Advanced French Colors List and Lesson


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Advanced French Colors

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Like other French adjectives, simple colors agree in gender and number with the noun they modify, and they always come after the noun.  Colors ending in non-accented E remain the same in the feminine form.  Click here for a lesson on simple French colors.

Note that in the following list, many colors are invariable.  They never change in any form. The following French colors are always invariable.

Compound colors (gris foncé)

👉 Elle a deux blousons gris foncé.  

👉 She has two dark gray jackets. 

Two or more colors united by et (vert et bleu)

👉 Ce sont des oiseaux vert et bleu.

👉 Those are green and blue birds.

Colors that are also actual things (orange, lavende)

👉 Elle a trois tee-shirts orange.

👉 She has three orange t-shirts.

Colors derived from other languages (auburn, kaki)

👉 La fille aux boucles auburn s’appelle Annie.

👉 The girl with the auburn curls name is Annie.

EXCEPTION:  Though the following colors are also actual things, they follow the normal rules of adjective agreement:

👉 pourpre (also a rock snail) – crimson

👉 mauve (also a plant) – mauve

👉 rose (also a flower) – pink

👉 châtain – chestnut (ATTENTION:  No feminine form)

👉 violet (also a flower) – purple

👉 écarlate (also a bird) – scarlet


amberambre (invariable)
auburnauburn (invariable)
beigebeige(s)
blacknoir(e)
bluebleu(e)
bright pinkrose vif (invariable)
brownbrun(e)(s) / marron (invariable)
burgundybordeaux (invariable)
canary yellowjaune canari (invariable)
charcoal graygris foncé (invariable)
chestnut brownchâtain(s)
cobalt bluebleu cobalt (invariable)
coppercuivré(e)(s)
crimsonpourpre(s)
dark bluebleu foncé (invariable)
emerald greenvert émeraude (invariable)
forest greenvert forêt (invariable)
fuchsiafuchsia (invariable)
golddoré(e)(s)
greenvert(e)(s)
graygris(e)(s)
hazel brownnoisette (invariable)
indigoindigo (invariable)
ivoryivoire(s) / blanc cassé (invariable)
jadejade (invariable)
khakikaki (invariable)
lavenderlavande (invariable)
light bluebleu clair (invariable)
lilaclilas (invariable)
magentamagenta (invariable)
mauvemauve(s)
mustard yellowmoutarde (invariable)
navy bluebleu marine (invariable)
olive greenolive (invariable)
orangeorange (invariable)
peachpêche (invariable)
pinkrose(s)
pistachio greenpistache (invariable) 
plumaubergine (invariable)
powder bluebleu pâle (invariable)
purpleviolet(te)(s)
raspberry pinkframboise (invariable)
redrouge(s)
red brownrouge brique (invariable)
royal bluebleu roi (invariable)
rubyrubis (invariable)
scarletécarlate(s)
silvergris argenté (invariable)
sky bluebleu ciel (invariable)
turquoiseturquoise (invariable)
purpleviolet(te)(s)
whiteblanc(he)(s)
yellowjaune(s)

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