Colours in Portuguese and How They Agree with Nouns

Colours in Portuguese are adjectives, so they usually come after the noun and agree with it.

The colours

English	Portuguese
red	vermelho
blue	azul
green	verde
yellow	amarelo
black	preto (or negro)
white	branco
orange	laranja
pink	rosa
purple	roxo
brown	marrom (BR), castanho (PT)
grey	cinzento (PT), cinza (BR)
gold	dourado

Agreement

Colours ending in -o have four forms:

	Masculine	Feminine
singular	vermelho	vermelha
plural	vermelhos	vermelhas

• um carro vermelho — a red car
• uma casa vermelha — a red house
• carros vermelhos, casas vermelhas

Colours ending in -e or a consonant, such as verde and azul, have no gender change but take plural endings: verdes, azuis.

Colours that don't change

Some colours come from nouns, such as laranja (orange, the fruit) and rosa (rose). Usage varies: many people leave them unchanged, and others make them plural.

Position

Colours come after the noun:

• o céu azul — the blue sky
• uma camisa branca — a white shirt
• olhos verdes — green eyes

Light and dark

Add claro (light) or escuro (dark), which stay unchanged with the colour:

• azul claro — light blue
• verde escuro — dark green

Asking about colour

• Qual é a tua cor favorita? / Qual é a sua cor favorita? — What's your favourite colour?
• De que cor é? — What colour is it?
• É vermelho. — It's red.

Colours and culture

• Verde e amarelo are the colours of Brazil's flag and national football shirt, and verde e vermelho those of Portugal's.
• Branco (white) is traditionally worn on New Year's Eve in Brazil.

Tips

1. Put colours after the noun.
2. Make -o colours agree.
3. Use the dictionary to check regional forms.

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