{"id":2520,"date":"2022-10-20T05:00:14","date_gmt":"2022-10-20T05:00:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.escuela-hablamos.com\/?p=2520"},"modified":"2022-10-18T08:35:35","modified_gmt":"2022-10-18T08:35:35","slug":"me-he-quedado-en-blanco-colours-and-idioms","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.escuela-hablamos.com\/zh\/me-he-quedado-en-blanco-colours-and-idioms\/","title":{"rendered":"Me he quedado en blanco \u2013 Colours and idioms"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u00bfTe has quedado en blanco alguna vez? (Has your mind ever gone blank?)<\/span><\/h2><\/div>
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I know mine has, on multiple occasions and almost to the point that I worry I might have some memory problems! As you can see, this phrase in Spanish includes the word blanco <\/b>(<\/i>white<\/i><\/b>) <\/i>and there\u2019re lots and lots of refranes<\/b> (<\/i>idioms<\/i><\/b>)<\/i> and frases hechas <\/b>(<\/i>expressions<\/i><\/b>) <\/i>about colours in Spanish. Before we get into those, let\u2019s take a look at how we say all the colores <\/b>(<\/i>colours<\/i><\/b>) <\/i>in Spanish.<\/p>\n

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<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
English<\/b><\/td>\nSpanish<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Red<\/td>\nRojo<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Orange<\/td>\nNaranja<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Yellow<\/td>\nAmarillo<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Green<\/td>\nVerde<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Blue<\/td>\nAzul<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Purple<\/td>\nMorado<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Black<\/td>\nNegro<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
White<\/td>\nBlanco<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Grey<\/td>\nGris<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Brown<\/td>\nMarr\u00f3n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Pink<\/td>\nRosa<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

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<\/p>\n

However, as you\u2019ve probably already learned if you\u2019re studying Spanish<\/b>, we also need to make sure that the colours agree with the gender<\/b> of the word they describe. Here\u2019s a quick reminder of the different forms for the colours above.<\/p>\n

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<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
English<\/b><\/td>\nSpanish Masculine\/Feminine<\/b><\/td>\nSpanish Plural Masculine\/Feminine<\/b><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Red<\/td>\nRojo\/Roja<\/td>\nRojos\/Rojas<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Orange<\/td>\nNaranja<\/td>\nNaranjas<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Yellow<\/td>\nAmarillo\/Amarilla<\/td>\nAmarillos\/Amarillas<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Green<\/td>\nVerde<\/td>\nVerdes<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Blue<\/td>\nAzul<\/td>\nAzules<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Purple<\/td>\nMorado\/Morada<\/td>\nMorados\/Moradas<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Black<\/td>\nNegro\/Negra<\/td>\nNegros\/Negras<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
White<\/td>\nBlanco\/Blanca<\/td>\nBlancos\/Blancas<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Grey<\/td>\nGris<\/td>\nGrises<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Brown<\/td>\nMarr\u00f3n<\/td>\nMarrones<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Pink<\/td>\nRosa<\/td>\nRosas<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

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<\/p>\n

As you can see, some colours do not have a separate masculine and feminine form<\/b>. The reason for this is due to the spelling rules<\/b> in Spanish, which you can learn more about in our blog on adjectives on this site. Even if you say the wrong form when speaking Spanish<\/b>, people will generally understand you so don\u2019t worry and try to just learn from your mistakes<\/b>. Everyone gets it wrong sometimes when learning Spanish<\/b> \u2013 it\u2019s part of the process of language learning!<\/p>\n

Now that we have an idea of what the colours are in Spanish, let\u2019s take a look at some refranes<\/b> (<\/i>idioms<\/i><\/b>) <\/i>and frases hechas <\/b>(<\/i>expressions<\/i><\/b>)<\/i>. Obviously, most of the significados<\/b> (<\/i>meanings<\/i><\/b>)<\/i> have little to do with the colour itself, but that\u2019s like in any language! Here at Hablamos<\/b> we love idioms, so we want to give you some great examples to be able to use when you\u2019re out and about practising Spanish<\/b>.<\/p>\n

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Ponerse rojo como un tomate<\/span><\/h2><\/div>
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<\/p>\n

You can probably work this first one out \u2013 it means \u201cto go bright red\u201d just like a tomato! If you\u2019ve ever felt embarrassed or very nervous you\u2019ve probably turned this colour!<\/p>\n

Me puse rojo como un tomate en la cita ya que estaba muy nervioso \u2013 I was so nervous on the date that I turned bright red<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

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La media naranja<\/span><\/h2><\/div>
<\/div><\/div>
<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a romantic one! Whereas in English we would say \u201cmy other\/better half\u201d to refer to your partner, in Spanish we use mi media naranja<\/b>. Personally, I think it sounds much more poetic in Spanish, don\u2019t you?<\/p>\n

Julia es mi media naranja y nos conocimos en un sitio web \u2013 Julia is my other\/better half and we met online<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

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La prensa amarilla<\/span><\/h2><\/div>
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<\/p>\n

