ɛl a le.zjø blø e le ʃə.vø blɔ̃] — She has blue eyes and blond hair.
2. J’aime cette robe rouge. [ʒɛm sɛt ʁɔb ʁuʒ] — I like this red dress.
3. Le ciel est bleu et les nuages sont blancs. [lə sjɛl ɛ blø e le nɥaʒ sɔ̃ blɑ̃] — The sky is blue and the clouds are white.
4. Ma voiture est grise. [ma vwa.tyʁ ɛ ɡʁiz] — My car is gray.
5. Il porte un pantalon marron. [il pɔʁt œ̃ pɑ̃.ta.lɔ̃ ma.ʁɔ̃] — He’s wearing brown pants.

Exercise: Add the Correct Color Form

1. une fleur (rouge) → _______
2. des yeux (marron) → _______
3. une voiture (blanc) → _______
4. des chaussettes (gris) → _______
5. un sac (orange) → _______

Answers

1. une fleur rouge
2. des yeux marron (invariable)
3. une voiture blanche
4. des chaussettes grises
5. un sac orange (invariable)