Learning colors in another language can be fun and helpful. Colors are everywhere in our daily lives, and knowing how to say them can make conversations more interesting. If you are learning French, one of the first colors you might want to learn is “purple.” This color is used in art, fashion, and even to describe things in nature.
In this article, you will learn how to say “purple” in French, explore different ways to express it, learn how to respond when talking about colors, and practice with some fun exercises. By the end, you’ll feel ready to use “purple” in real-life conversations. Let’s get started!
Ways to Say “Purple” in French
In French, there are several words to describe the color purple. The meanings can vary based on shades and contexts. Here are the most common ways to say “purple” in French, with examples to help you understand when to use each one.
1. Violet
Pronunciation: vee-oh-lay
Meaning: The most common word for purple.
In a Sentence:
- Elle porte un manteau violet. (She is wearing a purple coat.)
- Le ciel est violet au coucher du soleil. (The sky is purple at sunset.)
2. Pourpre
Pronunciation: poor-pruh
Meaning: A deep or royal purple.
In a Sentence:
- La robe de la reine était pourpre. (The queen’s dress was purple.)
- J’aime les fleurs de couleur pourpre. (I love purple-colored flowers.)
3. Lilas
Pronunciation: lee-lah
Meaning: A light purple or lilac shade.
In a Sentence:
- Les lilas dans le jardin sentent bon. (The lilacs in the garden smell good.)
- Elle a peint sa chambre en lilas. (She painted her room lilac.)
4. Mauve
Pronunciation: mohv
Meaning: A pale purple shade.
In a Sentence:
- Sa jupe est mauve. (Her skirt is mauve.)
- Le coucher du soleil était teinté de mauve. (The sunset was tinged with mauve.)
5. Lavande
Pronunciation: lah-vahnd
Meaning: Lavender purple.
In a Sentence:
- Le champ de lavande est magnifique. (The lavender field is beautiful.)
- J’ai acheté un coussin de couleur lavande. (I bought a lavender-colored pillow.)
6. Améthyste
Pronunciation: ah-may-teest
Meaning: A gemstone-like purple.
In a Sentence:
- Elle porte un collier d’améthyste. (She is wearing an amethyst necklace.)
- La pierre précieuse est d’un beau violet améthyste. (The gemstone is a beautiful amethyst purple.)
7. Prune
Pronunciation: pruhn
Meaning: Plum-like purple.
In a Sentence:
- Sa veste est prune. (Her jacket is plum-colored.)
- J’ai acheté un sac à main prune. (I bought a plum-colored handbag.)
8. Aubergine
Pronunciation: oh-bair-zheen
Meaning: Eggplant purple.
In a Sentence:
- La nappe est aubergine foncé. (The tablecloth is dark eggplant.)
- Elle a choisi une robe aubergine pour le bal. (She chose an eggplant-colored dress for the prom.)
9. Raisin
Pronunciation: ray-zan
Meaning: Grape-like purple.
In a Sentence:
- Le jus de raisin est violet foncé. (Grape juice is dark purple.)
- Elle a choisi un sac à dos raisin. (She chose a grape-colored backpack.)
10. Myrtille
Pronunciation: meer-tee
Meaning: Blueberry-like purple.
In a Sentence:
- La tarte aux myrtilles est délicieuse. (The blueberry pie is delicious.)
- Son écharpe est de couleur myrtille. (Her scarf is blueberry-colored.)
11. Orchidée
Pronunciation: or-kee-day
Meaning: Orchid-like purple.
In a Sentence:
- Les orchidées violettes sont rares. (Purple orchids are rare.)
- J’ai planté des orchidées de couleur orchidée dans mon jardin. (I planted orchid-colored flowers in my garden.)
12. Fuchsia
Pronunciation: foo-shyah
Meaning: A bright purplish-pink.
In a Sentence:
- Elle a peint ses ongles en fuchsia. (She painted her nails fuchsia.)
- La robe fuchsia brillait sous la lumière. (The fuchsia dress sparkled under the light.)
13. Vin
Pronunciation: va(n)
Meaning: Wine-like purple.
In a Sentence:
- Sa robe est d’un beau vin rouge. (Her dress is a beautiful wine color.)
- Le canapé est de couleur vin. (The sofa is wine-colored.)
14. Mûre
Pronunciation: mur
Meaning: Blackberry-like purple.
In a Sentence:
- La confiture de mûre est délicieuse. (Blackberry jam is delicious.)
- Son manteau d’hiver est couleur mûre. (Her winter coat is blackberry-colored.)
15. Baies
Pronunciation: bay
Meaning: Berry-like purple.
In a Sentence:
- Le smoothie aux baies est violet. (The berry smoothie is purple.)
- Elle adore les robes couleur baies. (She loves berry-colored dresses.)
16. Prunelle
Pronunciation: pruh-nel
Meaning: Deep plum or sloe-colored.
In a Sentence:
- Le vin était d’une belle teinte prunelle. (The wine was a beautiful sloe color.)
- Ses bottes sont couleur prunelle. (Her boots are sloe-colored.)
17. Cassis
Pronunciation: kah-sees
Meaning: Blackcurrant-like purple.
