The Colors in Italian

Grammar Rules for the Colors in Italian

To use colors correctly in Italian, it is essential to understand how they agree with nouns in gender and number. Here are the four main rules:

1. Four-form colors (ending in -o)

These colors change completely depending on the gender and number of the noun:

• rosso / rossa / rossi / rosse (red)
• nero / nera / neri / nere (black)
• bianco / bianca / bianchi / bianche (white)

Examples:
Il libro rosso (the red book) / i libri rosse (the red books)
la mela rossa (the red apple) / le mele rosse (the red apples)

2. Two-form colors (ending in -e)

These colors have the same form for masculine and feminine, but change to -i in the plural:

• verde / verdi (green)
• marrone / marroni (brown)
• arancione / arancioni (orange)

Examples:
il libro verde (the green book) / i libri verdi (the green books)
la camicia verde (the green shirt) / i vestiti verdi (the green clothes)

3. Invariable colors

These colors always keep the exact same spelling, whether the noun is masculine, feminine, singular or plural:

• blu (blue)
• rosa (pink)
• viola (purple)

Examples:
la macchina blu (the blue car) / le macchine blu (the blue cars)

4. Shades: chiaro (light) and scuro (dark)

When you add chiaro or scuro after a color, the entire phrase becomes completely invariable:

Examples:
una camicia verde scuro (a dark green shirt)
I pantaloni blu chiaro (light blue pants)