{"id":61199,"date":"2020-11-25T11:47:31","date_gmt":"2020-11-25T16:47:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/learn\/colors-in-portuguese\/"},"modified":"2025-02-23T22:34:31","modified_gmt":"2025-02-24T03:34:31","slug":"colors-in-portuguese","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/portuguese\/colors-in-portuguese\/","title":{"rendered":"Colors in Portuguese [with Audio Pronunciation]"},"content":{"rendered":"

On the journey to fluency in Portuguese, there’s nothing more important than being able to describe the colorful world around you.<\/p>\n

Not only will learning colors open up your vocabulary, but they’re also essential to understanding all types of pop culture references, movies<\/a> and songs<\/a>. Most importantly, colors are used every day to distinguish between things.<\/p>\n

From the basic vermelha<\/em> to the more advanced carmesim<\/em>, find out all different types of colors in Portuguese<\/strong> below.<\/p>\n

[fluentu-toc]<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The Colors of the Rainbow in Portuguese<\/h2>\n

To begin, since we’ll be following the rainbow on this journey, we obviously need to know the colors, as cores<\/em>, of that rainbow. Here they are:<\/p>\n

Vermelho<\/em> \/ Vermelha<\/em>\u2014 Red<\/h3>\n

O sangue vermelho<\/em>\u2014<\/em> The red blood<\/p>\n

Uma blusa vermelha<\/em>\u2014 <\/em>A red shirt<\/p>\n

Alaranjado<\/em> \/ Alaranjada<\/em>\u2014 Orange<\/h3>\n

As mangas alaranjadas<\/em>\u2014 <\/em>The orange mangos<\/p>\n

Um capacete alaranjado<\/em>\u2014<\/em> An orange helmet<\/p>\n

[Da cor]<\/em> laranja<\/i>\u2014 [of the color] orange
\n<\/b><\/h3>\n

Exception: <\/strong>Some colors in Portuguese appear to be adjectives, but actually represent nouns of the same color. Laranja<\/em>\u00a0<\/em>actually refers to the fruit orange. These noun-colors formally appear as da cor<\/em>\u00a0____, <\/strong><\/em>such as:<\/p>\n

O copo da cor laranja<\/em>\u2014 <\/em>The orange cup (literally, “the cup of the color orange”)<\/p>\n

The beginning of this phrase can also be left off, such as:<\/p>\n

O copo laranja<\/em>\u2014 <\/em>The orange cup<\/p>\n

In this case, the ending of the color doesn’t change for masculine\/feminine or for plurals.<\/strong> This is because the color is a noun, not an adjective. So the plural of the previous sentence would look like:<\/p>\n

Os copos laranja<\/em>\u2014 <\/em>The orange cups<\/p>\n

Amarelo<\/em> \/ Amarela<\/em>\u2014 Yellow<\/h3>\n

Os p\u00e1ssaros amarelos<\/em>\u2014 <\/em>The yellow birds<\/p>\n

A minha prancha amarela<\/em>\u2014 <\/em>My yellow surfboard<\/p>\n

Verde<\/em>\u2014 Green<\/h3>\n

A grama verde<\/em>\u2014<\/em> The green grass<\/p>\n

Uns cactos verdes<\/em>\u2014 <\/em>Some green cacti<\/p>\n

Azul<\/em>\u2014 Blue<\/h3>\n

O c\u00e9u azul<\/em>\u2014<\/em> The blue sky<\/p>\n

Azul <\/em>is a slightly irregular color word. It doesn’t change based gender, but in the plural form becomes azuis<\/em>.<\/em><\/p>\n

Os<\/em> carros azuis<\/em><\/em>\u2014 <\/em>The blue cars<\/p>\n

\u00cdndigo<\/em> \/ \u00cdndig<\/em>a<\/em>\u2014 Indigo<\/h3>\n

Much like in English, this color isn’t very commonly used in spoken Portuguese. But since it’s technically a color of the rainbow, we’ve included it here for consistency.<\/p>\n

O meu vestido \u00edndigo<\/em>\u2014<\/em> My indigo dress<\/p>\n

As suas pulseiras \u00edndigas<\/em>\u2014 Your\/His\/Her\/Their indigo bracelets
\n<\/em><\/p>\n

Violeta<\/em> \/ Da cor violeta<\/em>\u2014 Violet<\/h3>\n

Exception: <\/strong>Violeta, <\/em>like laranja, <\/em>is a color referring to a noun, and therefore doesn’t change based on gender or number.<\/p>\n

Os \u00f3culos violeta<\/em>, or <\/em>os \u00f3culos da cor violeta<\/em>\u2014<\/em> The violet glasses<\/p>\n

Other Colors in Portuguese<\/h2>\n

While the colors of the rainbow are important to learn, the next group of colors appears at least as frequently in Portuguese, and are therefore some must-know colors.<\/p>\n

Branco<\/em> \/ Branca<\/em>\u2014 White<\/h3>\n

As nuvens brancas<\/em>\u2014 <\/em>The white clouds<\/p>\n

O meu guardanapo branco<\/em>\u2014 <\/em>My\u00a0white napkin<\/p>\n

Preto<\/em> \/ Preta<\/em>\u2014 Black<\/h3>\n

O pneu preto<\/em>\u2014 The black tire<\/p>\n

As nossas mochilas pretas<\/em>\u2014 <\/em>Our black backpacks<\/p>\n

Cinza<\/em>\u2014 Gray<\/h3>\n

Exception: <\/strong>Again, like violeta<\/em>\u00a0and laranja<\/em>, <\/em>cinza<\/em>\u00a0is a color referring to a noun (ash, or cinder). Therefore, it doesn’t change based on gender or number.<\/p>\n

