Meaning
coal
- charcoal
In a sentence
In inverno usavano il carbone per scaldare la casa.
In winter they used coal to heat the house.
Hai comprato il carbone per fare la grigliata?
Did you buy the charcoal for the barbecue?
Non toccare il carbone, ti sporchi le mani.
Don't touch the charcoal, you'll get your hands dirty.
Word forms (2)
| Word | Word forms |
|---|---|
| carbone | masculine · singular |
| carboni | masculine · plural |
Usage notes
- Use carbone for the fuel/mineral. Carbonio is the chemical element carbon; learners often confuse the two.
- For grilling, Italians usually say carbonella or carbone di legna, not just carbone, when they mean charcoal briquettes.
- In everyday speech, nero come il carbone means very black; it is common and idiomatic.