Lesson 32 · أَحْمَرُ
Colours: أَحْمَرُ and حَمْرَاءُ
The main colour words have one form for masculine nouns and another for feminine nouns: قَلَمٌ أَحْمَرُ (a red pen) but سَيَّارَةٌ حَمْرَاءُ (a red car). Colour words never take the -un ending: say أَحْمَرُ, not “aḥmarun”.
Learn with pictures
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Examples
قَلَمٌ أَحْمَرُqalamun aḥmarua red pen
سَيَّارَةٌ حَمْرَاءُsayyaaratun ḥamraa’ua red car
السَّمَاءُ زَرْقَاءُas-samaa’u zarqaa’uThe sky is blue.
الشَّجَرَةُ خَضْرَاءُash-shajaratu khaḍraa’uThe tree is green.
مَا لَوْنُ قَمِيصِكَ؟maa lawnu qamiiṣika?What colour is your shirt?
قَمِيصِي أَبْيَضُqamiiṣii abyaḍuMy shirt is white.
Key points
- أَحْمَرُ / حَمْرَاءُ red · أَزْرَقُ / زَرْقَاءُ blue · أَخْضَرُ / خَضْرَاءُ green · أَصْفَرُ / صَفْرَاءُ yellow · أَبْيَضُ / بَيْضَاءُ white · أَسْوَدُ / سَوْدَاءُ black.
- Ask about colour with مَا لَوْنُ…؟: مَا لَوْنُ السَّيَّارَةِ؟ (What colour is the car?)
- Other colours are made by adding ـيٌّ to a thing: بُنِّيٌّ brown (from بُنٌّ, coffee beans), رَمَادِيٌّ grey (from رَمَادٌ, ash), بُرْتُقَالِيٌّ orange.
Practice
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Say “a black bag” (حَقِيبَةٌ is feminine).
حَقِيبَةٌ سَوْدَاءُ ḥaqiibatun sawdaa’u
Say “The book is green.”
الْكِتَابُ أَخْضَرُ al-kitaabu akhḍaru
Say “a yellow apple” (تُفَّاحَةٌ is feminine).
تُفَّاحَةٌ صَفْرَاءُ tuffaaḥatun ṣafraa’u