colorar

See also: cołorar

Catalan

Alternative forms

• acolorar

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin colōrāre.

Verb

colorar (first-person singular present coloro, first-person singular preterite colorí, past participle colorat)

1. (transitive) to colour

   Synonym: acolorir

Conjugation

    Central Catalan conjugation of colorar (first conjugation)

infinitive			colorar
gerund			colorant
past participle				masculine		feminine
		singular		colorat		colorada
		plural		colorats		colorades
person		singular			plural
		first	second	third	first	second	third
indicative		jo	tu	ell/ella vostè	nosaltres nós	vosaltres vós	ells/elles vostès
	present	coloro	colores	colora	colorem	coloreu	coloren
	imperfect	colorava	coloraves	colorava	coloràvem	coloràveu	coloraven
	future	coloraré	coloraràs	colorarà	colorarem	colorareu	coloraran
	preterite	colorí	colorares	colorà	coloràrem	coloràreu	coloraren
	conditional	coloraria	coloraries	coloraria	coloraríem	coloraríeu	colorarien
subjunctive		jo	tu	ell/ella vostè	nosaltres nós	vosaltres vós	ells/elles vostès
	present	colori	coloris	colori	colorem	coloreu	colorin
	imperfect	colorés	coloressis	colorés	coloréssim	coloréssiu	coloressin
imperative		—	tu	vostè	nosaltres	vosaltres vós	vostès
	affirmative	—	colora	colori	colorem	coloreu	colorin
	negative (no)	—	no coloris	no colori	no colorem	no coloreu	no colorin

Derived terms

• colorable
• coloració
• colorament
• colorant

Related terms

• color

Further reading

• “colorar”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2026

Portuguese

Etymology

Etymology tree

Proto-Indo-European *ḱel-

Proto-Indo-European *-os

Proto-Indo-European *-s

Proto-Indo-European *-ōs

Proto-Indo-European *ḱélōs

Proto-Italic *kelōs

Old Latin colōs

Latin color

Proto-Indo-European *-h₂

Proto-Indo-European *-éh₂

Proto-Indo-European *-yéti

Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂yéti

Proto-Indo-European *-h₂tiinflu.

Proto-Italic *-ājō

Proto-Italic *-āō

Latin -ō

Latin colōrārelbor.

Portuguese colorar

Learned borrowing from Latin colōrāre. Doublet of corar.

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ko.loˈɾa(ʁ)/ [ko.loˈɾa(h)]

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ko.loˈɾa(ʁ)/ [ko.loˈɾa(h)]
  • (São Paulo) IPA^(key): /ko.loˈɾa(ɾ)/
  • (Rio de Janeiro) IPA^(key): /ko.loˈɾa(ʁ)/ [ko.loˈɾa(χ)]
  • (Caipira) IPA^(key): /ko.loˈɾa(ɻ)/

 

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ku.luˈɾaɾ/

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ku.luˈɾaɾ/
  • (Southern Portugal) IPA^(key): /ku.luˈɾa.ɾi/

Verb

colorar (first-person singular present coloro, first-person singular preterite colorei, past participle colorado)

1. to color/colour

   Synonym: colorir

Conjugation

    Conjugation of colorar (See Appendix:Portuguese verbs)

	Singular			Plural
	First-person (eu)	Second-person (tu)	Third-person (ele / ela / você)	First-person (nós)	Second-person (vós)	Third-person (eles / elas / vocês)
Infinitive
Impersonal	colorar
Personal	colorar	colorares	colorar	colorarmos	colorardes	colorarem
Gerund
	colorando
Past participle
Masculine	colorado			colorados
Feminine	colorada			coloradas
Indicative
Present	coloro	coloras	colora	coloramos	colorais	coloram
Imperfect	colorava	coloravas	colorava	colorávamos	coloráveis	coloravam
Preterite	colorei	coloraste	colorou	coloramos1, colorámos2	colorastes	coloraram
Pluperfect	colorara	coloraras	colorara	coloráramos	coloráreis	coloraram
Future	colorarei	colorarás	colorará	coloraremos	colorareis	colorarão
Conditional	coloraria	colorarias	coloraria	coloraríamos	coloraríeis	colorariam
Subjunctive
Present	colore	colores	colore	coloremos	coloreis	colorem
Imperfect	colorasse	colorasses	colorasse	colorássemos	colorásseis	colorassem
Future	colorar	colorares	colorar	colorarmos	colorardes	colorarem
Imperative
Affirmative		colora	colore	coloremos	colorai	colorem
Negative (não)		não colores	não colore	não coloremos	não coloreis	não colorem

¹Brazilian Portuguese.
²European Portuguese.

