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Hereare the adjectives of the Italian colorsand their different rules and meanings:
In English, the wordorangeit can mean both the color and the fruit, as well as the flavor of that fruit.
We often describe other, less basic colors in terms of known objects of the same color:chestnut, violet, aquamarine, etc.
In Italian, the tendency to name colors for other objects is even more common, and the grammar rules for these object adjectives aredifferentthan for other adjectives.
Common Italian Color Adjectives
The following Italian color words have no meaning other than the colors for which they are named, making an exception for"orange"which has 2 meanings as in English. In fact, it indicates both the orange tree and the color.
ItalianEnglishItalianEnglishyellowyelloworangeblue/light bluebluewhitewhitegreygreyblackblackredgreengreen
You should also know that in Italian fruit and orange are the same words but have different genders:
The Orange(masculine) = the orange tree
The Orange(feminine) = the orange fruit
Grammar rules for color adjectives in Italian
Like other adjectives, Italian color adjectivesfollow and to agree with the nouns that modify. However, the colors can be modified with additional adjectives such as navy blue, light green, dark red, or bright yellow. When that happens, the color adjective becomes invariable, not changing to agree with the noun. Notice:
ItalianEnglishItalianEnglishlight green shoeslight green shoesa red blousea red blousea yellow shirta yellow shirta dark red blousea dark red blousea bright yellow shirta bright yellow shirt
How to name and pronounce the Italian colors
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Light and dark Italian colors.
The Italian word for "dark" is"dark", so if you want to talk about dark tones, just add the word"dark"after the name of each color. The only exception is"blues"which in Italian already means"dark blue". Say"Light Blue"Italians use the word"blue sky".
Dark blue– Azul
Dark red- Dark red
Dark green- Dark green
Likewise, the Italian word for "light" is"Of course", so if you want to talk about light tones, just add the word"Of course"after the name of each color. As mentioned above, the exception is"blue sky"which in Italian already means"Light Blue".
Light Blue- Blue sky
Red light- Red light
Green light- Green light
For light tones we have 2 peculiar Italian expressions:
cyanotic baby-Celeste
baby pink- Rose twelve
unique italian colors
Here are 3 peculiar Italian expressions to indicate the variation of the color red:
bright red= bright red
vermilion red= vermilion red
Bordeaux= brown
And here are other Italian expressions about colors:
shocking pink= hot pink
Below you can find 2 color words that are often used to describe eye colors:
investigator=blue green
For examplegreen eyes=blue green eyes
hazelnut=hazelnut brown
For examplehazel eyes=hazel eyes.
lila=lila
indigo=indigo
Adjectives derived from Italian colors
Our rainbow is not over yet. The following color words are derived fromflowers, fruits or minerals,and follows slightly different rules:
WordMeaningheartWordMeaningheartorange, orange (tree) orange, brown, brown, brown, brown, brown, pink, pink, violet, purple, wine, wine, reddish purple
*Orangeit is used in many places to denote color, as well as orange. When using this form, the following rules apply.
Usually, the Italian words for colors, like other adjectives,the nouns they modify follow.However, since the colors listed above are also nouns, they are invariant: they don't necessarily agree with the nouns they modify.
So sometimes you'll hearBrownand change to a plural form(Brown jeans),but strictly speaking it should not change to agree with the noun(Brown jeans).
⇑ Return to the index – Italian colors ⇑
Italian color adjectives– Cultural Notes
While in English it is necessary to specify "the black woman" or "the white man", in Italian it is enough to saythe blackothe target. "The whites"o “and not"refers to the entire race, or to a specific group of blacks or whites within a specific community or other situation.
No phrase is considered derogatory in Italian. It is important to note that the racial composition of Italian-speaking countries is very different from that of the United States.
In the United States, we consider White/Caucasian, Black, and Latino/Hispanic to be three individual races. In Italian-speaking countries, the tendency is to consider everyone (all mestizo descendants of natives, Spaniards and, depending on the area, African slaves and/or European immigrants) as members of the same race, which they callcarrera.
Color variations are expressed using different words, with many people characterized asmixed race, light chestnut skin tone. In American English the correct translation is “mestizos”. Another typical Italian word ishalf bloodwhich can be translated as mestizo or mestizo.
mixed race(word of Spanish origin) was the individual born from the cross between a European colonizer and a person from the pre-Columbian Amerindian population.
Mulattois an equivalent English word and means a person of mixed white and black ancestry, especially a person with one white and one black parent.
