Grade by Grade
C. Reading / D. Writing · Reading and Writing in French: First Steps

Les couleurs: Describing Things with Colour Words

D2.3 D1.2 C1.2About 40 minutes
Learning goals
  • I can read and write the French colour words.
  • I can put the colour after the noun: un chat noir.
  • I can change a colour word to match a feminine noun: une pomme verte.
  • I can add -s to a colour word for a plural noun.
  • I can write short captions that describe things.

Words to know

une couleur
A colour.
un adjectif
A describing word, like a colour or a size.
agreement (l'accord)
Changing an adjective so it matches its noun: feminine, masculine, singular or plural.
une légende
A caption: a short sentence under a picture.
décrire
To describe.

Un chat noir

In English we say a black cat. In French we say un chat noir: a cat black! In French, most describing words, including colours, come after the noun.

And there is one more surprise: colour words can change their ending to match the noun. Let's find out how.

A black cat lying on a red blanket next to a white mug and a green plant.
Un chat noir sur une couverture rouge! See how the colour word comes after the noun in French. What colour is the mug? Une tasse blanche. AI-generated image
ColourMasculine (un ballon...)Feminine (une balle...)
redrougerouge
yellowjaunejaune
pinkroserose
bluebleubleue
greenvertverte
blacknoirnoire
greygrisgrise
purplevioletviolette
whiteblancblanche
orangeorangeorange
brownbrun / marronbrune / marron
Colour words. Words that already end in -e (rouge, jaune, rose) don't change for feminine. Orange and marron never change.

The agreement rules

1. Feminine noun? Usually add -e.

  • un crayon vert → une règle verte
  • un chat noir → une souris noire (a black mouse)

If the word already ends in -e, do nothing: un ballon rouge, une pomme rouge.

Two special ones: blanc → blanche, violet → violette.

2. Plural noun? Add -s.

  • des crayons verts, des pommes vertes, des fleurs jaunes

3. Two that never change: orange and marron. des ballons orange.

Can you hear it?

Sometimes the change is only on paper: bleu and bleue sound the same. But for vert → verte, you can hear the t: "vair" → "vairt". For gris → grise, you hear a z sound: "gree" → "greez".

uncrayonvertmasculine: no changeunerèglevertefeminine: add -edespommesvertesfeminine + plural: -e and -sThe colour comes AFTER the noun and matches it.
Build the colour word like blocks: add -e for a feminine noun and -s for a plural noun.
une pomme verteun livre bleuun ballon jaune
une pomme verte (a green apple), un livre bleu (a blue book), un ballon jaune (a yellow ball).
Worked example

Let's describe with agreement

Write in French: a green bike (un vélo) and a green house (une maison).

  1. Write the noun with its article first: un vélo, une maison.
  2. Put the colour after the noun.
  3. vélo is masculine: vert stays the same.
  4. maison is feminine: add -e: verte.

un vélo vert and une maison verte

Worked example

Let's make it plural

Write: some black boots (une botte = a boot).

  1. Plural: une becomes des, botte becomes bottes.
  2. botte is feminine, so noir becomes noire.
  3. Plural, so add -s: noires.

des bottes noires

Hands-on activity

Colour caption museum

You need: 5 small objects from home (a toy, a sock, a mitten, a book, a fruit), paper, a pencil and a French-English dictionary or website.

  1. Line up the objects on a table: this is your museum!
  2. Find the French noun and whether it is un or une. Some to use: un bas (sock, Canadian French; une chaussette is also correct and is the word used in France), une mitaine (mitten, Canadian French), un livre, une pomme, un toutou (stuffed animal, Canadian French).
  3. Write a caption card for each object: noun + colour, with the right ending. Example: une mitaine rouge, un livre bleu.
  4. Add one plural if you have two of something: des mitaines rouges.
  5. Give a grown-up a tour of your museum. Read each caption out loud.
Just for fun

A famous French riddle: De quelle couleur est le cheval blanc d'Henri IV? (What colour is Henri IV's white horse?)

Blanc, of course! The answer is in the question.

Your turn

1

What is noir in English?

2

Put the words in French order: jaune / un / ballon.

3

Write a green apple (une pomme).

4

Write a white cat (un chat).

5

Write a white house (une maison).

6

Write some red pencils (un crayon).

7

Does rouge change for a feminine noun?

More practice: warm-up

1

What is bleu in English?

2

How do you say yellow in French?

3

What is gris in English?

4

In French, does the colour usually come before or after the noun?

5

What is vert in English?

More practice: on your own

1

Write a blue backpack (un sac à dos).

2

Write a grey mouse (une souris).

3

Fix it: une table noir.

4

Write some orange balls (une balle).

5

Read: Le drapeau du Canada est rouge et blanc. What colours is the flag of Canada?

Challenge

1

Write some green trees (un arbre). Explain each step.

2

Find 2 mistakes: J'ai une rouge pomme et des crayons bleu.

3

Write a 2-sentence caption for a picture of your winter clothes. Use J'ai (I have) and two colours.

Check your understanding

Quiz

1.

How do you write a black cat?

2.

Which is correct for a green ruler (une règle)?

3.

Which colour word does not change for a feminine noun?

4.

How do you write some blue books?

5.

What is the feminine of blanc?

6.

What is a légende under a picture?

For parents and teachers

Big idea: The curriculum asks Grade 4 students to use common adjectives of colour correctly as they improve their writing (D2.3), to write short texts such as captions (D1.2), and to understand short texts with visuals (C1.2). Adjective placement and agreement are big new ideas for English speakers.

Common difficulties:

  • Putting the colour first (une rouge pomme). Say it the French way out loud: noun, then colour.
  • Forgetting agreement. Use a 2-step check: "Is the noun feminine? Is it plural?"
  • Changing words that never change (oranges, marrons). Keep it light; it's a detail.

Canadian words used: une tuque (winter hat), une mitaine (mitten), un toutou (stuffed animal), un bas (sock) are common in Canadian French; une chaussette is also correct. This is a nice example of regional vocabulary.