Colours Are Adjectives in German
When a colour word comes before a noun, it must take an adjective ending that matches the noun's gender, case and the type of article used.
This is exactly the same pattern as all other German attributive adjectives.
Basic Colour Vocabulary
| German | English |
|---|---|
| rot | red |
| blau | blue |
| grün | green |
| gelb | yellow |
| schwarz | black |
| weiß | white |
| grau | grey |
| braun | brown |
| orange | orange |
| lila / violett | purple |
| rosa | pink |
Endings After the Definite Article (der/die/das)
| Gender/Case | Example | Ending |
|---|---|---|
| Masculine Nom. | der rote Ball | -e |
| Feminine Nom. | die blaue Jacke | -e |
| Neuter Nom. | das grüne Shirt | -e |
| Masculine Acc. | den roten Ball | -en |
| Feminine Acc. | die blaue Jacke | -e |
| Neuter Acc. | das grüne Shirt | -e |
| Masculine Dat. | dem roten Ball | -en |
| Plural Nom./Acc./Dat. | die roten Schuhe / die roten Schuhe / den roten Schuhen | -en |
After a definite article (der/die/das), most colour endings are just -e or -en. The tricky ones are Nominative m/f/n → -e, and almost everything else → -en.
Examples in Sentences
| German | English |
|---|---|
| Der rote Apfel schmeckt gut. | The red apple tastes good. (Nom. m) |
| Ich sehe den blauen Vogel. | I see the blue bird. (Acc. m) |
| Sie trägt eine grüne Jacke. | She is wearing a green jacket. (Acc. f, indef.) |
| Die gelben Blumen sind schön. | The yellow flowers are beautiful. (Nom. pl) |
| Er wohnt in dem weißen Haus. | He lives in the white house. (Dat. n) |
Colours Used Without a Noun
Colours used as predicates (after sein) do not take endings:
Das Auto ist blau. (The car is blue.) — no ending needed.
Describing your bedroom
Mein Zimmer hat weiße Wände, einen braunen Schrank und ein graues Bett. (My room has white walls, a brown wardrobe and a grey bed.) → Plural Nom. → -e; Masculine Acc. → -en; Neuter Acc. → -es (indef. art.)
Describing your bedroom
Mein Zimmer hat weiße Wände, einen braunen Schrank und ein graues Bett. (My room has white walls, a brown wardrobe and a grey bed.) → Plural Nom. → -e; Masculine Acc. → -en; Neuter Acc. → -es (indef. art.)
Real world: shopping for clothes online
Colour adjectives with endings appear all over online shops: „Das blaue Kleid ist ausverkauft." „Kaufe ich den roten oder den schwarzen Pullover?" „Die weißen Schuhe gefallen mir besser." — reading and writing product descriptions in German requires correct adjective endings with colour words.
Real world: describing a scene or a photo
Colour descriptions feature in school essays and social media posts: „Im Bild sehe ich ein grünes Feld und einen blauen Himmel." „Das Mädchen trägt eine rote Jacke." „Die gelben Blumen blühen im Garten." — descriptive writing in German always combines color adjectives with correct endings.
Quick reminder: after der/die/das (definite article), use -e in Nominative and -en almost everywhere else. After ein/eine/ein (indefinite), Nominative masculine needs -er, neuter needs -es, feminine needs -e — the ending that "signals" the gender. Colours follow the same rules as all other adjectives.
Practice Problems
'The green tree' — der Baum (masculine, Nominative). What is the correct form?
Show answer
'I wear a red (roten/rote/rotes?) jacket' — die Jacke (feminine, Accusative, indefinite).
Show answer
Do colour words need endings when used after 'sein'? Give an example.