One way to get better with the rolled “r” is to say the word “butter” over and over again very quickly. Your tongue is in the same position when making the “tt” sound as it is when you make a rolled “r” sound correctly. You also can start with an “l” sound, which puts your tongue in the right position. Try to gradually morph it into a rolled “r. "
Typically, the word naranja is used to refer to the fruit, while anaranjado is used to refer to the color. While Spanish speakers may talk about the color orange using the word naranja, the word anaranjado would never be used to refer to the fruit – although perhaps you could speak of having an “una naranja anaranjada,” or an orange-colored orange.
Other shades of yellow have different words in Spanish. For example, you might use the word limón (lee-MOHN), Spanish for “lemon,” to describe a lemony-colored object, or dorado (doh-RAH-doh) for something that is gold-colored.
There are several shades of green that have a compound word to describe them. For example, lime green in Spanish is verde lima (BIR-day LEE-mah) and apple green is verde manzana (BIR-day man-ZAHN-ah).
Once you’ve learned azul, you may find it useful to learn words for different shades of blue. For example, in Spanish the word celeste (say-LAYSS-tay) is used to describe something that is sky blue, or baby blue.
The Spanish language also has another word for purple, púrpura (POOR-poor-ah). These words may be used specifically to refer to different shades, depending on personal preference, or they may be used interchangeably by some Spanish speakers.
Marrón, pronounced mah-RROHN, is the standard way to say “brown” in Spanish. It’s typically used to describe something of a lighter brown, chestnut color. Remember to roll the “r” on this word. Café, pronounced the same as the word in English, is used to describe darker brown shades. You also can use words for types of wood to describe something as brown.
Gray is considered a shade of black, although you wouldn’t say something was “light black,” so you need to learn the word for “gray” in Spanish. Say gris, which is pronounced “GREESS. "
There technically are shades of white, such as cream, which in Spanish is crema, pronounced CRAY-mah, or beige, which is spelled and pronounced the same in Spanish as it is in English.
For example, if you wanted to say something was dark green, you could say verde oscuro, pronounced BIR-day oh-SCOO-roh. Some darker shades have their own words. For example, navy blue in Spanish is azul marino. However, until you’ve learned these various words you can just refer to the color you want to describe as azul oscuro if you want.
As with dark shades, many lighter shades have their own unique word, you’ll still get the point across to Spanish speakers if you simply add claro.
To say something is striped, use the word rayado (ray-YAH-doh). If something, such as an article of clothing, is polka-dotted, use the phrase de lunares (DAY loo-NAH-rays), which also means “spotted” or “speckled” generally.
For example, Spanish speakers say “rosa” (pronounced ROH-sah) to refer either to a rose flower, or to a rosy color. Ámbar is a Spanish word that describes the deep, golden-orange color of the mineral amber. Another good orange word is “albaricoque” (ahl-bah-ree-COH-kay), the Spanish word for “apricot. "
Generally, you would change the last “o” on a color word to an “a” if the noun is feminine. For example, if you wanted to say “the shirt is black,” you would say “La camisa es negra. " If the color word ends in an “e” or a consonant, it does not change form to reflect the gender of the noun it describes. So, for example, the word azul does not change gender.
For most colors, you only need to add an “s” to the end of the word to pluralize it. For example, if you wanted to say “there are two black cats,” you would say “hay dos gatos negros. " Depending on the word, you may need to add an “es” to pluralize it, rather than simply an “s. " These colors are azul (azules), marrón (marrónes), and gris (grises).
In Spanish you would say “de color” or simply “color,” as in “color negro. " This phrase can be helpful if you are a beginner and are uncertain whether a particular color should change gender or be pluralized or not. Simply use this phrase in front of the color and you won’t have to worry about it for the time being.
You may have noted this with the “orange orange” example. To say something about an orange-colored orange in Spanish, you would say “una naranja anaranjada. " The word anaranjado comes last because it refers to the color, while the word naranja refers to the fruit.
