"White" in Spanish

Quick Answer

White in Spanish can be blancoor con lechewhen used as an adjective, and blancoor clarawhen used as a noun. It all depends on what you’re talking about. Read this article to learn more about the different ways to say white in Spanish!

Let’s Talk about Colors: White as an Adjective

When describing something that's white in color in Spanish, you'll use blanco. Let’s take a look at some examples:

examples
Mi camisa es blanca. My shirt is white.
Las cortinas son blancas con rayas grises. The curtains are white with gray stripes.
Las nubes son tan blancas que parecen de algodón. The clouds are so white that they look like cotton.

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Ser and Estar with Adjectives

Ser(to be) is used instead of estarto describe the color of an object when we’re talking about a permanent state. However, when we refer to something temporary, then we use estar.

examples
La luna es blanca. The moon is white.
El pueblo está blanco con la nieve. The town is white with snow.

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

Let’s Talk about Colors: White as a Noun

When talking about white as a noun, we use el blanco in Spanish. For example:

examples
Mi color preferido es el blanco. My favorite color is white.
El blanco es un color acromático. White is an achromatic color.

Much More Than White 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 white in Spanish.

Spanish	English
amarillo	yellow
azul	blue
café	brown
gris	gray
marrón	brown
morado/ púrpura	purple
naranja/ anaranjado	orange
negro	black
rojo	red
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
Esa blusa blanca es muy bonita. That white blouse is really pretty.
Los manteles blancos se manchan fácilmente. White tablecloths get easily dirty.
La novia estaba vestida de blanco. The bride was dressed in white.

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White to Mean Light or Pale

White is also used to describe objects that are light or pale in color, though not purely white. In such cases, white in Spanish is also blanco. Let’s take a look:

Spanish	English	Meaning
blanco	white	pale
blanco	white	skin, hair
blanco	white	clear (wine)
blanco	white	not red (meat)
blanco	white	covered in snow

examples
Eres muy blanca para estar al sol sin pantalla solar. You’re too white to be in the sun without sunscreen.
Enrique se puso blanco del susto. Enrique went white with fear.
¿Prefieres vino blanco o tinto? Do you prefer white or red wine?
Las carnes blancas tienen menos grasas que las rojas. White meat has less fat than red meat.
La anciana tenía el pelo blanco. The old lady had white hair.
¡Me encantaría tener una Navidad blanca! I’d love to have a white Christmas!

And what about white coffee? How do you say white in Spanish when talking about coffee with some milk? It’s café con leche!

examples
¿Cómo quieres el café? - Con leche, por favor. How do you like your coffee? - White, please!

examples

¿Cómo quieres el café? - Con leche, por favor.

How do you like your coffee? - White, please!

White in Spanish in the Kitchen

As mentioned above, when talking about meat, white meat in Spanish is carne blanca . But what about eggs, that part surrounding the yolk? That’s la clara.

examples
Coloque las claras junto con el azúcar en un cuenco. Place the egg whites together with the sugar in a bowl.

White in Spanish: Phrases That Use White

What about the phrases in English that use white? As some of the phrases are figurative, the translation is not always direct. Take a look at how we say white in Spanish in the following phrases:

Spanish	English
elefante blanco	white elephant
mentira blanca	white lie
ponerse blanco como un papel	to turn as white as a sheet
rendirse	to raise the white flag