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O casaco é cor de laranja.

O casaco é cor de laranja.
The coat is orange.
From Lesson 34:Colours (vermelho, amarelo, cor-de-rosa)·Portuguese (Portugal)

Breakdown of O casaco é cor de laranja.

ser
to be
o casaco
the coat
cor de laranja
orange (colour)

Questions & Answers about O casaco é cor de laranja.

Why is the word for orange three words (cor de laranja)?
In Portuguese, some colors are named after objects in nature. Laranja actually means the fruit (an orange). To say the color orange, you literally say "color of orange" (cor de laranja). You will also see this with pink: cor-de-rosa (color of rose).
Do I need to change cor de laranja to match masculine or plural words?
No! Because it is a phrase meaning "color of an orange", it never changes to match the noun. If you had multiple coats, you would just say: Os casacos são cor de laranja. It stays exactly the same.
Why do we use é instead of está for a color?
We use é (from the verb ser) because the color of an object is considered a permanent, built-in characteristic. The verb estar (está) is only used for temporary states, like if the coat was currently wet or dirty.
Can I just say O casaco é laranja?
In everyday spoken Portuguese, people often take a shortcut and just say laranja for the color. However, cor de laranja is the traditional and grammatically strict way to say it in Portugal, so it is the safest phrase to learn first.

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