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Welcome to TargetLanguage.co.uk - the proper way to learn French.


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Level 3 - Colours

Colours in French are les couleurs. Colours are adjectives. Adjectives are words which describe nouns.

blanc
bleu
gris
jaune
marron / brun
noir
orange
rose
rouge
vert
violet
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
white
blue
grey
yellow
brown
black
orange
pink
red
green
purple

In French the colour goes after the noun. In English we say 'the red pencil' but in French we say le crayon rouge ('the pencil red'). Here are some more examples:

le livre jaune
le papier vert
le tableau noir
un stylo bleu
un pupitre gris

  

the yellow book
the green paper
the black board
a blue pen
a grey desk

Feminine agreement

If the noun is feminine the colours are spelt differently and so sound different. What we usually do is add the letter 'e' to the colour (unless the final letter is already 'e') to make it feminine. Here are the feminine colours. Make note of the exceptions.

extra h
blanche
bleue
 
brune
grise
no change
jaune
never changes
marron
noire
never changes
orange
no change
rose
no change
rouge
verte
double tt
violette
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
white
blue
brown (1)
grey
yellow
brown (2)
black
orange
pink
red
green
purple

Here are some examples of feminine colours:

la fenêtre grise
la trousse blanche
une règle noire
une gomme bleue
une affiche violette

  

the grey window
the white pencil case
a black ruler
a blue rubber
a purple poster

Plural agreement

Just as we added e to make colours feminine, if something is plural we must add the letter s to the colour. This is called making an agreement. Remember the two exceptions which never change spelling: orange and marron.

les cahiers blancs
les agendas noirs
les portes bleues
l'affiche marron
des torchons orange
des ordinateurs roses
des chaises rouges
des images vertes

  

the white exercise books
the black diaries
the blue doors
the brown poster
some orange dusters
some pink computers
some red chairs
some green pictures

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