Elon.io is an online learning platform
We have an entire course teaching Spanish grammar and vocabulary.
Questions & Answers about El color verde me relaja.
Why is it me and not yo?
Because the person being relaxed is the object, not the subject. The subject is El color verde; therefore you use the object pronoun me (“me”), not the subject pronoun yo (“I”).
Why is the verb relaja (3rd person singular) and not relajo?
The verb agrees with the subject El color verde (3rd person singular), so you use relaja. If you wanted to say “I relax,” you’d say Yo me relajo (reflexive), which is a different structure and meaning.
Is me a direct or an indirect object here?
Direct object. Relajar is a normal transitive verb (“to relax [someone]”), so the person relaxed is the direct object: El color verde me relaja. With a full noun you’d use the personal a: El color verde relaja a María. For emphasis you can combine the strong pronoun with the clitic: A mí el color verde me relaja.
Can I change the word order to Me relaja el color verde?
Yes. Both El color verde me relaja and Me relaja el color verde are correct. Spanish allows this flexibility; fronting Me relaja can put a bit more focus on the effect, while starting with El color verde highlights the cause.
Do I need the word color, or can I just say El verde me relaja?
You can drop color. El verde me relaja is natural; here verde functions as a noun meaning “the color green.” Both versions are common and idiomatic.
Why use the definite article el? In English we don’t say “the green color.”
Spanish often uses the definite article to talk about things in a general sense. El color verde means “green (as a color) in general.” Without the article (Color verde me relaja) is wrong. Un color verde would mean “a (particular) green color,” which changes the meaning.
What happens in the plural?
Make both the subject and the verb plural: Los colores verdes me relajan or Los tonos verdes me relajan. The verb agrees with the subject, not with me.
Does verde agree for gender and number?
- As an adjective: same form for masculine and feminine in the singular (verde) and adds -s for the plural (verdes): coche verde, camisa verde, coches verdes, camisas verdes.
- As a noun meaning the color: el verde (singular), sometimes los verdes (plural) depending on context.
Why not el verde color (adjective before the noun) like in English?
In Spanish, descriptive adjectives usually follow the noun: el color verde. Putting the adjective first (el verde color) is nonstandard or poetic.
Is this verb reflexive, like me relajo?
Here it’s not reflexive. El color verde me relaja = “The color green relaxes me” (transitive). Reflexive me relajo = “I relax (myself).” You can combine ideas: Yo me relajo con el color verde (“I relax with the color green”).
Where does the clitic me go? Can I say El color verde relaja me?
With a conjugated verb, clitics go before it: me relaja, not relaja me. They can attach to an infinitive, gerund, or affirmative command:
- El color verde puede relajarme.
- Ver el color verde me relaja.
- Command (somewhat unusual meaning): Relájame (“Relax me/Calm me down”).
Is this like gustar? Why not Me gusta el color verde?
Different verbs, different meanings:
- Me gusta el color verde = “I like the color green.”
- El color verde me relaja = “The color green relaxes me.” Structurally, gustar behaves differently (the liked thing is the subject), but relajar is a standard transitive verb.
Any spelling, capitalization, or pronunciation tips?
- It’s spelled with j: relajar, relaja (not “relaxar”).
- Color words aren’t capitalized in Spanish: verde.
- Stress: re-LA-ja. In Spain, j is a harsh h-sound (): re-LA-ha.