olio d'oliva
/ˈɔ.ljo d‿oˈli.va/masculine
The English phrase 'olive oil' is olio d'oliva in Italian. Wiktionary also lists olio di oliva.
Meaning: oil pressed from olives (noun)
Ways to say it
| Italian | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| olio d'oliva | /ˈɔ.ljo d‿oˈli.va/ | masculine |
| olio di oliva | /ˈɔ.ljo di oˈli.va/ | masculine |
Olio d'oliva refers to oil pressed from olives. In a colloquial setting, you may also hear Olio extra used to refer to extra-virgin olive oil.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase olio d'oliva literally translates to 'oil of olive'.
Which one should you use?
Olio d'oliva uses the elided form of 'di' (d'), which is more common in standard and spoken Italian. In contrast, olio di oliva is slightly more formal or used when emphasizing the specific type of olive.
How do you pronounce it?
It has 4 syllables, and the stress is on the 1st syllable.
Did you know?
- While 'oil' in English refers to many substances, in many Italian regions, if a recipe simply says aggiungi l'olio, it is almost certainly assumed to be olive oil.
- The word oliva likely comes from the Etruscan word eleiva, the language of the people who lived in Italy before the Romans.
- The word olio is used in Italian idioms to describe something smooth or easy, such as the phrase come l'olio, meaning 'like oil'.
Examples in context
- Questo è olio d'oliva.This is olive oil.The sentence is useful for identifying the oil using olio d'oliva.Tatoeba #13284328 by Guybrush88, translation #8962729 by CK
- Ha dell'olio di oliva?Do you have any olive oil?The sentence is useful for asking if someone has some olio di oliva.Tatoeba #13284352 by Guybrush88, translation #12210588 by CK
- Mi piace l'olio d'oliva.I like olive oil.The sentence is useful for expressing a preference for olio d'oliva.Tatoeba #6609534 by Guybrush88, translation #6922437 by CK
- Mi scusi, potrebbe passarmi l'olio d'oliva?Excuse me, could you pass me the olive oil?
- Potrebbe darmi un po' di olio extravergine d'oliva, per favore?Could you give me some extra-virgin olive oil, please?
- Mi passi l'olio extra, per favore?Could you pass me the extra-virgin oil, please?
- 52 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Martina and Alessandro are shopping in a grocery store.
- MartinaAlessandro, dobbiamo comprare l'olio d'oliva.Alessandro, we need to buy olive oil.
- AlessandroQuale olio d'oliva prendiamo?Which olive oil should we get?
- MartinaPrendi quello biologico, è più buono.Get the organic one, it is better.
- AlessandroVa bene, lo metto nel carrello.Okay, I'll put it in the cart.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “olive oil” translations and entries olio d'oliva, olio di oliva, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries di, olio, oliva, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
