Recursio
Lesson 34. Colors, bueno and malo
10 words in this lesson
Tap 🔊 and repeat out loud. These words come back in the dialogue and the exercises below.
colors after the noun; buen / mal
Colors go after the noun
Color adjectives usually come after the noun:
- una camisa azul — a blue shirt;
- un vestido negro — a black dress.
The color agrees with the noun in gender and number:
| Singular | Plural | |
|---|---|---|
| masc. | zapato rojo | zapatos rojos |
| fem. | camisa roja | camisas rojas |
Azul, verde and gris have one form for both genders: un abrigo verde, una chaqueta verde. Plural: verdes; azul and gris add -es: azules, grises.
The colors naranja (orange) and rosa (pink) don’t change for gender. In the plural, both forms are used: zapatos naranja / naranjas, camisas rosa / rosas. La naranja is also the fruit from lesson 32.
Buen and mal
Bueno and malo can also go before the noun. Before a masculine singular noun they drop the -o:
- un buen restaurante — a good restaurant;
- un mal día — a bad day.
Feminine and plural forms stay full: una buena película, unos buenos zapatos. After the noun and after es the form is full too: El restaurante es muy bueno.
You saw mal as an adverb meaning “badly” in lesson 29: Bailo mal. Before a noun, the same spelling is the short form of the adjective malo: un mal día.
Grande does something similar: before a noun it becomes gran, and then it usually means “great” rather than “big.” For now, just recognize it.
¿De qué color es?
¿De qué color es? — “What color is it?” Answer: Es azul. Son negros.
Es un buen restaurante. — It's a good restaurant.
Es una buena película. — It's a good movie.
Llevo una camisa azul. — I'm wearing a blue shirt.
Los zapatos son negros. — The shoes are black.
¿De qué color es? — What color is it?
Dialogue
Listen to each line and repeat it. Try to understand it before you look at the translation.
Nora Javier, ¿llevas la camisa nueva? Javier, are you wearing the new shirt?
Javier Sí. ¿Te gusta? Es azul. Yes. Do you like it? It's blue.
Nora Me gusta mucho. Es un buen color. I like it a lot. It's a good color.
Javier ¿Y tú? ¿Qué llevas hoy? And you? What are you wearing today?
Nora Un vestido negro y unos zapatos rojos. A black dress and red shoes.
Javier ¡Muy bonito! ¿Vamos al restaurante? Very nice! Shall we go to the restaurant?
Nora ¿Es un buen restaurante? Is it a good restaurant?
Javier Sí, muy bueno. Y no es caro. Yes, very good. And it's not expensive.
Check yourself
Listen. What did you hear?
1. How do you say “a good restaurant”?
2. How do you say “a blue shirt”?
3. How do you say “black shoes”?
4. How do you say “a bad day”?
Match each word with its translation
Build the sentence: “It's a good restaurant”
Build the sentence: “I'm wearing a blue shirt”
What you can do now
- Name colors: rojo, azul, verde, blanco
- Describe clothes: Llevo una camisa azul.
- Say good before a noun: un buen restaurante
- Ask about color: ¿De qué color es?
Key phrases of the lesson:
Es un buen restaurante.
Llevo una camisa azul.
¿De qué color es?
Day 34 of 100. Next up: the following lesson.
Lesson 35. Module 7 review and test →The course is the first step. Next comes the Recursio app: short daily practice with spaced review.