Log inSign up

Me da igual el color.

Me da igual el color.
The colour is all the same to me.
From Lesson 265:Verbs of emotional reaction (dar)·Spanish (Latin America)

Questions & Answers about Me da igual el color.

Why is the verb da instead of doy if I am the one who doesn't care?
Expressions with dar for emotions or reactions work a lot like the verb gustar. The actual subject of this sentence is el color. Literally, the sentence is saying "The color gives the same to me." Because el color is doing the giving, we use the "it" form of the verb (da), and you are just the receiver (me).
The lesson focuses on dar + noun (like dar miedo), but is igual a noun here?
No, igual is an adjective that translates to "equal" or "the same." However, the phrase dar igual is a very common set expression that functions just like the dar + noun reactions you are learning. It literally means "to give equal," but it is used to express that you do not care or that something makes no difference to you.
If I didn't care about "the colors" (plural), would I say Me dan iguales los colores?
Almost! You would say Me dan igual los colores. The verb changes to dan because "the colors" are now plural. But igual does not become plural (iguales) here because in this specific expression, it acts like an adverb meaning "equally," so it stays exactly the same regardless of the subject.
Can I put el color at the beginning of the sentence?
Yes, you can say El color me da igual. Both word orders are perfectly natural. However, putting the subject at the end is extremely common in Spanish for verbs that work like gustar, especially when you want to emphasize your reaction (Me da igual) before mentioning what caused it.

Learn Me da igual el color and more in Spanish

All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.

  • ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
  • ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
  • ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free
Start learning Spanish →