French Thanksgiving Terms

Thanksgiving is not celebrated in France, so here is some French vocabulary related to the American holiday, which occurs each year on the fourth Thursday in November.

Thanksgiving   le jour de l'action de grâce

autumn, fall   l'automne

colony   une colonie

family   la famille

feast   un festin, un banquet

football   le football américain

grateful (adj)   reconnaissant

harvest   la récolte

horn of plenty   la corne d'abondance

native (adj)   indigène

(Native American) Indians    les Indiens (d'Amérique)

November   novembre

parade   une parade

Pilgrims   les pèlerins

settler   un colonisateur

to share   partager

thanks   les remerciements

Thursday   jeudi

tradition   une tradition

traditional (adj)   traditionnel

treaty   un pacte

tribe   une tribu


The food served for the Thanksgiving feast varies from home to home, but here are some traditional dishes.

food   la nourriture

bread   le pain

corn   le maïs

cranberry   la canneberge

gravy   la sauce au jus de viande

mashed potatoes   la purée

pumpkin pie   la tarte à la citrouille

stuffing   la farce

sweet potato   la patate douce

turkey   la dinde

yam   un igname


Quiz on French Thanksgiving vocabulary

More French vocabulary

• French food
• French calendar
• French expressions of gratitude

Vegetarian Thanksgiving menu