So first letâs see what happens for Thanksgiving in France.
Does France Celebrate Thanksgiving?
Not only France doesnât celebrate Thanksgiving, but the majority of French people donât have a clue about what Thanksgiving is, and how important it is a celebration for our friends to the West.
Thanksgiving tradition is linked to the early British and French settlers that came to the Northern American continent, and it celebrates how these settlers shared their food with their Indian neighbors as a way to say âthank youâ for showing them things they could eat: turkey, corn, sweet potatoesâŠ
As big of a celebration as it is in the US and Canada, thatâs pretty much the only countries that celebrate it (with few exceptions like Liberia or the Norfolk Islands).
For the French, the only idea of Thanksgiving they have is from American movies or sitcoms, where they can see the traditional, and often dysfunctional and/or hilarious, Hollywood view of it. âFriendsâ was a big hit in France and many French people remember Joey getting his head stuck in the turkey!
They are often surprised to find out that Thanksgiving in the US is a 2 days national holiday which is, in many families, more important than Christmas.
And let me tell you, putting together a traditional Thanksgiving meal in France can be a real feat â see why in Olivierâs article!
What is Thanksgiving in French?
French-speaking Canada is where the French language and Thanksgiving really meet.
So the âofficialâ French translation of Thanksgiving is the one used in Canada: âle jour de lâaction de grĂące(s)â (although the English word âThanksgivingâ is also very much used there).
Do The French Really Say âLe Jour De Merci Donnantâ?
Iâve also seen on the internet âle Jour de Merci Donnantâ but my friends from QuĂ©bec told me theyâve never heard it there. I never heard that in France either⊠Looks like this was a popular column by Art Buchwald. Well, itâs now a running joke so you may hear people say âle jour de Merci Donnantâ for Thanksgiving.

French Thanksgiving Vocabulary
Now letâs see the French terms used around Thanksgiving.
- Un festin = a (food) feast
- Une dinde = turkey (note: âle dindonâ is the live animal)
- La farce = the stuffing
- Une purée de pomme de terre = mash potatoes
- Un épis de maïs = corncob (note the pronunciation ma-iss)
- Du pain de maĂŻs = corn bread
- Une sauce de canneberges/airelles = cranberry sauce
- La sauce au jus de viande = gravy (see Olivierâs very own gravy recipe with a French twist)
- Une tarte aux noix de pécans = pecan pie
- Une tarte aux pommes de terre douces = sweet potatoe pie
- Une tarte au potiron = pumpkin pie
- De la guimauve = marshmallow
- Des haricots verts = green beens
- La famille = family
- Une réunion de famille = a family gathering
- Dire ce pourquoi on est reconnaissants = to say what we are grateful for
- Dire merci, remercier = to say thank you, to thank
- La récolte = the harvest
- Les indiens dâAmĂ©rique = Native Americans
- Une colonie = a colony
- Un pĂšlerin = a pilgrim
- Une tradition = a tradition
- Un match de football américain = a football match
What Sound Does a Turkey Make in French?
In French, âla dindeâ (female turkey, also the name for the meat), and âle dindonâ (male turkey) âglougloutentâ â the verb is glouglouter, itâs a regular âerâ verb, and the noun âle glougloutementâ (we also say âglouglouââŠ)


A new approach to learning both traditional and modern French logically structured for English speakers.
Black Friday in France
âBlack Fridayâ marks the start of the Holiday sales in the US (les soldes = sales).
In France, it started around 2015 with only big companies sending out âBlack Fridayâ or âCyberâ sales over the internet or even coupon through the mail. It was still discreet though.
In 2017, I saw it for the first time affecting the stores in my small town of Paimpol, Brittany!
In 2019, itâs all over the Internet! All the online stores have some kind of âblack weekâ, âblack Friday lunches (!!)â (In English â see the picture of my inbox below)âŠ
I thought it would be hilarious to actually ask French people what they think âBlack Fridayâ refers to⊠So I actually went in my small Brittany town street and asked people about it: learn more about âBlack Fridayâ in France and sales vocabulary in my article.

Now letâs see how to thank in French.
Thanks in French
Click the blue text next to the headphone to hear me say that word or sentence in French.
- âMerciâ is âthank youâ. Its pronounced like âmair seeâ (watch out, no âmurâ sound!!)
- âMerci beaucoupâ â âthank you very muchâ.
- âMille mercisâ or âmerci mille foisâ â kind of âthanks a millionâ but itâs only a thousand in French!
- âMerci du fond du coeurâ â thank you from the bottom of my heart
Learn 30 ways to say thank you in French in my in depth article with many examples and different ways of saying thank you and audio recordings.
Another way to say âthank youâ is to use the verb âremercierâ, but it is quite formal in French, much less common than using âmerciâ.
- Je vous remercie pour ce délicieux repas.
I thank you for this delicious meal.
How to say âIâm Grateful Forâ in French
At Thanksgiving, itâs a tradition to go around the table and say what you are grateful for, thankful for that year.
In French, to say you are grateful, the expression is âĂȘtre reconnaissant(e)â
The preposition used after it is a bit tricky:
â âpourâ / âdeâ + something
â âenversâ + someone (sometimes âĂ â but I donât like how it sounds!! It may be outdated now)
- Je suis reconnaissante pour la vie que jâai en France â Iâm thankful for the life I have in France
- Olivier et moi sommes reconnaissants envers tous les gens qui ont acheté nos livres audio : un grand merci à tous !
Olivier and I are thankful to all the people who bought our French audiobooks: a big thank-you to all!
Joyeux jour de lâAction de GrĂące Ă vous et Ă votre famille !
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