Further reading

• “colorar”, in Dicionário Aulete Digital (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon Editora Digital, 2008–2026
• “colorar”, in Dicionário Priberam da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Lisbon: Priberam, 2008–2026

Spanish

Etymology

Probably derived from the noun color, or possibly from Latin colorāre, but in this form probably taken as a semi-learned term. Cf. the inherited corlar (“apply a varnish to something to make it appear golden”). Compare also Portuguese corar.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /koloˈɾaɾ/ [ko.loˈɾaɾ]
• Rhymes: -aɾ
• Syllabification: co‧lo‧rar

Verb

colorar (first-person singular present coloro, first-person singular preterite coloré, past participle colorado)

1. to dye, tint
2. (dated) to color

   Synonym: colorear

Conjugation

    Conjugation of colorar (See Appendix:Spanish verbs)

infinitive			colorar
gerund			colorando
past participle				masculine		feminine
		singular		colorado		colorada
		plural		colorados		coloradas
		singular			plural
		1st person	2nd person	3rd person	1st person	2nd person	3rd person
indicative		yo	tú vos	él/ella/ello usted	nosotros nosotras	vosotros vosotras	ellos/ellas ustedes
	present	coloro	colorastú colorásvos	colora	coloramos	coloráis	coloran
	imperfect	coloraba	colorabas	coloraba	colorábamos	colorabais	coloraban
	preterite	coloré	coloraste	coloró	coloramos	colorasteis	coloraron
	future	coloraré	colorarás	colorará	coloraremos	coloraréis	colorarán
	conditional	coloraría	colorarías	coloraría	coloraríamos	coloraríais	colorarían
subjunctive		yo	tú vos	él/ella/ello usted	nosotros nosotras	vosotros vosotras	ellos/ellas ustedes
	present	colore	colorestú colorésvos2	colore	coloremos	coloréis	coloren
	imperfect (ra)	colorara	coloraras	colorara	coloráramos	colorarais	coloraran
	imperfect (se)	colorase	colorases	colorase	colorásemos	coloraseis	colorasen
	future1	colorare	colorares	colorare	coloráremos	colorareis	coloraren
imperative		—	tú vos	usted	nosotros nosotras	vosotros vosotras	ustedes
	affirmative		coloratú colorávos	colore	coloremos	colorad	coloren
	negative		no colores	no colore	no coloremos	no coloréis	no coloren

¹Rare; now chiefly used in legal language.
²Argentine and Uruguayan voseo prefers the tuteo-form for the present subjunctive.

    Selected combined forms of colorar

These forms are generated automatically and may not actually be used. Pronoun usage varies by region.

		singular			plural
		1st person	2nd person	3rd person	1st person	2nd person	3rd person
with infinitive colorar	dative	colorarme	colorarte	colorarle, colorarse	colorarnos	coloraros	colorarles, colorarse
	accusative	colorarme	colorarte	colorarlo, colorarla, colorarse	colorarnos	coloraros	colorarlos, colorarlas, colorarse
with gerund colorando	dative	colorándome	colorándote	colorándole, colorándose	colorándonos	colorándoos	colorándoles, colorándose
	accusative	colorándome	colorándote	colorándolo, colorándola, colorándose	colorándonos	colorándoos	colorándolos, colorándolas, colorándose
with informal second-person singular tuteo imperative colora	dative	colórame	colórate	colórale	colóranos	not used	colórales
	accusative	colórame	colórate	colóralo, colórala	colóranos	not used	colóralos, colóralas
with informal second-person singular voseo imperative colorá	dative	colorame	colorate	colorale	coloranos	not used	colorales
	accusative	colorame	colorate	coloralo, colorala	coloranos	not used	coloralos, coloralas
with formal second-person singular imperative colore	dative	colóreme	not used	colórele, colórese	colórenos	not used	colóreles
	accusative	colóreme	not used	colórelo, colórela, colórese	colórenos	not used	colórelos, colórelas
with first-person plural imperative coloremos	dative	not used	colorémoste	colorémosle	colorémonos	colorémoos	colorémosles
	accusative	not used	colorémoste	colorémoslo, colorémosla	colorémonos	colorémoos	colorémoslos, colorémoslas
with informal second-person plural imperative colorad	dative	coloradme	not used	coloradle	coloradnos	coloraos	coloradles
	accusative	coloradme	not used	coloradlo, coloradla	coloradnos	coloraos	coloradlos, coloradlas
with formal second-person plural imperative coloren	dative	colórenme	not used	colórenle	colórennos	not used	colórenles, colórense
	accusative	colórenme	not used	colórenlo, colórenla	colórennos	not used	colórenlos, colórenlas, colórense

Related terms

• color
• coloración
• colorado
• colorante
• colorete
• colorido

Further reading

• “colorar”, in Diccionario de la lengua española [Dictionary of the Spanish Language] (in Spanish), online version 23.8.1, Royal Spanish Academy [Spanish: Real Academia Española], 15 December 2025