French beans are narrow green beans that are eaten as a vegetable. They grow on a tall climbing plant and are the cases that contain the seeds of the plant. a long thin green vegetable that is usually cooked and eaten whole = green bean
Green beans (American English) or French beans (British English) are the unripe fruits of any kind of bean, including the yardlong bean, the hyacinth bean, the winged bean, and especially the common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris), whose pods are also usually called string beans in the northeastern United States, but can also go by snap beans. Varieties have been bred especially for the fleshiness, flavor, or sweetness of their pods. Smaller bean pods are often referred to by the French name haricots verts. Apparently, the Pea is also classed as a Green Bean in the USA