olive
/ɔ.liv/feminine
The English word "olive" is translated into French as olive.
olive refers to the fruit of the olive tree. To refer to the tree itself, use olivier and to refer to an olive grove, use oliveraie. When describing oil made from these fruits, use the construction huile d'olive, which literally means "oil of olive".
Meaning: fruit (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
The noun is feminine, so you would use the indefinite article une when referring to an olive (une olive).
How do you pronounce it?
/ɔ.liv/
Did you know?
- In French history, the rameau d'olivier or olive branch is a potent symbol of peace, echoing the biblical story of Noah's dove.
- The word olive shares its root with the French word olivâtre, which is used to describe a dull, brownish-green color often seen in certain fabrics or skin tones.
- While olive is the fruit, the French word for a 'pit' or 'stone' inside the fruit is noyau, which is the same word used for the pit of a peach or a cherry.
Examples in context
- Tu as de l'huile d'olive ?Do you have olive oil?This sentence shows how to ask if someone has olive oil using olive.Tatoeba #10511621 by lbdx, translation #10511610 by ddnktr
- Il boit de l'huile d'olive.He drinks olive oil.This sentence demonstrates the use of olive in the phrase for olive oil.Tatoeba #12495103 by always, translation #8233142 by Amastan
- Tom a une peau d'olive tannée.Tom has tanned olive skin.This sentence uses olive to describe skin tone.Tatoeba #6297554 by Scorpionvenin14, translation #6296928 by Hybrid
- Le plat est garni d'olives noires et vertes.The dish is garnished with black and green olives.
- On dirait que tu aimes les olives autant que moi!It seems like you love olives as much as I do!
- J'ai acheté des olives pour l'apéritif ce soir.I bought some olives for the appetizer tonight.
- J'aime les petites olives noires.I like small black olives.
- La salade niçoise est préparée avec des tomates, des œufs, des haricots verts, et bien sûr, des olives.The Niçoise salad is prepared with tomatoes, eggs, green beans, and, of course, olives.
- Nous nous sommes promenés dans une vieille oliveraie.We took a stroll through an old olive grove.
- 18 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Hugo and Léa are preparing a snack platter.
- HugoOn a encore des olives ?Do we still have some olives?
- LéaOui, il y a une olive verte.Yes, there is one green olive.
- HugoJe préfère l'olive noire.I prefer the black olive.
- LéaPrends celle-ci alors, Hugo.Take this one then, Hugo.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “olive” translations and entries olive, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
