Vocabulary: Colours

Para gustos, colores.

This Spanish idiom could literally be translated as "For tastes, colours". However, idioms or sayings can hardly ever be converted word by word into another language. 

So what would it be the English equivalent, the phrase we can use in similar contexts?

Correct! To each his own. Or there is no accounting for taste. Have a look at this dialogue:

-Me encanta el cine israelí. (I love Israeli cinema)

-A mí no, yo lo odio. A mí me gusta el cine japonés, en cambio (I don't. I love Japanese movies, instead)

-Como dice el dicho: para gustos, colores (As the saying goes: there is no accounting for taste)

As you can see, the Spanish version (para gustos, colores) is based on the fact that there are hundreds of colours to choose from, in the same way that every person chooses their own personal taste or view about something. (Or like our friend Clint Eastwood once said: "Opinions are like assholes, everyone has one").

Azul-Verde-Ciruela-Amarillo-Violeta-Rojo-Naranja-Verde

After this introduction, let's first see (or in this case, read) the main colours in Spanish, and then some expressions. 

BLANCO (white)

What's white? Una nube (a cloud), la leche (milk), la nieve (snow), etc.

Some expressions:

• Quedarse en blanco: when your mind goes blank. En los exámenes me quedo en blanco (during the exams my mind goes blank)
• Ser el blanco [de algo]: when you're the target [of a joke, an attack]. Siempre soy el blanco de tus críticas (your critics are always aimed at me)

NEGRO (black)

What's black? El carbón (coal), el petróleo (oil), etc.

Some expressions:

• Dinero negro: dirty money, money that is not taxed. Los narcotraficantes invertían dinero negro (the narcos were investing dirty money)
• Pagar en negro: when you pay under the counter (or cash in hand). Los empresarios pagan en negro a sus trabajadores (The employers pay cash in hand to their employees)

ROJO (red)

What's red? La sangre (blood), un tomate (a tomato), una fresa (a strawberry)

Some expressions:

• Los rojos: communists. ¡Qué vienen los rojos! (Communists are coming: a phare used in political and economic contexts to warn -in a humorous manner- about what conservatives may consider too left-winged).  
• Números rojos: in red, when your are in debt. No tengo dinero. Estoy en números rojos (I have no money. I'm broke) With this very same meaning, we can use "white" in its femine gender: Estoy sin blancA (To be broke).

VERDE (green)

What's green? La hierba (grass), una lima (a lime)

Some expressions:

• Viejo verde (chiste verde). In Spanish, the colour green is associated with dirty and sexual jokes and we use it as well to refer to an old dirty man. Es un viejo verde. Siempre está contándome bromas guarras (He's a dirty old man. He's always telling me dirty jokes)
• Los verdes: the green party. ¡Los verdes se han aliado con esos rojos comunistas! (The green have joined the communist party!
• Estar verde: when a fruit is unripe or a project is not ready. Esas manzanas están verdes. (Those apples are unripe) or El nuevo libro de Mendoza todavía está verde (Mendoza's new book is not finished yet)

AZUL (blue)

What's blue? El cielo (the sky)

• Príncipe azul: Prince Charming.
• Sangre azul: we say that someone has "blue blood" when they belong to the aristrocracy. 

MARRÓN (brown)

What's brown: la tierra (soil)

Some expressions:

• Ser un marrón (¡Qué marrón!): when something is a bummer (coloquial expressions). Cuidar a todos tus perros es un marrón. Son muy pesados (Taking care of all your dogs is a bummer. They're a pay in the neck)

AMARILLO (yellow)

What's yellow? Un limón (a lemon), un plátano (a banana), el solo (the sun)

NARANJA (orange)

What's orange? La naranja (the orange)


We must bear in mind that the following colours (blanco, negro, rojo, amarillo) have grammatical gender* and therefore they need to agree with the noun they go with. Have a look at the examples:

Nube is a feminine word. In this case, we say nube blanca. On the other hand, coche (car) is a masculine noun, so we say coche blanco.
More examples: perro negro / noche negra; sangre roja / zapato rojo.

YOUR TURN TO PRACTICE

This video will help you to memorise the main colours through a fun exercise. Give a go!

Leave some comments or doubt below.

Thanks.

*If you wanna know a bit more about grammatical gender you can check this post: https://spanisheasypeasy.blogspot.com/2018/10/batman-and-grammatical-gender_22.html