Learning new Spanish words and expressions will make your Spanish more fluent. Today our Spanish school El Rincón del Tándem explains the meaning of the most commonly used Spanish idioms with colours. Get a look at our blog and start talking like a native!
During our online Spanish lessons, our student are steadily enriching their vocabulary getting familiar with new Spanish words and idiomatic expressions. So, let’s see together some of the Spanish idioms that use colours to describe emotions and situations.
NEGRO
Verlo todo negro. In Spanish we use this idiom to refer to someone who has a pessimistic attitude towards situations and life in general.
Silvia no es una persona alegre y todo lo ve negro = Silvia is not a cheerful person and she also very pessimistic.
Ponerse negro. To get very angry.
Se puso negro porque nos fuimos de la fiesta muy pronto = He got very angry because we left the part very early.
BLANCO
Quedarse en blanco. We use this Spanish idiom to say that we have completely forgotten or do not know what to say about something, especially at the bad moment. The idiom expresses that our mind has gone blank.
Me quedé en blanco cuando me preguntaron sobre el Art Nouveau = My mind went blank when I was asked about Art Nouveau
Dar en el blanco. Guessing correctly or hitting the mark
La nueva estrategia de marketing ha dado en el blanco = The new marketing strategy has hit the mark
Estar sin blanca. The English equivalent is the (informal) idiom “be broke” and the (forma) idiom “be penniless”.
No podré irme de vacaciones esta año; estoy sin blanca = I will not able to go on holidays this year; I am broke.
Pasar la noche en blanco. This idiom means “not sleep a wink”.
Pasé la noche en blanco pensando en mi examen de francés = I did not sleep a wink thinking about my French exam
VERDE
Poner verde a alguien. Means to criticize or badmouth someone.
Ana puso verde a Lucía durante toda la cena = Ana has been criticizing Lucia during the whole dinner
Estar verde en algo. In Spanish we use this idiom to mean that someone is new at doing something and have no idea about something.
Lucas aún está verde en mediación intercultural; necesita practicar más = Lucas is still new at intercultural mediation; he needs to practice more
Ponerse verde de envidia. The equivalent English idiom is “to be green with envy”.
Cuando vió el coche nuevo de Marcela, se puso verde de envidia = When he saw Marcela’s new car, he was green of envy
Dar luz verde. Give something the go-ahead.
El consejo escolar dio luz verde al programa de actividades = The school board gave the activity program the go-ahead
AZUL
Tener sangre azul. To have noble or royal blood
Es primo de la reina: ¡tiene sangre azul! = He is the Queen’s cousin: he has royal blood
ROJO
Estar al rojo vivo. This Spanish idiom describes a situation that is tense or hot.
Después de las últimas protestas en las calles, la situación está al rojo vivo = After the last demonstrations in the streets, the situation has got tense
Ponerse rojo como un tomate. This expression is used to describe someone who is blushing because he/she feels embarrassed. Literally, it means “to become red as a tomato”.
Se puso rojo como un tomate cuando se dió cuenta del malentendido = He blushed when he realized that it was a misunderstanding.
MARRÓN
The colour marrón (brown) is also used to describe something or a situation that is annoying or unpleasant.
Estoy enfermo y no puedo ir a la fiesta. ¡Vaya marrón! = I am sick so I cannot go to the party. What a bummer!
Furthermore, this color is also used in the colloquial expression “comerse un/el marron”. We uses it to express that someone takes the blame for someone else’s mistakes or actions.
Simón perdió las llaves de casa y yo tuve que comerme el marrón = Simón lost the front door key and I toke the blame for it
ROSA
Verlo todo de color rosa. In this case we refer to someone who is very optimistic and does not see the bad site of the things. This idiom is the opposite of “verlo todo negro”.
The equivalent English idiom is “see everything through rose-coloured glasses”.
Ella siempre está feliz y lo ve todo de color rosa = She is always happy and sees everything through rose-colored glasses.
MORADO
Ponerse morado. To pig out on something.
Nos pusimos moradas de pizzas en Napoles = We pigged out on pizzas in Naples
We hope that you enjoyed our blog on Spanish idioms with colours and that you feel motivated to keep learning new Spanish idioms, words and expressions.
If you want to know more about Spanish grammar and language, stay tuned for our upcoming blog posts
Finally, we remind you that our Spanish school is providing online Spanish lessons. If you want to know more, about our online Spanish classes, do not hesitate to contact us.
See you soon!
