Advanced French Colors List and Lesson
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. Here’s a lesson on simple French colors. You can download a free PDF of this lesson guide in my private French Grammar Library.
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
| amber | ambre (invariable) |
| auburn | auburn (invariable) |
| beige | beige(s) |
| black | noir(e) |
| blue | bleu(e) |
| bright pink | rose vif (invariable) |
| brown | brun(e)(s) / marron (invariable) |
| burgundy | bordeaux (invariable) |
| canary yellow | jaune canari (invariable) |
| charcoal gray | gris foncé (invariable) |
| chestnut brown | châtain(s) |
| cobalt blue | bleu cobalt (invariable) |
| copper | cuivré(e)(s) |
| crimson | pourpre(s) |
| dark blue | bleu foncé (invariable) |
| emerald green | vert émeraude (invariable) |
| forest green | vert forêt (invariable) |
| fuchsia | fuchsia (invariable) |
| gold | doré(e)(s) |
| green | vert(e)(s) |
| gray | gris(e)(s) |
| hazel brown | noisette (invariable) |
| indigo | indigo (invariable) |
| ivory | ivoire(s) / blanc cassé (invariable) |
| jade | jade (invariable) |
| khaki | kaki (invariable) |
| lavender | lavande (invariable) |
| light blue | bleu clair (invariable) |
| lilac | lilas (invariable) |
| magenta | magenta (invariable) |
| mauve | mauve(s) |
| mustard yellow | moutarde (invariable) |
| navy blue | bleu marine (invariable) |
| olive green | olive (invariable) |
| orange | orange (invariable) |
| peach | pêche (invariable) |
| pink | rose(s) |
| pistachio green | pistache (invariable) |
| plum | aubergine (invariable) |
| powder blue | bleu pâle (invariable) |
| purple | violet(te)(s) |
| raspberry pink | framboise (invariable) |
| red | rouge(s) |
| red brown | rouge brique (invariable) |
| royal blue | bleu roi (invariable) |
| ruby | rubis (invariable) |
| scarlet | écarlate(s) |
| silver | gris argenté (invariable) |
| sky blue | bleu ciel (invariable) |
| turquoise | turquoise (invariable) |
| purple | violet(te)(s) |
| white | blanc(he)(s) |
| yellow | jaune(s) |
