French colors: match rouge, bleu, vert and more: what children learn
Colors are a favorite 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 color word with its English meaning: rouge (red), bleu (blue), vert (green), jaune (yellow), noir (black), blanc (white), rose (pink), gris (gray), marron (brown) and violet (purple).
Suggested grade 2 practice, selected by skill and reading demand. US states and schools teach these topics in different grades; this is not a state-standards alignment claim. French and Spanish games are grouped by challenge level; learners can begin in any grade.
ACTFL World-Readiness Standards teaching connection: Vocabulary foundations for communication. Recognizing words and building short phrases can prepare a learner for reading and communication. Follow the game with a real exchange or a short text. Word recognition alone does not establish an ACTFL proficiency level or cover all communication modes. Read the framework.
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 color 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 colors song fixes the sounds. Pause the song and ask for the next color.
- Use them in phrases. Try un chat noir (a black cat) and un ballon rouge (a red ball). The color 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 color of chestnuts (marrons) and chocolate.
Answer: Brown.
Example 3: What does rose mean?
Working: Think of the color 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 color like lilac only. In French, violet is the everyday word for purple.
- Putting the color before the noun. In French the color usually comes after: une voiture rouge, a red car.
Activities to try at home
- Play “I spy” with French colors.
- Sort felt-tip pens and say each color in French.
- Color a picture following French color labels.
- Print the game sheet and cut out the cards to play pairs.
Ideas for the classroom
- Play color bingo with French color words.
- Make a rainbow display labeled in French.
- Use a colors song as a warm-up, then play the matching game.
- Hold up objects and ask students to show the matching color card.
Free printable game and worksheet
The free printable starts with a game sheet, such as a color-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 colors change in French?
Many do. With a feminine noun, many colors 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.