el marrón
Marrón means the color brown, often used for objects like leather, wood, and paper tones. For hair, Spanish often prefers castaño instead of marrón.
Common Phrases
- tapa marrón — brown cover
- bolso marrón — brown bag
- botas marrones — brown boots
Example
Mi cuaderno tiene una tapa marrón muy resistente.
My notebook has a very sturdy brown cover.
Common Mistake
Using pelo marrón for hair is often unnatural; prefer pelo castaño for brown hair.
el naranja
Naranja can name the color orange. It is also the fruit as la naranja, so the article helps you show what you mean.
Common Phrases
- cono naranja — orange cone
- camiseta naranja — orange T-shirt
- etiqueta naranja — orange label
Example
Puse una etiqueta naranja en la carpeta.
I put an orange label on the folder.
Common Mistake
Mixing up the noun and the color: Me gusta la naranja (sounds like the fruit) vs Me gusta el naranja (the color).
el amarillo
Amarillo means yellow, often linked to visibility, warning signs, and sunlight-like tones. It is common in everyday public spaces like signs and traffic contexts.
Common Phrases
- letrero amarillo — yellow sign
- luz amarilla — yellow light
- tarjeta amarilla — yellow card
Example
El letrero amarillo se ve desde lejos.
The yellow sign can be seen from far away.
Common Mistake
Confusing nearby shades: amarillo vs naranja. Use amarillo for true yellow and naranja when it clearly looks orange.
el dorado
Dorado means golden or gold-colored. It can describe a color tone or a shiny finish, and it is also used for a warm, gold-like glow.
Common Phrases
- detalle dorado — golden detail
- borde dorado — golden border
- brillo dorado — golden shine
Example
El marco tiene un borde dorado.
The frame has a golden border.
Common Mistake
Using oro as a color adjective: say detalle dorado for the look, but anillo de oro for the material (made of gold).
el violeta
Violeta means violet, a purple shade that often feels slightly bluish. In everyday Spanish, morado is also common for purple, so you may hear both.
Common Phrases
- cielo violeta — violet sky
- tono violeta — violet shade
- luz violeta — violet light
Example
El cielo se puso violeta al atardecer.
The sky turned violet at sunset.
Common Mistake
Treating violeta and morado as identical in every context. If you want a more specific, bluish purple, choose violeta; for a general purple, morado often works.
el rojo
Rojo means red and is used constantly for shades, warnings, and strong visual contrasts. It is also a key color word in products like makeup, paint, and labels.
Common Phrases
- tono rojo — red shade
- luz roja — red light
- labial rojo — red lipstick
Example
Elegí un tono rojo para mi carpeta.
I chose a red shade for my folder.
Common Mistake
Saying vino rojo for red wine. The natural phrase is vino tinto.
el negro
Negro means black, used for colors, clothing, and common set phrases. It appears in everyday items and also in expressions where black is a descriptor.
Common Phrases
- té negro — black tea
- camisa negra — black shirt
- mercado negro — black market
Example
Tomé té negro y seguí trabajando.
I had black tea and kept working.
Common Mistake
Dropping the accent in the drink: te negro is not correct for the beverage; write té negro.
el verde
Verde means green, and it can describe color, a fresh-looking tone, or even an unripe state depending on context. It is also used in everyday signals like traffic lights.
Common Phrases
- jugo verde — green juice
- luz verde — green light
- verde claro — light green
Example
El jugo salió verde con mucha menta.
The juice came out green with lots of mint.
Common Mistake
Thinking verde only means the color. It can also mean unripe in context, so plátano verde is not a green-colored banana, but an unripe one.