# black/red



## knowledge123

Hi. I have a little problem. I'm learning color names in Czech and some websites teach it in this form:

black= černá
red= červená

while other websites show it like this:

black= černý
red= červený

I know that in sentences the form can change e.g. černá kráva vs černý kůň, but I'm talking about the "neutral" form (situation), when you just name/mention colors...

In Polish we always say:

czarny (black), czerwony (red), zielony (green), so as you can see it's always in masculine form...

How is it in Czech?

Thank you


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## Enquiring Mind

If you could link to the website, it would surely help.  Maybe the page was specifically about *naming* colours.  'Colour' is barva (feminine), so it's possible to say "red" (to mean specifically the colour) as červen*á*, black as čern*á*, blue as modr*á*, white as bíl*á*, yellow as žlut*á* and so on.  It's the feminine form because the word 'barva' is understood in the context and doesn't need to be repeated.
So if the example went something like this: jaká je to barva?  _What colour is it?, _the natural answer would be: černá, červená, modrá etc.  The word 'barva' is understood, but the speaker still needs to use the feminine form of the adjective.


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## knowledge123

Enquiring Mind said:


> If you could link to the website, it would surely help.



Learn Czech - Colors
Czech language lessons with audio - colors
Talking About Colors in Czech
Czech Language/Colors - Wikiversity

Vs

Learn Czech. Lesson 17: Colors


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## Enquiring Mind

Yes, that's as I imagined the context. They're talking about the names of the colours and they make it clear the adjective refers (in the context) to "barva", a feminine noun, so the adjective has to be in the feminine form. "Barva" is understood.


> What color is this?
> _Referring to the color itself
> 
> barva_ = color_ červená_ = red, _modrá_ = blue, _žlutá_ = yellow [source: your links above]


If you're interested in a serious grown-up manual of Czech grammar for reference, you can download Karel Tahal's 'A GRAMMAR OF CZECH AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE' free here (kupdf.net), or Landa & Townsend's 'Czech' here (kupdf.net), or James Naughton's 'Colloquial Czech' here (kupdf.net).


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