Colors in Spanish: List, Pronunciation, Grammar & Examples

In Spanish, colors can express the hue of people, animals, and objects (“The tree is green”) and can even stand alone as nouns (“I like red”). But just like in English, using them correctly involves a few rules, especially regarding word order and how they agree with other words.

List of Colors in Spanish

Let’s start with the basics. Here’s a comprehensive list of common colors in Spanish:

Spanish	English
Blanco	White
Negro	Black
Rojo	Red
Amarillo	Yellow
Azul	Blue
Verde	Green
Naranja	Orange
Marrón	Brown
Morado	Purple
Lila	Lilac
Rosa / Rosado-Rosada	Pink
Fucsia	Fuchsia
Gris	Gray
Mostaza	Mustard
Terracota	Terracotta
Turquesa	Turquoise
Dorado	Golden
Plateado	Silver
Color carne / Salmón	Skin color / Salmon color (Normally referring to a light tone)
Beige	Beige
Ámbar	Amber
Lima	Lime
Verde menta	Mint green
Verde manzana	Apple green

Other Related Color Terms

Beyond the basic colors, here are some other useful terms to describe shades or actions related to colors:

Claro – Light
Oscuro – Dark

Pintar – To paint
Lápices de colores – Colored pencils
Combinación – Combination

Pintura – Painting (art) or Paint (substance)
Colores Primarios – Primary Colors
Colores Secundarios – Secondary Colors

Colores Terciarios – Tertiary Colors
Azulado/a – Bluish
Grisáceo/a – Grayish

Spanish Color Grammar Rules

Understanding how colors behave in Spanish sentences is key to sounding natural. Colors act much like adjectives, meaning they often need to “agree” with the nouns they describe.

The Noun “Color”

The word “color” itself in Spanish is a masculine noun. When you talk about colors as nouns (e.g., “the color green”), you’ll use masculine articles (el, los for “the”; un, unos for “a/some”).

El color verde. – The green color.

Los colores púrpura. – The purple colors.
Un color azul. – A blue color.
Unos colores amarillos. – Some yellow colors.

Color Agreement: Gender and Number

When colors describe a noun, they must agree in gender (masculine/feminine) and number (singular/plural) with that noun.

Agreement in Gender:
- Colors ending in -o (like rojo, blanco, amarillo) change their ending to -a when describing a feminine noun.
  - Un camión rojo. – A red truck. (Camión is masculine)
  - Una flor roja. – A red flower. (Flor is feminine)
  - Un hombre blanco. – A white man.
  - Una mujer blanca. – A white woman.

- Colors not ending in -o (like verde, azul, gris, beige, marrón, naranja, rosa) do not change for gender. They stay the same for both masculine and feminine nouns.
  - La camisa beige. – The beige shirt.
  - El pantalón beige. – The beige pant.
  - El árbol verde. – The green tree.
  - La casa verde. – The green house.

Agreement in Number: To make a color plural, you generally add an -s to the end. If the color ends in a consonant, you typically add -es. For more on this, consult a guide on Spanish plurals.
- Un camión rojo. – A red truck.
- Unos camiones rojos. – Some red trucks.
- Unas flores blancas. – Some white flowers.
- Un libro dorado. – A golden book.
- Los libros dorados. – The golden books.
- Unos gatos amarillos. – Some yellow cats (male cats).
- Unas gatas amarillas. – Some yellow cats (female cats).

Word Order with Colors

In Spanish, colors typically come after the noun they describe, or after the verb ser (to be) or estar (to be).

After Ser or Estar (when describing what something is or is like):
- Mi ropa es amarilla. – My clothes are yellow.
- Su cuarto es gris. – Her bedroom is gray.
- Tus cachetes están rojos. – Your cheeks are red.
- Las nubes están negras. – Clouds are black.
- Tus ojos son azul grisáceo. – Your eyes are grayish blue.
- Las pinturas roja, azul y gris son una buena combinación. – Red, blue and gray paints are a good combination.

After Nouns (when the color acts as an adjective directly describing the noun):
- La pared lila. – The lilac wall.
- La mesa marrón. – The brown table.
- Los zapatos dorados. – The golden shoes.
- Esta es una cartera verde azulada. – This is a bluish green purse.