In a Sentence:
- J’adore le sirop de cassis. (I love blackcurrant syrup.)
- La chemise cassis est très chic. (The blackcurrant-colored shirt is very stylish.)
18. Iris
Pronunciation: ee-reez
Meaning: Iris-flower purple.
In a Sentence:
- Les iris dans le jardin sont magnifiques. (The irises in the garden are beautiful.)
- Elle a dessiné des iris de couleur violette. (She drew purple irises.)
19. Lavandin
Pronunciation: lah-van-dan
Meaning: Light lavender.
In a Sentence:
- Le parfum de lavandin est apaisant. (Lavandin’s scent is soothing.)
- La couverture est de couleur lavandin. (The blanket is lavender-colored.)
20. Pervenche
Pronunciation: pehr-vahnsh
Meaning: Periwinkle-like purple.
In a Sentence:
- La mer semblait pervenche sous le ciel clair. (The sea looked periwinkle under the clear sky.)
- Ses rideaux sont couleur pervenche. (Her curtains are periwinkle-colored.)
21. Figue
Pronunciation: feeg
Meaning: Fig-like purple.
In a Sentence:
- J’aime les figues fraîches de couleur pourpre. (I love fresh purple figs.)
- Sa robe de soirée est figue. (Her evening dress is fig-colored.)
22. Glycine
Pronunciation: glee-seen
Meaning: Wisteria-like purple.
In a Sentence:
- La glycine grimpe sur le mur du jardin. (The wisteria climbs the garden wall.)
- La robe de mariée avait une teinte glycine. (The wedding dress had a wisteria tint.)
23. Aubépine
Pronunciation: oh-bay-peen
Meaning: Hawthorn-like purple.
In a Sentence:
- L’écharpe aubépine lui va bien. (The hawthorn-colored scarf suits her well.)
- Les fleurs d’aubépine sont magnifiques au printemps. (Hawthorn flowers are beautiful in spring.)
24. Raisin Sec
Pronunciation: ray-zan sek
Meaning: Dried grape-like purple.
In a Sentence:
- Le gâteau aux raisins secs était délicieux. (The cake with dried grapes was delicious.)
- J’ai acheté une chemise couleur raisin sec. (I bought a dried grape-colored shirt.)
25. Mélancolie
Pronunciation: may-lan-ko-lee
Meaning: A poetic, dark purple.
In a Sentence:
- L’artiste a utilisé des teintes mélancolie dans son tableau. (The artist used melancholy shades in his painting.)
- Le ciel nocturne avait une nuance mélancolie. (The night sky had a melancholy hue.)
Other Ways to Say “Purple” in French
Here are additional ways to express “purple” in French, including pronunciations, meanings, and example sentences:
| Other Ways to Say | Pronunciation | Meaning | Example Sentences |
| Écarlate | ay-kar-laht | Scarlet (reddish purple) | Le ciel écarlate était magnifique au crépuscule. (The scarlet sky was magnificent at dusk.) |
| Magenta | mah-zhahn-tah | Bright purplish-pink | Elle a choisi une robe magenta pour la fête. (She chose a magenta dress for the party.) |
| Bourgogne | boor-gohn-yuh | Burgundy | Le vin bourgogne est très populaire. (Burgundy wine is very popular.) |
| Framboise | frahm-bwah | Raspberry-like purple | Elle a acheté un pull framboise. (She bought a raspberry-colored sweater.) |
| Cerise | suh-rees | Cherry-like purple | Ses lèvres étaient peintes en cerise. (Her lips were painted cherry red.) |
| Lie-de-vin | lee-duh-va(n) | Wine dregs purple | La nappe était d’un beau lie-de-vin. (The tablecloth was a beautiful wine-dregs purple.) |
| Aubergine Foncé | oh-bair-zheen fon-say | Dark eggplant purple | La voiture aubergine foncé est élégante. (The dark eggplant-colored car is stylish.) |
| Pivoine | pee-vwan | Peony-like purple | Les pivoines sont en fleurs dans le jardin. (The peonies are blooming in the garden.) |
| Crocus | kroh-koos | Crocus flower purple | Les crocus violets annoncent le printemps. (Purple crocuses signal the arrival of spring.) |
| Camélia | kah-may-lee-ah | Camellia-like purple | Son sac à main est camélia. (Her handbag is camellia-colored.) |
| Cosmos | koz-mohs | Cosmos flower purple | Les cosmos fleurissent en été. (Cosmos flowers bloom in summer.) |
| Lavande Clair | lah-vahnd klehr | Light lavender | Le rideau lavande clair illumine la pièce. (The light lavender curtain brightens the room.) |
| Violette Sauvage | vee-oh-leht so-vazh | Wild violet purple | Les violettes sauvages poussent dans le pré. (Wild violets grow in the meadow.) |
| Jacinthe | zhah-sant | Hyacinth-like purple | La jacinthe dégage un parfum envoûtant. (The hyacinth gives off an enchanting fragrance.) |
| Anémone | ah-neh-mohn | Anemone flower purple | Les anémones violettes embellissent le jardin. (Purple anemones beautify the garden.) |
| Iris Royal | ee-ree roy-al | Royal iris purple | Son foulard est d’un violet iris royal. (Her scarf is royal iris purple.) |
| Vigne Rouge | veen roozh | Red vine-like purple | La vigne rouge recouvre le mur. (The red vine covers the wall.) |
Responses to “Purple” in French
When someone mentions the color “purple” in French, you can respond in various ways depending on the context. Here are common responses, including meanings and examples, to help you engage naturally in conversations about colors.