Os gatos cinza<\/em>\u2014 The gray cats
\n<\/em><\/p>\n

Roxo<\/em> \/ Roxa<\/em>\u2014 Purple<\/h3>\n

A parede roxa<\/em>\u2014 <\/em>The purple wall<\/p>\n

A minha caneta roxa<\/em>\u2014 <\/em>My purple pen<\/p>\n

Rosa<\/em>\u2014 Pink<\/h3>\n

Exception: <\/strong>You guessed it, rosa <\/em>refers to the noun “rose,” and doesn’t change based on gender or number of the word it’s describing.<\/p>\n

As flores rosa<\/em> \u2014 <\/em>The pink flowers<\/p>\n

Marrom<\/em>\u2014 Brown (Brazilian Portuguese)<\/h3>\n

A cadeira marrom<\/em>\u2014 The brown chair
\n<\/em><\/p>\n

Exception: <\/strong>In Portuguese, when a noun ends in “m” it’s made plural by changing the “m” to an “n” and adding “s,” as in:<\/p>\n

As cadeiras marrons<\/em>\u2014 The brown chairs<\/p>\n

Castanho<\/em> \/ Castanha<\/em>\u2014 Brown (European Portuguese)<\/h3>\n

A mesa castanha<\/em>\u2014 <\/em>The brown table<\/p>\n

Uns sapatos castanhos<\/em>\u2014 <\/em>Some brown shoes<\/p>\n

Bege<\/em>\u2014 Beige<\/h3>\n

Exception: <\/strong>Here we have another example of a noun-referring color, which won’t change based on gender or number.<\/p>\n

As cal\u00e7as bege<\/em>\u2014The beige pants
\n<\/em><\/p>\n

Carmesim<\/em>\u2014 Crimson<\/h3>\n

Os meus batons carmesins<\/em>\u2014<\/em> My crimson lipstick<\/p>\n

O campo carmesin<\/em>\u2014 <\/em>The crimson field<\/p>\n

Transparente<\/em>\u2014 Transparent<\/h3>\n

A \u00e1gua transparente<\/em>\u2014 <\/em>The transparent water<\/p>\n

Dourado<\/em>\u2014 <\/em>Gold<\/h3>\n

As moedas douradas<\/em>\u2014 The gold coins<\/p>\n

Prateado<\/em>\u2014 <\/em>Silver<\/h3>\n

A joalheria prateada<\/em>\u2014 <\/em>The silver jewelry<\/p>\n

Grammar Tips: Adjectives and Agreement<\/h2>\n

Now that we’ve learned the main colors of the rainbow and other must-know colors in Portuguese, let’s take a look at a couple of simple rules<\/a> for using them.<\/p>\n

Portuguese Colors and Gender<\/h3>\n

Every Portuguese noun has a gender. When using adjectives it’s necessary to make the adjectives agree<\/strong> with the nouns<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Picture this: You’ve just arrived at the airport in Salvador. You’re ready to spend the best week of your life dancing and listening to incredible Brazilian music. Yeah, you guessed it. It’s Carnival! Since you want to immerse yourself as much as possible in the city and culture, you ask someone what bus to take to get to the city center. “O \u00f4nibus amarelo,”<\/em> (the yellow bus) she replies.<\/p>\n

The helpful lady at the airport used the color a<\/strong>marelo<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0<\/strong><\/em>(yellow) to describe o<\/strong><\/em> \u00f4nibus<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/em>(the bus).<\/p>\n

Because o \u00f4nibus<\/strong><\/em>\u00a0is masculine (you can tell by the article “o”), <\/em>the adjective, amarelo<\/strong>, <\/strong><\/em>must be made masculine as well. To do this, we simply make it end in o<\/em>. <\/strong><\/p>\n

When describing a feminine noun, such as a casa<\/em>\u00a0<\/strong><\/em>(the house), instead of ending the adjective in o<\/em>, <\/strong>it ends in a. <\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

O<\/strong> \u00f4nibus amarelo\u00a0<\/strong><\/em>(the yellow bus)<\/p>\n

A<\/strong> casa amarela\u00a0<\/strong><\/em>(the yellow house)<\/p>\n

Remember, adjectives in Portuguese almost always follow the noun<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Portuguese Colors and Pluralization<\/h3>\n

Just like with gender, adjectives must agree in number <\/strong>with the noun being described.<\/p>\n

To make an adjective agree with a plural noun, we simply add an s <\/strong>to the end of the word. So the first two examples made plural, would become:<\/p>\n

Os<\/strong> \u00f4nibus amarelos\u00a0<\/strong><\/em>(the yellow buses\u2014the plural form of the word “\u00f4nibus” is the same as the singular form)<\/p>\n

As<\/strong> casas amarelas\u00a0<\/strong><\/em>(the yellow houses)<\/p>\n

Exceptions<\/h3>\n

The examples listed above work only for regular adjectives ending in o <\/strong><\/em>or a<\/em><\/strong>. When a noun doesn’t end in o\/a, <\/em>it doesn’t change its ending for gender agreement.<\/strong><\/p>\n

There are occasional other exceptions<\/strong> to these agreement rules, but don’t worry, as you begin to learn and use the colors, you’ll soon become confident in knowing when you should apply these rules.<\/p>\n

The best way to learn and practice the colors and grammar rules in Portuguese is to immerse yourself in native media<\/strong> to see how they are used by native speakers. There are many different resources online, such as YouTube, or for more practice and support you could try a language learning program like FluentU<\/a>.<\/p>\n

FluentU<\/strong> takes authentic videos\u2014like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks\u2014and turns them into personalized language learning lessons.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

You can try FluentU for free for 2 weeks. Click here to check out the website<\/a> or download the iOS app<\/a> or Android app.<\/a><\/p>\n

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