"Red" in Spanish

Quick Answer

Red in Spanish can be rojo, colorado, or tinto, depending on what you're talking about. Read on and learn about the different ways to say red in Spanish!

Red in Spanish as an Adjective

When describing what color something is, red in Spanish can either be rojo or colorado. Check out these examples:

examples
La camiseta de Diego es roja. Diego’s T-shirt is red.
Ana se puso un vestido colorado. Ana’s wearing a red dress.
Me puse colorada cuando el profesor me preguntó si sabía la respuesta. I turned red when the teacher asked me if I knew the answer.

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Seris used instead of estarto describe the color of an object when we’re talking about a permanent state.

Remember that adjectives have to match the nouns they describe in gender and number. Review noun-adjective agreement with this article.

Red in Spanish as a Noun

¿Cuál es tu color favorito?(What is your favorite color?) Is it red? If so, then your answer will be either el rojo or el colorado.

For example:

examples
Mi color preferido es el rojo. My favorite color is red.
El colorado es un color primario. Red is a primary color.

Much More Than Red in Spanish

We use colors to express our preferences, describe our surroundings, and talk about human attributes. So, let’s check out some basic color terms that go beyond red in Spanish.

Spanish	English
amarillo	yellow
azul	blue
blanco	white
café	brown
gris	gray
marrón	brown
morado/ púrpura	purple
naranja/ anaranjado	orange
negro	black
rosado/ rosa	pink
verde	green
violeta	violet

Expressing Preferences and Describing Surroundings

One of the easiest ways to practice colors in Spanish is to talk about your preferences and describe your surroundings.

examples
¿Te gusta esta falda? - Sí, pero me gustaría más si fuera roja. Do you like this skirt? - Yes, but I'd like it better if it was red.
El nuevo carro de Lina es rojo. Lina’s new car is red.
Mariana tiene pelo colorado. Mariana's hair is red.

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Talking about Wines: Red in Spanish

When used to describe a kind of wine, red in Spanish is tinto, which can be both a noun or an adjective. Have a look at these examples:

examples
¿Prefieres el vino blanco o el vino tinto? Do you prefer white wine or red wine?
Un vaso de tinto va bien con carnes rojas. A glass of red pairs well with red meat.

And What Is Red in Spanish in Politics?

In politics, red may be used to refer to very different things:

something or someone inciting radical social change, i.e., izquierdista(left-wing) or de izquierda(left-wing).
a member of a Communist party or movement, i.e., comunista(Communist).
in the context of the United States, the Republican party, i.e., republicano(Republican).

examples
Ese es un estado rojo, así que el candidato republicano seguramente arrasará. That’s a red state, so the Republican candidate will surely win by a landslide.