1. C’est une belle couleur.
Meaning: It’s a beautiful color.
In a Sentence:
- J’adore le violet. (I love purple.)
- C’est une belle couleur. (It’s a beautiful color.)
2. J’aime bien cette teinte.
Meaning: I really like that shade.
In a Sentence:
- Que penses-tu de cette robe violette ? (What do you think of this purple dress?)
- J’aime bien cette teinte. (I really like that shade.)
3. C’est ma couleur préférée.
Meaning: It’s my favorite color.
In a Sentence:
- Quelle est ta couleur préférée ? (What’s your favorite color?)
- C’est ma couleur préférée. (It’s my favorite color.)
4. Ça te va bien.
Meaning: It looks good on you.
In a Sentence:
- Que penses-tu de mon pull violet ? (What do you think of my purple sweater?)
- Ça te va bien. (It looks good on you.)
5. C’est très élégant.
Meaning: It’s very elegant.
In a Sentence:
- La nappe est violette. (The tablecloth is purple.)
- C’est très élégant. (It’s very elegant.)
6. Je préfère une couleur plus claire.
Meaning: I prefer a lighter color.
In a Sentence:
- Cette peinture violette est-elle trop foncée ? (Is this purple paint too dark?)
- Je préfère une couleur plus claire. (I prefer a lighter color.)
7. Quelle belle nuance !
Meaning: What a beautiful shade!
In a Sentence:
- Regarde ce coucher de soleil violet ! (Look at this purple sunset!)
- Quelle belle nuance ! (What a beautiful shade!)
8. Ça attire l’attention.
Meaning: It stands out.
In a Sentence:
- Tu as vu sa robe violette ? (Did you see her purple dress?)
- Oui, ça attire l’attention. (Yes, it stands out.)
9. C’est un peu trop vif pour moi.
Meaning: It’s a bit too bright for me.
In a Sentence:
- Tu aimes ce violet flashy ? (Do you like this flashy purple?)
- C’est un peu trop vif pour moi. (It’s a bit too bright for me.)
10. Cette couleur me rappelle le printemps.
Meaning: This color reminds me of spring.
In a Sentence:
- J’aime bien le violet des fleurs. (I really like the purple of flowers.)
- Cette couleur me rappelle le printemps. (This color reminds me of spring.)
11. Très joli choix !
Meaning: A very nice choice!
In a Sentence:
- Que penses-tu de mon nouveau sac violet ? (What do you think of my new purple bag?)
- Très joli choix ! (A very nice choice!)
12. Une couleur pleine de charme.
Meaning: A charming color.
In a Sentence:
- Le tapis violet rend la pièce chaleureuse. (The purple rug makes the room cozy.)
- Oui, une couleur pleine de charme. (Yes, a charming color.)
Exercise to Practice “Purple” in French
Complete the following sentences using the correct word for “purple” in French from the list you’ve learned. After finishing, check your answers and meanings below.
Fill-in-the-Blanks:
- Mon pull préféré est ________.
- Elle a acheté un manteau ________ pour l’hiver.
- Le ciel devient ________ au coucher du soleil.
- Les fleurs dans le jardin sont ________.
- Sa robe de soirée est couleur ________.
- La lavande a une belle teinte ________.
- Mon sac à main est ________, j’adore cette couleur !
- Le raisin est souvent ________ quand il est mûr.
- L’orchidée ________ est magnifique dans le salon.
- Il a peint le mur de sa chambre en ________.
- Son foulard est de couleur ________ pourpre.
- Les violettes ________ poussent au printemps.
Answers with Meanings:
- Violet – My favorite sweater is purple.
- Pourpre – She bought a purple coat for winter.
- Mauve – The sky turns purple at sunset.
- Lavande – The flowers in the garden are lavender.
- Prune – Her evening dress is plum-colored.
- Lilas – Lavender has a beautiful lilac tint.
- Améthyste – My handbag is amethyst, I love that color!
- Raisin – Grapes are often purple when they are ripe.
- Orchidée – The purple orchid looks beautiful in the living room.
- Aubergine – He painted his bedroom wall eggplant purple.
- Pourpre – Her scarf is purple-red colored.
- Violette – Wild violets bloom in spring.
Conclusion
Learning how to say “purple” in French opens up many ways to describe colors in daily conversations. From common shades like violet and mauve to unique terms like prune and aubergine, each word adds variety to your vocabulary. Knowing these words helps you talk about fashion, nature, art, and more.
Keep practicing these expressions and using them in sentences. The more you practice, the easier it will be to remember. Soon, describing shades of purple in French will feel natural. Bonne chance! (Good luck!)