French Christmas Market – French Story & Translation

Author: Chantal

Discover the French Christmas markets through the eyes of a young French immersion student & practice your French with this French English bilingual story written in easy French.

Use the floating blue icon in the bottom right to hide/reveal the English translations below or just click here.

Bonjour, je m’appelle Savannah, je suis australienne, j’ai 17 ans et je suis chez Chantal pour une semaine d‘immersion en France chez le prof pour amĂ©liorer mon français. Nous sommes au mois dĂ©cembre, et donc, j’ai eu la joie d’aider Chantal avec ses prĂ©parations pour NoĂ«l, et aussi de dĂ©couvrir les marchĂ©s de NoĂ«l français.

Hi, my name is Savannah, I’m Australian, I’m 17 and I’m at Chantal’s for a week of immersion homestay at a French teacher in France to better my French. It’s December, and therefore I was happy to help Chantal with her Christmas preparations, and also to discover the French Christmas markets.

1 – A Christmas Market in France

Hier, avec Chantal, nous sommes allĂ©es Ă  Amiens au marchĂ© de NoĂ«l. Il y avait beaucoup de petits chalets rouges qui vendaient une grande variĂ©tĂ© de choses : des dĂ©corations de NoĂ«l, de jolis vĂȘtements artisanaux, des bougies (j’en ai achetĂ© une pour ma mĂšre en Australie) , et bien sĂ»r beaucoup de spĂ©cialitĂ©s gastronomiques françaises et aussi de nourriture Ă  manger sur place.

Yesterday, with Chantal, we went to Amiens to the Christmas market. There were lots of little red chalets which were selling a large variety of things: Christmas ornaments, pretty artisanal clothes, candles (I bought one for my Mom in Australia), and of course, a lot of fancy French food specialties and also some food to eat on the spot.

C’était trĂšs joli et pittoresque mais il faisait vraiment froid, alors Chantal m’a dit :

  • « Tu veux manger une gaufre et boire un chocolat chaud ? Â»
  • « Oh oui, volontiers, une gaufre avec du Nutella, mais je prĂ©fĂšrerais un cafĂ© au lait si c’est possible Â».

 It was pretty and picturesque, but it was very cold so Chantal told me:

  • Do you want to eat a waffle and drink a hot chocolate?
  • Oh yes, please, a waffle with Nutella, but I would prefer a coffee with milk, if it’s possible.
christmas immersion in France

2 – Christmas Tree Decoration

Quand nous sommes rentrĂ©es Ă  la maison, Chantal m’a demandĂ© :

  • Est-ce que tu voudrais bien dĂ©corer le sapin avec moi ?

J’étais d’accord bien sĂ»r, car j’adore dĂ©corer le sapin avec ma famille quand je suis pour NoĂ«l en Australie.
Cette annĂ©e sera un peu bizarre parce que c’est la premiĂšre fois que je ne serai pas lĂ  pour NoĂ«l.

When we turned back home, Chantal asked me:

  • “would you like to decorate the Christmas tree with me?”

I agreed of course because during Christmas in Australia, I love decorating the Christmas tree with my family. This year will be a bit weird because it’s the first time, I won’t be there for Xmas.

christmas immersion in France

3 – French Christmas Ornaments

Pour la dĂ©coration du sapin, Chantal a apportĂ© une boite pleine de boules de NoĂ«l et de guirlandes. J’ai commencĂ© par installer la guirlande Ă©lectrique, puis j’ai accrochĂ© les boules. Il y en a des blanches avec des perles, des transparentes, des boules scintillantes, et des flocons de neige.

For the decoration of the Xmas tree, Chantal brought me a box full of tinsels and Xmas balls. I started with the lights then I hung the baubles. There are some white with pearls, some transparent, some twinkling balls and some snowflakes.

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Mais la dĂ©coration que je prĂ©fĂšre, ce sont des anges posĂ©s sur des plumes. On dirait qu’ils sont posĂ©s sur des nuages. Ils sont vraiment mignons !

 But the decoration I prefer, is angels set on down. It looks like they are sitting on clouds. They are so cute!

christmas immersion in France

VoilĂ , le sapin est terminĂ©, il est tout blanc et je le trouve trĂšs joli. Chez moi, c’est trĂšs diffĂ©rent car notre sapin est toujours trĂšs colorĂ©.
Maintenant, il n’y a plus qu’à attendre NoĂ«l pour mettre les cadeaux sous le sapin.

Here, the tree is done, it’s all white and I find it very pretty. At home in Australia, it’s very different because our Xmas tree is always very colorful.Now, we only must wait for Christmas to set the presents under the tree.

Chantal m’a dit :

  • « dans ma famille, c’est le soir du rĂ©veillon, donc le 24 dĂ©cembre Ă  l’apĂ©ritif que nous ouvrons les cadeaux. Chez d’autres personnes, les enfants doivent attendre le matin du 25 dĂ©cembre. Â»

 Chantal told me:

  • “in my family, it’s at Xmas Eve, the 24th of December that we open the gifts. By others, children must wait until the morning of the 25th”.

J’ai hĂąte d’ĂȘtre Ă  NoĂ«l !
Joyeux Noël à tous.

I can’t wait for Christmas!
Merry Christmas to everyone.

If you liked this article, why not consider a stay at Chantal’s home in Pacardie near Paris to better your French? Here is more info about the French Immersion Residential courses recommended by French Today.

Learn French like it is really spoken today with French Today audiobooks: level adapted audio novels and grammar methods recorded at several speeds and levels of enunciation.

Author: Chantal

Chantal

Bonjour ! My name is Chantal, I'm an immersion French teacher and I live in Picardie - only 40 minutes away from Paris by train. Come experience a real French lifestyle, discover my region and improve your French with me.

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