- Define and explain A Rainbow of Colours in your own words
- Use key terms such as красный (krásnyy) — red accurately
- Apply what you have learned to new examples and questions
- Avoid the common mistakes learners make with this topic
This lesson focuses on A Rainbow of Colours: learn the colour words from красный (krásnyy — red) to белый (bélyy — white) and spot them everywhere.
Learn the colour words from красный (krásnyy — red) to белый (bélyy — white) and spot them everywhere.
Key ideas
Colours agree with nouns
Russian colour words change endings to match the noun they describe. Красный (krásnyy — red, masculine) becomes красная (krásnaya — feminine) and красное (krásnoye — neuter): красный карандаш (krásnyy karandásh — red pencil), красная книга (krásnaya kníga — red book), красное яблоко (krásnoye yábloko — red apple). The same happens with синий (síniy — dark blue), голубой (golubóy — light blue), зелёный (zelyónyy — green), жёлтый (zhyóltyy — yellow), белый (bélyy — white) and чёрный (chyórnyy — black).
Numbers one to ten
один (odín — 1), два (dva — 2), три (tri — 3), четыре (chetýre — 4), пять (pyat' — 5), шесть (shest' — 6), семь (sem' — 7), восемь (vósem' — 8), девять (dévya' — 9), десять (désyat' — 10). Notice that два (dva) becomes две (dve) with feminine nouns: две книги (dve knígi — two books).
Key term — красный (krásnyy) — red: The colour red. Colour words change their endings to match the noun: красный шар (krásnyy shar — red balloon, masculine), красная машина (krásnaya mashína — red car, feminine).
Say 'red car' in Russian, choosing the right ending for the colour.
The noun is машина (mashína — car). It ends in -а, so it is feminine. The colour 'red' is красный (krásnyy) in its basic masculine form. For a feminine noun, change the ending to -ая: красная (krásnaya). Put them together: красная машина (krásnaya mashína — red car).
Answer: Красная машина (krásnaya mashína) — 'red car', with the feminine ending -ая matching машина.
- Saying красный машина Машина (mashína — car) is feminine, so the colour must be красная (krásnaya), not красный (krásnyy).
- Mixing up синий and голубой Russian has two blues: синий (síniy — dark blue) and голубой (golubóy — light blue). The sky is голубой (golubóy), not синий (síniy).
Practice
один (odín), два (dva), три (tri), четыре (chetýre), пять (pyat').
Ten (désyat').
Одиннадцать (odínnadtsat' — eleven).
Зелёная лягушка (zelyónaya lyagúshka — green frog).
Quick check
Which of these best defines "красный (krásnyy) — red"?
Say 'two books' in Russian (book = книга, feminine).
Is the sky синий or голубой?
- A Rainbow of Colours: learn the colour words from красный (krásnyy — red) to белый (bélyy — white) and spot them everywhere.
- Colours agree with nouns: Russian colour words change endings to match the noun they describe.
- цвет (tsvet) — colour: The word for 'colour' itself.
- Watch out for: saying красный машина