Spanish colours: match rojo, azul, verde and more: what children learn
Colours are a favourite early Spanish topic: they are easy to point at, they turn up in songs and they link to clothes, animals and food. In this matching game, children pair each Spanish colour word with its English meaning: rojo (red), azul (blue), verde (green), amarillo (yellow), negro (black), blanco (white), rosa (pink), gris (grey), morado (purple), naranja (orange) and marrón (brown).
The National Curriculum asks pupils to link the spelling, sound and meaning of words. Spanish is helpful here because words are spelled the way they sound: once children know that ll in amarillo sounds like a y, they can read new words with confidence. The game uses the masculine forms, as in un jersey rojo (a red jumper). Later, children learn that many colours change their ending to match the noun: una falda roja (a red skirt).
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 Spanish: rojo for a red apple, verde for grass.
- Learn the tricky sounds. ll sounds like y (amarillo), and j is a throaty h sound (rojo).
- Notice the patterns. Many colours end in o for masculine nouns and a for feminine ones: rojo and roja, blanco and blanca.
- Spot the colours that do not change. Azul, verde and gris stay the same for masculine and feminine nouns; rosa and naranja never change.
- Say your favourite colour. Mi color preferido es el azul means my favourite colour is blue.
Worked examples
Example 1: What does amarillo mean?
Working: It is the colour of a banana.
Answer: Yellow.
Example 2: What does morado mean?
Working: It is the colour of a plum.
Answer: Purple.
Example 3: How do you say “a red skirt”?
Working: Falda is feminine, so rojo becomes roja.
Answer: una falda roja
Common mistakes and how to fix them
- Mixing up blanco and negro. Blanco is white (like a blank page); negro is black.
- Saying amarillo with an English l sound. In Spanish ll sounds like the y in yes: a-ma-ri-yo.
- Forgetting the accent in marrón. The accent shows that the last part of the word is stressed: ma-RRÓN.
- Putting the colour before the noun. In Spanish the colour usually comes after the noun: un gato negro (a black cat).
Activities to try at home
- Play “I spy” with Spanish colours around the house.
- Sort a pile of socks or building bricks by colour, naming each one in Spanish.
- Sing a rainbow song in Spanish: rojo, naranja, amarillo, verde, azul…
- Print the game sheet and colour each word in the right colour.
Ideas for the classroom
- Hold up coloured cards and ask pupils to call out the Spanish word.
- Play “Simon says” with colours: touch something azul!
- Make a class bar chart of favourite colours using the Spanish names.
- Pair colours with clothes words and practise the o and a endings.
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
Which colours do children learn in Key Stage 2 Spanish?
Usually the main colours: rojo, azul, verde, amarillo, negro, blanco, rosa, gris, morado, naranja and marrón.
Why does rojo sometimes become roja?
Spanish adjectives match the noun they describe. With a feminine noun such as falda, rojo becomes roja. Plurals add s: rojos, rojas.
Does this game cover the different endings?
It uses the masculine singular forms so that each word has one clear meaning. The guide explains the endings for children who are ready for them.