Unit 72 Guidebook: describe colors


KEY PHRASES

Describe colors

Lei ha i pantaloni rossi.
She has red pants.

La mia gonna non è gialla.
My skirt is not yellow.

Le sue calze sono grigie.
Her socks are gray.

L'azzurro è il suo colore.
Light blue is his color.

Gli uccelli sono gialli.
The birds are yellow.
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Permanent colors

Words referring to colors, like most adjectives in Italian, have different endings depending on whether they are masculine or feminine.

Ho un cappello rosso.
I have a red hat.
La sua camicia è rossa.
His shirt is red.

Rosa (pink) and viola (purple) are different though. They never change regardless of their gender or number.

La sua maglia è viola.
Her shirt is purple.
Il suo maglione è viola.​
His sweater is purple.
La maglia rosa è sua.
The pink shirt is his.
Lei ha i pantaloni rosa.​
She has pink pants.

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The sounds of G

The letter g in Italian usually sounds like the g in get.

grigio
grigio, gatto, ragazza (as in gray)

However, when it comes before e or i, g sounds like English j.

gelato
gelato, vegetariano (as in jelly)
mangi
mangi (as in jingle)

If after gi there's another vowel, g would still sound like j, but the i will be silent.

giallo
giallo, giacca, mangiamo (similar to ja in jar, i is silent)
orologio
orologio, giornale, fagiolo (similar to jo in job, i is silent)

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Shades of blue

Did you know that in Italian the word blu usually refers to darker shades of blue? Use azzurro for talking about lighter tones of this color.

I suoi pantaloni sono blu.
His pants are blue.
Le sue scarpe sono azzurre.
His shoes are light blue.

It might sound weird, but for Italians these are almost two completely distinct colors!