"Banana" in Spanish

Quick Answer

Banana in Spanish can be translated as la banana, el banano, el cambur, el guineo, or el plátanodepending on the region and the context. Keep reading to learn all about banana in Spanish!

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Questions This Article Answers

How do you say banana in Spanish?

What are bananas called in different Spanish-speaking countries?

What's the difference between a banana and a plantain?

Banana in Spanish: Banana as in the Fruit

Let us warn you: the translation for banana can depend on the region and the variety of fruit we are talking about. In fact—in some cases—the Spanish word can mean a different fruit altogether in different regions! In this article, we’ll look at the different ways to say banana in Spanish, and we’ll briefly discuss the ways the word can change depending on the region. So, how do we refer to the fruit we call banana in English?

Spanish	Region
la banana	Panama, South America
el banano	Andes, Central America
el cambur	Venezuela
el guineo	Central America, Caribbean, Ecuador
el plátano	Understood in most of the Spanish-speaking world!

Check out these bananatastic examples!

examples
Procuramos siempre comprar plátanos de Canarias. We always make an attempt to buy bananas grown on the Canary Islands.
Hoy toca fruta para el almuerzo en el cole, hijo. ¿Quieres un banano o prefieres manzana hoy? Today you need to bring fruit for a snack at school, son. Would you like a banana or would you prefer an apple today?
Marc hace el mejor pan de guineo que he probado jamás. Marc makes the best banana bread that I have ever tried.

Bananas are not the only tricky fruit in Spanish! Check out our article on lemons and limes!

Banana in Spanish: Banana as in the Plant

We can also use the word banana to refer to the plant. In this case, we use many of the same words that we use to talk about the fruit. How can we say banana in Spanish to refer to the plant? bananatree

Spanish	Region
la banana	Panama, South America
el banano	Andes, Central America
el bananero	Southern Cone
el guineo	Central America, Caribbean, Ecuador
el plátano	Understood in most of the Spanish-speaking world!

For example:

examples
¿Puede dar fruto un bananero plantado en maceta? Can a banana tree in a pot bear fruit?
José tiene un precioso guineo en su jardín. José has a gorgeous banana plant in his yard.

Banana in Spanish: Banana vs. Plantain

Ok, you might think this is a little bananas, but did you know there are different types of bananas that actually look and taste a bit different? We could spend a lot of time on this section, but let’s just go over one of the major differences: banana vs. plantain.

Plátano can refer to both bananas and plantains. While some regions refer to plantains as plátanos grandes, plátanos machos, maduros, maduritosor plátanos verdes, others simply say plátano. How can you tell the difference? Plantains are usually significantly bigger than bananas.

Banana in Spanish: Phrases with Banana

We use the word banana in English in several different phrases. But how do we say these phrases in Spanish? Let’s take a look:

Spanish	English
el mero mero(Mexico), el que corta el bacalao	top banana (boss, leader)
pan de plátano	banana bread
ponerse como loco	to go bananas (to get angry)
volverse loco	to go bananas (to become excited)

For example:

examples
La que corta el bacalao aquí es María. Debes hablar con ella. The top banana here is María. You need to talk to her.
Hay un mirlo que se pone como loco cuando salimos por la puerta principal. Creo que tiene un nido cerca. There’s a blackbird that goes bananas when we go out the front door. I think it has a nest close by.
David se volvió loco cuando se enteró que venía Metallica a su ciudad. David went bananas when he heard Metallica was coming to his city.

Banana in Spanish: Phrases with Plátano

We thought you might also be interested in the following phrases in Spanish that use plátano:

Estar alguien más pelado que un plátano(Cuba): This phrase means that someone is broke. Its literal translation would be: to be more peeled than a banana, but given that peladois a colloquial way to say broke, it’s a figurative expression that means to be flat broke.
No comer plátano por no botar la cáscara(Peru): This phrase means that someone is very stingy. Its literal translation is, roughly, to not eat a banana so that they don't have to throw out the peel!