De Colores

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Today’s Spanish tip is about colors: los colores. (Lohs Coh-lor- res)

We use colors to describe many things. Here are the colors in Spanish and English. Many of them are gender specific when describing an object. For example, to say: ‘the black dog’ it is ‘el perro negro’, for ‘the black chair’, it is ‘la silla negra’. Rosa and Naranja are exceptions because they are also objects in and of themselves (rose and orange). So for a masculine pink object (is that an oxymoron?), it would be rosado. For example: the pink telephone: el teléfono rosado. The orange shirt is ‘la camisa naranja’ but the orange hat is ‘el sombrero anaranjado‘.  The ones that don’t end in “a” or “o” like verde, azul, café, you don’t have to change, unless it is plural. The blue tables: ‘las mesas azules’, the green knives?: ‘los cuchillos verdes’.  

Rojo=red
Gris =grey
Azul =blue
Negro =black
Café =brown (actually means coffee)
Rosa =pink (or rosado)
Verde =green
Blanco =white
Naranja =orange (or anaranjado) naranja is also the name for the orange fruit, just like in English. Except in Puerto Rico (and maybe elsewhere), where the fruits are called chinas.
Morado -purple (I’ve also heard púrpura and violeta)
Amarillo -yellow (Now you know the meaning of the Texas city!)


(For some reason, in this image the colors of the words do NOT correspond)

There is also a very famous song sung in most Spanish-speaking countries called ‘De Colores’. It’s a very pretty song. Plus it sings about chickens! How great is that?! The commonly sung lyrics are here for you to enjoy. The translation to English is not great (I’m not sure who did it), but you get the idea at least.

Spanish Version

     De colores, de colores
Se visten los campos en la primavera.
     De colores, de colores
Son los pajarillos que vienen de afuera.
     De colores, de colores
Es el arco iris que vemos lucir.

 

     Y por eso los grandes amores
De muchos colores me gustan a mí.
     Y por eso los grandes amores
De muchos colores me gustan a mí.

 

     Canta el gallo, canta el gallo
Con el quiri, quiri, quiri, quiri, quiri.
     La gallina, la gallina
Con el cara, cara, cara, cara, cara.
     Los pollitos/polluelos, los pollitos/polluelos
Con el pío, pío, pío, pío, pí.

 

   

  Y por eso los grandes amores
De muchos colores me gustan a mí.
     Y por eso los grandes amores
De muchos colores me gustan a mí.

 

     De colores, de colores
Brillantes y finos se viste la aurora.
     De colores, de colores
Son los mil reflejos que el sol atesora.
     De colores, de colores
Se viste el diamante que vemos lucir.

 

    Y por eso los grandes amores
De muchos colores me gustan a mí.
     Y por eso los grandes amores
De muchos colores me gustan a mí.

English Version

     In colors, in colors
The fields are dressed in the spring.
     In colors, in colors
Are the little birds that come from outside.
     In colors, in colors
Is the rainbow that we see shining.

     

And that is why I love
The great loves of many colors
     And that is why I love
The great loves of many colors.

     

The rooster sings, the rooster sings
With a cock-a-doodle, cock-a-doodle-doo.
     The hen, the hen
With a cluck, cluck, cluck, cluck, cluck.
     The chicks, the chicks
With a cheep, cheep, cheep, cheep, cheep.

     

And that is why I love
The great loves of many colors.
     And that is why I love
The great loves of many colors.

    

 In colors, in colors
Brilliant and delicate is dressed the dawn.
     In colors, in colors
Are the thousand gleams the sun treasures.
     In colors, in colors
Is dressed the diamond we see shining.

     

And that is why I love
The great loves of many colors.
     And that is why I love
The great loves of many colors.

    

 Now you can ask for “De Colores” when you go to a Mexican restaurant and there is a Mariachi band.  

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2 thoughts on “De Colores”

  2. chris

    i always learned brown as cafe too but in PR they dont say that. They say Maron.. the spelling might be off a bit…

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