color
“color” means “color” in Spanish. It has 2 different meanings depending on context:
color
Also: hue, dye
📝 In Action
¿Cuál es tu color favorito?
A1What is your favorite color?
El color del cielo es azul.
A1The color of the sky is blue.
Me gusta la camisa, pero no el color.
A2I like the shirt, but not the color.
character
Also: aspect, tinge
📝 In Action
La reunión tomó un color inesperado cuando empezaron a gritar.
B2The meeting took on an unexpected character when they started shouting.
Sus palabras dieron un nuevo color a la situación.
C1His words gave a new aspect to the situation.
Es un asunto de un fuerte color político.
C1It's an issue with a strong political tinge.
Vocabulary Collections
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✏️ Quick Practice
Quick Quiz: color
Question 1 of 1
Which sentence uses 'color' to talk about the character or nature of something, not its appearance?
📚 More Resources
👥 Word Family▼
📚 Etymology▼
Comes from the Latin word 'color', which had the same meaning. It's related to the Latin verb 'celare', meaning 'to hide or conceal', perhaps because color was seen as a 'covering' for an object.
First recorded: Around the 12th century
Cognates (Related words)
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Frequently Asked Questions
Why is 'color' masculine ('el color') if it doesn't end in -o?
Many Spanish nouns that end in '-or' are masculine. It's a common pattern you'll see with words like 'el amor' (love), 'el dolor' (pain), and 'el sabor' (flavor). The best way is to just remember 'el color' as a set phrase.
What's the difference between 'color' and 'colorear'?
'Color' is the noun, the thing itself (like the color blue). 'Colorear' is the verb, which is the action of adding color to something, like what a child does in a coloring book.