Table of Contents
Understanding Colors in German
In this chapter you learn the basic German color words, how to use them in simple sentences, and how colors behave grammatically as adjectives. You will need this for describing clothes, objects, and preferences.
Basic Color Vocabulary
The most common colors in German are close to English, but the spelling and pronunciation differ. The word for “color” is “die Farbe”.
Table: Basic colors
| German | English | Notes on pronunciation (approximate) |
|---|---|---|
| die Farbe | color | “FAHR-bə” |
| rot | red | long “o,” like “rote” in English |
| blau | blue | like “blow” without “w” |
| gelb | yellow | “gelp” with soft “b/p” |
| grün | green | with ü, like “grue-n” (lips rounded) |
| schwarz | black | “shvarts” |
| weiß | white | “vice” (ß like double “s”) |
| grau | gray | like “grow” |
| braun | brown | like “brown” but German “r” |
| orange | orange | similar to English, French-like ending |
| rosa | pink | “ROH-za” |
| pink | bright pink | like English, stronger color |
| lila | purple / violet | “LEE-la” |
| violett | violet | “vee-oh-LET” |
Example sentences:
“Das Auto ist rot.”
“Die Tasche ist blau.”
“Der Stuhl ist grün.”
Colors as Adjectives
Colors are adjectives. They usually stand in front of a noun. At A2 level you start to notice that adjectives change their endings, but in this chapter focus on the basic pattern and fixed phrases.
Basic structure:
“Artikel + Farbadjektiv + Nomen”
“Der rote Ball.”
“Die blaue Jacke.”
“Das gelbe T‑Shirt.”
You will learn the full adjective endings in later chapters. Here you should simply notice that color words can change a little in front of nouns.
Colors in German are adjectives. They usually come before the noun they describe:
“eine rote Blume”, “ein grünes Auto”, “ein schwarzer Hund”.
Saying What Color Something Is
To say “X is Y-color” you can use the verb “sein” with a color word. The color stands at the end of the sentence.
Structure:
“Subjekt + sein (ist / sind) + Farbe.”
Examples:
“Die Lampe ist weiß.”
“Die Schuhe sind schwarz.”
“Mein Handy ist grau.”
“Ihr Auto ist orange.”
If there are many possible colors, you can ask:
“Welche Farbe hat …?” = “What color is …?”
Examples:
“Welche Farbe hat dein Auto?”
“Es ist blau.”
“Welche Farbe hat die Tasche?”
“Sie ist grün.”
Useful pattern:
“X hat die Farbe Y.”
“Das Haus hat die Farbe Blau.”
Talking About Liking or Disliking Colors
This chapter is part of “Opinions and Preferences”, so focus on how to express personal taste with colors.
You already know or will learn phrases like “ich mag” and “ich liebe”. Combine these with colors.
Examples:
“Ich mag blau.” = I like blue.
“Ich mag die Farbe Blau.” = I like the color blue.
“Ich liebe Rot.” = I love red.
“Ich mag Grün nicht.” = I do not like green.
You can also talk about favorite colors.
“Lieblingsfarbe” = favorite color
Examples:
“Meine Lieblingsfarbe ist Blau.”
“Was ist deine Lieblingsfarbe?”
“Meine Lieblingsfarbe ist Rot.”
To say you like a color, use:
“Ich mag + Farbe.”
To say your favorite color, use:
“Meine Lieblingsfarbe ist + Farbe.”
Describing Objects with Colors
You can describe everyday things by combining a noun with a color word. At this level, concentrate on correctly placing the color and using simple sentence patterns.
Examples:
“Das ist ein rotes Auto.”
“Sie trägt eine schwarze Jacke.”
“Ich habe eine blaue Tasche.”
“Wir kaufen grüne Äpfel.”
“Er sucht eine braune Hose.”
“Ich möchte einen weißen Kaffee.” (coffee with milk)
You can combine two colors if something is multicolored.
“Das T‑Shirt ist blau und gelb.”
“Der Schal ist rot-weiß.”
Often German uses hyphenated color combinations for sports teams or flags.
“Die Fahne ist schwarz-rot-gold.”
Light and Dark Colors
To make colors lighter or darker, you use “hell” and “dunkel” in front of the color.
“hell” = light / bright
“dunkel” = dark
Examples:
“hellblau” = light blue
“dunkelblau” = dark blue
“hellgrün” = light green
“dunkelgrün” = dark green
“hellbraun” = light brown
“dunkelrot” = dark red
In sentences:
“Ich mag hellblau.”
“Sie trägt eine dunkelgrüne Jacke.”
“Die Wand ist hellgrau.”
Neutral and Special Color Words
Some useful extra words about colors help you describe things more exactly.
“bunt” = colorful, multicolored
“farbig” = colored, with color
“farblos” = colorless
“golden” / “goldfarben” = golden / gold-colored
“silbern” / “silberfarben” = silver / silver-colored
“beige” = beige
“türkis” = turquoise
“hell” = light (for colors)
“dunkel” = dark (for colors)
Examples:
“Der Rock ist bunt.” = The skirt is colorful.
“Das Bild ist sehr farbig.” = The picture is very colorful.
“Wasser ist fast farblos.” = Water is almost colorless.
“Sie trägt eine goldene Kette.” = She wears a golden necklace.
“Ich suche eine silberne Uhr.” = I am looking for a silver watch.
“Die Wand ist beige.” = The wall is beige.
“Das Meer ist türkis.” = The sea is turquoise.
Asking About Colors in Everyday Situations
When shopping for clothes or objects, colors are very important. Here are common patterns.
Questions:
“Welche Farbe möchten Sie?” = Which color would you like?
“In welcher Farbe?” = In which color?
“Haben Sie das in Blau?” = Do you have this in blue?
“Gibt es das auch in Schwarz?” = Is this also available in black?
Answers:
“Ich möchte das in Rot.”
“Gibt es den Pullover in Grün?”
“Ja, wir haben ihn in Blau und in Grau.”
“Nein, nur in Weiß.”
Use “in + Farbe” to talk about the color option of a product:
“in Blau”, “in Rot”, “in Schwarz und Weiß”.
New Vocabulary from this Chapter
| German | English |
|---|---|
| die Farbe | color |
| rot | red |
| blau | blue |
| gelb | yellow |
| grün | green |
| schwarz | black |
| weiß | white |
| grau | gray |
| braun | brown |
| orange | orange |
| rosa | pink (light) |
| pink | pink (bright) |
| lila | purple / violet |
| violett | violet |
| Lieblingsfarbe | favorite color |
| bunt | colorful |
| farbig | colored |
| farblos | colorless |
| golden | golden |
| goldfarben | gold-colored |
| silbern | silver (adjective) |
| silberfarben | silver-colored |
| beige | beige |
| türkis | turquoise |
| hell | light (for colors) |
| dunkel | dark (for colors) |
| hellblau | light blue |
| dunkelblau | dark blue |
| hellgrün | light green |
| dunkelgrün | dark green |
| hellgrau | light gray |
| dunkelrot | dark red |
| Welche Farbe …? | What color …? |
| Ich mag … | I like … |
| Meine Lieblingsfarbe ist … | My favorite color is … |
| in Blau / in Rot | in blue / in red |