Những Điều Cơ Bản
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15 min
Colors & Shapes
Learn French colors and shapes, and understand how adjectives agree in gender and number.
Colors & Shapes in French
Learning colors is one of the most enjoyable parts of French! But there is an important grammar rule to know: adjectives must agree in gender and number with the noun they describe.
The Main Colors (Les Couleurs)
| English | Masculine | Feminine | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Red | rouge | rouge | un livre rouge / une voiture rouge |
| Blue | bleu | bleue | un ciel bleu / une robe bleue |
| Green | vert | verte | un arbre vert / une feuille verte |
| Yellow | jaune | jaune | un soleil jaune / une fleur jaune |
| White | blanc | blanche | un mur blanc / une maison blanche |
| Black | noir | noire | un chat noir / une nuit noire |
| Grey | gris | grise | un ciel gris / une veste grise |
| Pink | rose | rose | invariable (never changes) |
| Orange | orange | orange | invariable (never changes) |
| Purple | violet | violette | un stylo violet / une fleur violette |
| Brown | marron | marron | invariable (never changes) |
Plural Form of Colors
Add -s in the plural (not pronounced, but written):
- des livres rouges (red books)
- des robes bleues (blue dresses)
Exception: colors that are invariable (orange, rose, marron) never take -s.
🇻🇳 Note for Vietnamese speakers: In Vietnamese, adjectives never change form — màu đỏ is always màu đỏ. In French, the same word rouge stays the same by coincidence, but blanc becomes blanche in the feminine. This agreement system takes practice!
Using Colors in Sentences
Colors go after the noun in French (opposite to English):
- a red car → une voiture rouge (literally: a car red)
- blue eyes → des yeux bleus
- a white house → une maison blanche
Geometric Shapes (Les Formes)
| English | French | Gender |
|---|---|---|
| Circle | un cercle | masculine |
| Square | un carré | masculine |
| Triangle | un triangle | masculine |
| Rectangle | un rectangle | masculine |
| Star | une étoile | feminine |
| Heart | un cœur | masculine |
Quick Quiz
How do you say these in French?
- A black cat → un chat ___
- A green dress → une robe ___
- Blue shoes → des chaussures ___
Answers: noir / verte / bleues