fagiolo
/faˈd͡ʒɔ.lo/masculine
The Italian word for bean is fagiolo.
Fagiolo refers to the seed of a Fabaceae plant. While you can use the singular form to talk about a single bean, it is much more common to use the plural form, fagioli, when referring to beans as a food item or as part of a dish in a general sense.
Meaning: seed of a Fabaceae plant (noun)
Is it said differently in some regions?
In some regions of Italy, particularly in central and southern Italy, the word Grano may be used informally as a synonym for bean.
How does it change in a sentence?
The plural form of fagiolo is fagioli.
How do you pronounce it?
The word has 3 syllables, with the stress on the 2nd syllable: /faˈdʒɔ.lo/.
When do people say it?
Minestra di Fagioli is a traditional Italian bean soup.
Did you know?
- In traditional Italian folk beliefs, some regions once associated beans with the spirits of the dead or bad luck, leading to specific customs regarding how they were planted.
- In some Italian idioms, the word fagiolo is used to describe something tiny or insignificant. For example, a very small amount of money or a tiny object might be compared to a single bean.
- The word fagiolo is an etymological relative of the English word 'phaseolus', which is used in botanical Latin to name the bean genus.
Examples in context
- Io mangio un fagiolo.I eat one bean.This sentence shows how to use the singular form fagiolo.Tatoeba #14041242 by Guybrush88, translation #10508890 by mollydot
- Un piatto di fagioli, per favoreA plate of beans, please.
- Ho cucinato dei fagioli verdi per cenaI cooked green beans for dinner.
- Mi piacciono i fagioliI like beans
- Risotto con fagioliRisotto with beans
- Una zuppa di fagioliA soup of beans
- Vorrei provare la pasta e fagioliI would like to try the pasta and beans.
- Vorrei la minestra di fagioliI would like the bean soup.
- Questo fagiolo è molto piccolo.This bean is very small.
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Alessandro and Giulia are cooking dinner together.
- AlessandroGiulia, passa quel fagiolo per favore.Giulia, pass that bean please.
- GiuliaEcco qui, Alessandro.Here it is, Alessandro.
- AlessandroGrazie, questo fagiolo è perfetto.Thanks, this bean is perfect.
- GiuliaPrego, mettilo nella pentola.You're welcome, put it in the pot.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “bean” translations and entries fagiolo, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries fagiolo, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