Likewise, the wordindio is the same as English and refers to the original inhabitants of Central and South America.
Redskin is the word commonly used in Italian to indicate Native Americans.
Finally,aboriginalis the term used to indicate Australian natives.
negro is considered a derogatory word, as well asyellow to indicate Asians such as Japanese, Chinese, etc. vice versa, the wordrojo it is never used to refer to Native Americans.
Language note: the wordvice versais more or less the same in Italian:vice versa, just leave the space! This is because it was originally a Latin word.
Italian Color Adjectives – Exercises
All of the following phrases were used in today's lesson, but were not specifically translated!using memory wordsaprendiste, write the Spanish sentence from the lesson next to its English translation.
EnglishItalianEnglishItalian1. light green shoes?2. dark brown pants 3. a bright yellow t-shirt?4. A dark red blouse?5. navy pants
Express the following in English:
EspañolEnglishEspañolEnglish6. a dark blue shirt?7. yellow pants?8. Brown shoes?9. a white family?10. a brunette?
Italian color adjectives–Answers to Exercises
1) light green shoes
2) brown or brown pants
3) a bright yellow t-shirt
4) a dark red shirt
5) dark blue pants
6) a navy blue shirt
7) yellow pants
8) brown shoes
9) a white family
10) a brunette
Learn the Italian colors singing along with Lucio Battisti
With Lucio Battisti you can learn the names of some Italian colors: music is"Song of the Sun". Start the video and try to sing by scrolling the text in the window below and above all, have fun!
The blonde braids, the blue eyes, then your red socks
Long blonde hair, sky blue eyes, and then her red stockings.
and innocence on your cheeks, two oranges even redder
and the innocence on your cheeks, plus two red oranges
and the dark basement where we breathe slowly
and the dark cellar where we breathe slowly,
and your runs and the echo of your "no", oh no, you're scaring me.
and your running and the echo of your "no", oh no, you scare me.Where have you been, what have you done?
Where have you been, what have you done so far?
Woman, woman, tell me what it means: “I am already a woman.
Woman, woman, tell me what "I am already a woman" means.
But how many arms held you, you know, to become what you are...
But how many arms embraced you, you know, to become what you are...
What matters so much you won't tell me, unfortunately...
What matters, you won't tell me, unfortunately...
But do you remember the green water and us, the stones, the white background?
But do you remember the green water and us, the stones, the white background?
What color are your eyes? If you ask me I don't answer you...
What is the color of your eyes? If you ask me, I won't answer.
Oh sailor, oh sailor, oh sailor,
Oh black sea, oh black sea, oh black sea,
You were clear and transparent like me….
You were bright and transparent like me...
Abandoned bikes on the grass
Bicycles are left abandoned in the meadow
And so we both lay down in the shade,
and then the two lying in the shade,
a flower in your mouth can help you know how much happier everything seems
a flower in the mouth is useful, you know, everything looks brighter
and suddenly that silence between us and that strange look of yours,
and suddenly that silence between us and your strange look,
the flower falls out of your mouth and then, oh no, please stop your hand...
the flower falls from your hand and then, oh no, stop your hand please...
Where have you been, what have you done? A woman, woman tell me,
Where have you been, what have you done so far? A woman, woman, tell me
which means: "I am a woman now".
which means "I am a woman now".
I don't know that confident smile you have
I don't know the confident smile you show,
I don't know who you are, I don't know who you are anymore
I don't know who you are, I don't know who you are anymore
now you scare me unfortunately...
now you scare me unfortunately...
But do you remember the big waves and us, the splash and your screams?
But do you remember the big waves and us, the splash and your screams?
What remains behind your eyes, is the flame off or on?
What remains at the bottom of your eyes, did the flame go out or light up?
Oh sailor, oh sailor, oh sailor,
ohmarnegro, ohmarnegro, ohmarnegro,
You were clear and transparent like me….
You were bright and transparent like me...
When the sun rises, it rises slowly and then,
When the sun rises, it rises slowly and then
light spreads around us...
light spreads around us...
ghostly shadows in the night
The shadows of ghosts at night.
They are trees and shrubs still in bloom,
They are trees and shrubs still in bloom,
They are the eyes of a woman still full of love...
They are the eyes of a woman still full of love...
All common Italian colors
ItalianEnglishItalianEnglishRojoRojoMarrónMarrónNegroPúrpuraPúrpuraAmarilloAmarilloGrisGrisVerdeVerdeAzulAzulNaranjaNaranjaRosaRosaRosa
Click here to learn Italian personal pronouns!