🎓 Prepared by students from Boğaziçi University

What Are French Colours?

French colour vocabulary is essential for everyday description. Each colour is a noun or adjective that must agree with the gender and number of the object it describes.

Short answer

French colours (couleurs) include le rouge (red), le bleu (blue), le vert (green), and le jaune (yellow). Most change form based on the noun's gender and number: un stylo rouge, une maison rouge, des stylos rouges.

Colour Agreement Rules

Masculine

•un stylo rouge (a red pen)
•un livre bleu (a blue book)
•un pull vert (a green sweater)

Feminine

•une maison rouge (a red house)
•une chaise bleue (a blue chair)
•une voiture verte (a green car)

Step-by-step worked examples

Describe a red car in French (feminine noun: voiture).

Voiture = feminine
Colour: rouge (must add -e for feminine)
Answer: une voiture rouge.

What is the plural of 'un stylo bleu' (a blue pen)?

Plural = more than one stylo
Add -s (most French plurals add -s)
Answer: des stylos bleus.

Say 'three green shirts' in French (une chemise verte).

Plural of chemise (feminine) = chemises
Plural of vert = verts (adds -s)
Answer: trois chemises vertes.

Flashcards

Quick quiz

Q1.What is the feminine form of 'le stylo bleu'?

Correct answer: C. Feminine: 'bleu' becomes 'bleue'; 'stylo' (masc.) becomes 'plume' (fem.), so 'la plume bleue'.

Q2.Plural of 'une maison rouge'?

Correct answer: C. Plural: 'maison' → 'maisons'; 'rouge' → 'rouges' (add -s).

Q3.Which colour does NOT change form across genders?

Correct answer: B. 'Rouge', 'jaune', 'orange' and some others don't change for gender/number.

Q4.Translate: 'three blue cars' (voiture = car).

Correct answer: B. Plural: 'voitures' (fem. plural); 'bleu' → 'bleues'.

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Common mistakes

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Using 'bleu' for all feminine forms: 'une maison bleu'. — Correct: Feminine: add -e: 'une maison bleue'.

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Forgetting to agree colour with both gender AND number. — Correct: Always check the noun: masculine/feminine + singular/plural.

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Thinking all colours change form like adjectives. — Correct: Some colours (rouge, jaune, orange) stay the same.

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Placing the colour after only in formal writing. — Correct: Most French colours go AFTER the noun in all contexts.

FAQ

What are the main French colours?

Common: rouge (red), bleu (blue), vert (green), jaune (yellow), noir (black), blanc (white), rose (pink), gris (grey), orange, violet (purple).

Do French colours agree with nouns?

Yes—most colours are adjectives that agree with the noun's gender and number. 'Un stylo bleu', 'une maison bleue', 'des stylos bleus'.

Which colours don't change form in French?

Colours like 'rouge', 'jaune', 'orange' and composite colours stay the same across genders and numbers.

Where do you place a colour in French?

Most colours come AFTER the noun: 'une maison rouge', 'un livre bleu'. A few (beau, joli) come before.