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Chapter 3 of 7

Colors and Articles

Color words in Spanish must agree in gender with the nouns they describe, just like other adjectives. Most colors change their final vowel: rojo becomes roja for feminine nouns, amarillo becomes amarilla, blanco becomes blanca, negro becomes negra, and morado becomes morada. A few colors are invariable: Azul and Verde stay the same regardless of the noun's gender, and Naranja, the most common word for orange, also does not change. As an alternative, Anaranjado or Anaranjada can be used when you want a clearly adjectival form, and Púrpura is a less common alternative for purple.

Articles in Spanish come in two main families. The definite articles, meaning "the," are el for masculine singular nouns, la for feminine singular nouns, los for masculine plural nouns, and las for feminine plural nouns. So el libro is "the book," la casa is "the house," los libros is "the books," and las casas is "the houses." The indefinite articles, meaning "a" or "an," follow the same gender split: un for masculine singular, as in un perro ("a dog"), and una for feminine singular, as in una mesa ("a table").

All chapters
  1. 1Greetings and Basic Courtesy
  2. 2Numbers and Time Expressions
  3. 3Colors and Articles
  4. 4Pronouns and the Two "To Be" Verbs
  5. 5Irregular Verbs and Useful Constructions
  6. 6Everyday Vocabulary: Food and Family
  7. 7Practical Phrases: Travel, Weather, and Directions

Drill it

Reading is not remembering. These come from the Spanish Basics deck:

Q

How do you say "Hello" in Spanish?

Hola – The most common and universal Spanish greeting, used in both formal and informal contexts.

Q

How do you say "Goodbye" in Spanish?

Adiós – Used to say farewell. For a more casual "see you later," you can say Hasta luego.

Q

How do you say "Please" in Spanish?

Por favor – Literally "as a favor." It is essential for polite requests in any Spanish-speaking country.

Q

How do you say "Thank you" in Spanish?

Gracias – The standard way to express gratitude. For extra emphasis, say Muchas gracias (Thank you very much).