aceituna
/aθeiˈtuna/feminine
The English word "olive" is translated into Spanish as aceituna or oliva.
Meaning: fruit (noun)
Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| aceituna | /aθeiˈtuna/ /aseiˈtuna/ |
feminine |
| oliva | /oˈliba/ | feminine |
The word refers to the fruit of the olive tree. When you are ordering food, talking about olives as a snack or referring to olives as an ingredient, aceituna is the standard term used in most Spanish-speaking countries. The related adjective aceitunado is used to describe an olive-green color.
Which one should you use?
While both words refer to the fruit, aceituna is the most common word, especially when referring to the food item itself. Note that the masculine noun olivo is used specifically for the olive tree.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
Both aceituna and oliva are feminine nouns. The word for the tree, olivo, is the masculine counterpart to these feminine fruit names.
How do you pronounce it?
/aθeiˈtuna/
Did you know?
- Through a complex linguistic journey, the word aceituna is a distant relative of the English word 'satin'.
- In Spanish, the tree is olivo and the fruit is aceituna. This creates a linguistic gap where the name of the fruit does not share the same root as the tree it grows on.
Examples in context
- ¿Tienes aceite de oliva?Do you have olive oil?This sentence is useful for asking about olive oil using the word oliva.Tatoeba #7739264 by arh, translation #10511610 by ddnktr
- Tom murió ahogado con un hueso de aceituna.Tom choked to death on an olive pit.This sentence is useful for describing an accident involving an aceituna pit.Tatoeba #11860302 by Seael, translation #3361765 by _undertoad
- Hay que recoger la cosecha, los olivos están repletos de aceitunas.The harvest must be gathered, the olive trees are full of olives.This sentence is useful for talking about a harvest of aceituna.Tatoeba #10137041 by saverius, translation #13023364 by saverius
- Esta receta lleva aceite de oliva de alta calidad.This recipe uses high-quality olive oil.
- ¿Puedes pasar las aceitunas?Can you pass the olives?
- Me encanta el sabor de una buena pizza con aceite de oliva.I love the taste of a good pizza with olive oil.
- Me gustan las manzanillas más que las negras.I prefer green olives over black ones.
- 12 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Daniel and Elena are preparing a snack at home.
- DanielElena, ¿quieres una aceituna?Elena, do you want an olive?
- ElenaNo, gracias, no me gustan las aceitunas.No, thanks, I don't like olives.
- DanielEs una lástima, son muy ricas.That's a shame, they are very tasty.
- ElenaPrefiero comer un poco de queso.I prefer to eat some cheese.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “olive” translations and entries aceituna, oliva, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries aceituna, oliva, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
