Color Adjective agreements

MicheleC1Kwiziq Q&A regular contributor

Color Adjective agreements

If a color derives from a real thing or a you have color + a real thing the color adjective never agrees according to the lesson.  Therefore, I am confused as to why an example in a quiz marked the following incorrect:

X une chemise bleu marin

I am given :  une chemise bleue marine    as the correct response

Marin is sailor or seafarer which is a real thing. This lead me to believe there would be no agreement.

Asked 2 years ago
MaartenC1 Kwiziq Q&A super contributor Correct answer

Bleu marine is correct. It is an invariable compound adjective. (It does not derive from the word 'marin' but from marine directly).

https://www.wordreference.com/fren/marine

MaxC1Kwiziq Q&A regular contributor

Per WordReference, marine is not a feminine form of marin. Un marin = a sailor. Marine is the navy itself and is arguably a thing that supplies the color adjective and is therefore invariable. I think the way to handle this is to think of as an invariable compound adjective, go with the flow, and remember that . 

Color Adjective agreements

If a color derives from a real thing or a you have color + a real thing the color adjective never agrees according to the lesson.  Therefore, I am confused as to why an example in a quiz marked the following incorrect:

X une chemise bleu marin

I am given :  une chemise bleue marine    as the correct response

Marin is sailor or seafarer which is a real thing. This lead me to believe there would be no agreement.

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