French colours: match rouge, bleu, vert and more: what children learn
Colours are a favourite early topic in French: they are easy to point at, they appear in songs and they link to lots of other vocabulary. In this matching game, children pair each French colour word with its English meaning: rouge (red), bleu (blue), vert (green), jaune (yellow), noir (black), blanc (white), rose (pink), gris (grey), marron (brown) and violet (purple).
The National Curriculum asks pupils to link the spelling, sound and meaning of words. Some colours look like English (violet, rose), some sound nothing like it (jaune, noir), and one, orange, is exactly the same, so we leave it out of the game. Later, children learn that colours come after the noun in French (un chat noir) and can change their spelling to agree with it.
This topic covers a Key Stage 2 statutory requirement in the National Curriculum in England (Subject content): pupils should be taught to “explore the patterns and sounds of language through songs and rhymes and link the spelling, sound and meaning of words”. The programme of study sets this for the whole of Key Stage 2, so schools choose when to teach it; we have placed this game in Year 3 (ages 7–8).
There is no direct equivalent in the US Common Core State Standards.
How to play
Pick a card on the left, then the card on the right that matches it. Each game has 6 pairs. Wrong matches are counted as mistakes, and you get three stars for a game with no mistakes.
Step by step
- Start with things you can see. Point at objects and name the colour in French: rouge for a red apple, vert for grass.
- Group the look-alikes. Violet and rose look like English words. Notice that violet means purple, and rose means pink.
- Learn the tricky ones. Jaune (yellow), noir (black), blanc (white) and marron (brown) need extra practice.
- Sing them. A colours song fixes the sounds. Pause the song and ask for the next colour.
- Use them in phrases. Try un chat noir (a black cat) and un ballon rouge (a red ball). The colour goes after the noun.
Worked examples
Example 1: What does jaune mean?
Working: It sounds a bit like “zhone”. Think of a banana.
Answer: Yellow.
Example 2: What does marron mean?
Working: It is the colour of chestnuts (marrons) and chocolate.
Answer: Brown.
Example 3: What does rose mean?
Working: Think of the colour of many roses.
Answer: Pink.
Common mistakes and how to fix them
- Thinking rose means red. Rose means pink. Red is rouge.
- Thinking violet is a flower colour like lilac only. In French, violet is the everyday word for purple.
- Putting the colour before the noun. In French the colour usually comes after: une voiture rouge, a red car.
Activities to try at home
- Play “I spy” with French colours.
- Sort felt-tip pens and say each colour in French.
- Colour a picture following French colour labels.
- Print the game sheet and cut out the cards to play pairs.
Ideas for the classroom
- Play colour bingo with French colour words.
- Make a rainbow display labelled in French.
- Use a colours song as a warm-up, then play the matching game.
- Hold up objects and ask pupils to show the matching colour card.
Free printable game and worksheet
The free printable starts with a game sheet, such as a colour-by-answer picture, an answer maze or a secret-code joke, followed by a worksheet. Both use the same checked questions as the online game, and the answers are on the last page. Print it, or save it as a PDF from your browser’s print menu.
Open the free printable game and worksheet
Frequently asked questions
Why is orange not in the game?
Orange is the same word in French and English, so it would be too easy to match.
Do colours change in French?
Many do. With a feminine noun, many colours add an -e: vert becomes verte. The game uses the basic form.
What is the difference between marron and brun?
Both can mean brown. Marron is the word most children learn first; brun is often used for hair.