Colours

Lesson Overview: Colours and Coordinating Conjunctions

This lesson introduces you to common French vocabulary related to colours, along with essential coordinating conjunctions used to connect ideas smoothly in sentences. You will learn not only how to name colours but also how to combine them in natural expressions and make choices or contrasts using conjunctions.

Key Vocabulary: Colours

Colours are an important aspect of daily communication, especially when describing objects, clothes, or environments.

• Natural Colours: le blanc (white), le noir (black), le marron (brown), le gris (grey)
• Vibrant Colours: le jaune (yellow), le rouge (red), le bleu (blue), le vert (green)

Coordinating Conjunctions in French

Understanding how to link colours and ideas together is crucial. The lesson covers four basic coordinating conjunctions:

• et (and) – to link similar or additional ideas
• ou (or) – to offer alternatives or choices
• car (because) – to provide reasons or explanations
• mais (but) – to show contrast or opposing ideas

Using Colours and Conjunctions Together

Examples help demonstrate how to combine colours and conjunctions in realistic contexts:

• Je préfère le bleu et le vert pour peindre ma chambre. (I prefer blue and green to paint my room.)
• Tu veux la robe rose ou la robe jaune ? (Do you want the pink dress or the yellow dress?)
• Elle choisit le rouge car c'est sa couleur préférée. (She chooses red because it’s her favourite colour.)
• Il peint les murs en blanc mais il aime aussi le gris. (He paints the walls white but he also likes grey.)

Practical Conversations and Descriptions

You will practice dialogues typical of shopping for clothes or describing cars and hair colours, using conjunctions to make natural expressions:

• Choosing between shirt colours with a friend
• Discussing preferences for car colours
• Talking about hair colours and styles

Verb Practice in Present Tense

The lesson also includes verb conjugations relevant to using the vocabulary in sentences:

• Peindre (to paint): je peins, tu peins, il peint...
• Créer (to create): je crée, tu crées, il crée...
• Se maquiller (to put on makeup): je me maquille, tu te maquilles, il se maquille...

Useful Notes on French and English Differences

Unlike English, French adjectives for colours generally agree in gender and number with the nouns they describe, but when colours are used as nouns themselves (e.g., le bleu), they remain invariable. The conjunctions such as car (because) are more formal and usually appear in writing rather than daily speech; in conversation, parce que is more common.

Useful phrases to remember include:

• Je préfère le rouge ou le jaune – I prefer red or yellow (choosing between options).
• Mais la blanche est aussi jolie – But the white one is also pretty (expressing contrast).
• Elle se maquille avant de sortir – She puts on makeup before going out.