01
gelb
yellow
Describes the color of things like lemons, the sun, or ripe bananas.
example
Im Herbst werden die Blätter der Bäume oft gelb und rot.
In autumn, the leaves of the trees often turn yellow and red.
gelb
yellow
Checking...
Loading your saved state.
Meanings
01 / 02
Usage tips
Adverbial use
The adjective 'gelb' (yellow) can also be used like an adverb to describe the result of an action. It then remains unchanged at the end of the sentence.
EXAMPLE
Wir haben die Wände im Kinderzimmer gelb gestrichen.
We painted the walls in the children's room yellow.
Signal color
The color yellow is often used as a signal or warning color. Well-known examples are the yellow traffic light in road traffic or the yellow card in sports.
EXAMPLE
Der Schiedsrichter zeigte dem Spieler die Gelbe Karte.
The referee showed the player the yellow card.
Context clue
You can recognize the meaning 'blass' (pale) or 'krank' (sick) by the fact that 'gelb' (yellow) refers to a person's face or is connected with a strong emotion such as envy or anger.
EXAMPLE
Nach der langen Nacht sah sie ganz gelb im Gesicht aus.
After the long night, she looked quite yellow in the face.
Fixed expression
In the figurative meaning, 'gelb' (yellow) is often used in the fixed expression 'gelb vor Neid werden' (to turn yellow with envy). It describes someone being very envious.
EXAMPLE
Als er das neue Auto seines Nachbarn sah, wurde er blass und gelb vor Neid.
When he saw his neighbor's new car, he turned pale and yellow with envy.
Compare with
gelb vs grün
green
'grün' and 'gelb' are both color words and are therefore easy to mix up, especially when you are still learning colors. 'grün' is the color of grass or fresh leaves. 'gelb' is the color of lemons or ripe bananas. In many everyday situations, the difference is important, for example with clothing, fruit, or traffic signs. Remember: meadows and leaves are 'grün', lemons and the sun are 'gelb'.
gelb
In der Pause nimmt sie den gelben Ordner aus ihrer Tasche.
During the break, she takes the yellow folder out of her bag.
grün
Emma hat am Wochenende ein grünes Kleid für die Feier gekauft.
Emma bought a green dress for the party at the weekend.
In real life
Loading video examples...