A bit more literal this time, as now we are talking about the press and journalism. This little phrase means, in the US at least, \u201cthe yellow press\u201d, but for a lot of you that doesn\u2019t mean anything either! Another way of saying it in English is \u201ctabloid journalism\u201d, as in sensationalist media that is normally about celebrities or which exaggerate the truth just to sell copies. Do you ever read la prensa amarilla<\/b>?<\/p>\n

En la prensa amarilla siempre hay art\u00edculos sobre las relaciones amorosas de los famosos, que no me interesan nada \u2013 In the yellow press\/the tabloids, they always talk about celebrities\u2019 love lives, which don\u2019t interest me at all<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

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Poner verde a alguien<\/span><\/h2><\/div>
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<\/p>\n

Now we\u2019re getting a little bit mean with this one, as if you do this it\u2019s that you\u2019re talking badly about someone behind their back. Come on, you know you\u2019ve done it at some point even though we all know we shouldn\u2019t!<\/p>\n

A Pablo le pusieron verde cuando sali\u00f3 de la reuni\u00f3n \u2013 They all talked about Pablo behind his back when he left the meeting<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

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El pr\u00edncipe azul<\/span><\/h2><\/div>
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<\/p>\n

Another more romantic phrase \u2013 or possibly an unrealistic ideal depending on how you look at it. If you talk about someone as your pr\u00edncipe azul <\/b>then you\u2019re calling them your \u201cprince charming\u201d \u2013 the person you want to be with as they\u2019re your perfect partner.<\/p>\n

Luc\u00eda considera que Alex es su pr\u00edncipe azul porque es guapo, inteligente y muy rom\u00e1ntico \u2013 Lucia thinks of Alex as her prince charming as he\u2019s handsome, clever and very romantic<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

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Ponerse morado<\/span><\/h2><\/div>
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<\/p>\n

I always do this at Christmas \u2013 it\u2019s so easy to ponerse morado<\/b> when you\u2019re surrounded by all sorts of tasty snacks and treats! Can you guess what it means yet? That\u2019s right, it\u2019s similar to \u201cto stuff yourself\u201d with food or drink (or both!).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Ponerse morado en casa de mis padres en navidad es muy f\u00e1cil porque mi madre compra una cantidad ingente de comida y bebida \u2013 It\u2019s so easy to stuff yourself at my parents\u2019 house at Christmas as my mum buys a ridiculous amount of food and drink<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

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Ponerse negro<\/span><\/h2><\/div>
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<\/p>\n

As you\u2019ve spotted by now, there are quite a few of these expressions with the verb poner <\/b>(<\/i>to put<\/i><\/b>)<\/i>! This one means \u201cto get very angry\u201d \u2013 sometimes I guess it\u2019s inevitable!<\/p>\n

Me pongo negro con mis hermanos cuando rompen mis cosas \u2013 I get extremely angry with my siblings when they break my things<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

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Quedarse en blanco<\/span><\/h2><\/div>
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<\/p>\n

You\u2019ve seen this one already \u2013 do you remember what it means? That\u2019s right \u2013 it\u2019s the same as \u201cmy mind\u2019s gone blank\u201d. Hopefully this doesn\u2019t happen too often!<\/p>\n

Me qued\u00e9 en blanco cuando tuve que contestar a la pregunta en la entrevista \u2013 My mind went blank when I had to answer the question in the interview<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

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Comerse un marr\u00f3n<\/span><\/h2><\/div>
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<\/p>\n

Well, things get a bit ugly with this one. A marr\u00f3n<\/b> in this phrase means \u201ca disagreeable situation\u201d. So the whole phrase means \u201cto get stuck with\/be lumbered with an unpleasant situation\u201d. You don\u2019t want to have to deal with things at times, but unfortunately you don\u2019t always have a choice!<\/p>\n

No me voy a comer el marr\u00f3n de decir al jefe que no vamos a terminar a tiempo. \u00a1Hazlo t\u00fa! \u2013 I\u2019m not getting lumbered with telling the boss we won\u2019t finish on time. You do it!<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

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Verlo todo de color rosa<\/span><\/h2><\/div>
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<\/p>\n

In a lot of languages there\u2019s a saying pretty similar to this one. It means \u201cto see things through rose-tinted glasses\u201d, that\u2019s to say to look at things very positively even when it\u2019s not the case. Maybe it isn\u2019t such a bad way to view life?<\/p>\n

Miriam lo ve todo de color rosa y no quiere ver que su situaci\u00f3n podr\u00eda ser mejor \u2013 Miriam looks at everything through rose-tinted glasses and doesn\u2019t see that she could be in a better situation<\/i><\/b><\/p>\n

And there you have a whole arcoiris<\/b> (<\/i>rainbow<\/i><\/b>) <\/i>of expressions you can use when speaking Spanish<\/b> with your friends! As you learn Spanish<\/b> you\u2019ll come across a huge number of similar phrases which you can start incorporating into your own speech. Why not try using one next time in your Spanish class<\/b> and impress your teacher?<\/p>\n

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Hablamos – full-on Spanish!<\/mark><\/span><\/h3><\/div>
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