The holiday season is here, and for some of you, it might mean escaping to the Apls for some skiing or snowboarding or taking a snowy road trip to Quebec to hit the slopes, or to indulge in French-Canadian cuisine. For others, it might mean your French-speaking relatives are visiting, or a time for your child to show off to their aunts and uncles how much french they’ve learned in the last year. Although one thing is true for students – this time is also the winter break. This makes it even more important to keep up with French! Even if the classes and semesters change, practising French over the break will ensure your child stays current and implements continuous practise, which is critical for academic success. So, why not start with the most current phrases? French phrases to use over the holidays!
Greetings:
Meilleurs vœux
This phrase means “best wishes” While in France, most of the country celebrates on the 24th and 25th of December, this can be very useful if your family, or someone you are speaking to, does not celebrate Christmas on this date. You can never go wrong wishing a person good wishes 🙂
Bonnes fêtes de fin d’année.
This phrase is similar, but it means “Happy holidays!” This is commonly used throughout all of the holiday season and is generally a safe bet to use! Especially during the time between Christmas and New Year, where most people will at least have a few days off of work and can really feel the holiday spirit!
Bonne année et bonne santé
This phrase means “Happy New Year and good health”. Typically during family get-together over Christmas, this is used if you do not see the person for New Years’. It can also be used on New Year’s Eve, New Years Day, and the remaining few days before and after the ringing in of the new year.
Phrases:
Tu veux quoi pour Noël?
While you probably have already done your Christmas shopping, this phrase can be helpful to your child to spark up a conversation with other children. This phrase means, “What do you want for Christmas?” Even if the other child doesn’t speak French, playing the game of your child teaching another child this phrase will help your child learn it very well.
La période de Noël or la période des fêtes
We are now in “The Christmas Season”, which is what this phrase means! Asking your child “Quelle est votre période préférée de l’année?” they will probably reply “La période de Noël!” once they have learned this phrase!
Le jour de Noël
Similar to the Christmas season, “Christmas Day” is what this phrase means. Ask your child if they are excited for “Le jour de Noël”, chances are they will probably be very excited!
La veille de Noël
Depending on if you celebrate Christmas on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, you can ask the same question – are you excited for “La veille de Noël?” This means “are you excited for Christmas eve?”
La carte de Noël
This phrase is quite similar to English – it means Christma Card. If your child is just starting to learn French, this is an easy one to remember!
Whether you’re attending “une soirée” (a party), or sitting around “la cheminée” (the fireplace) the holidays are a great time to practise some french and enjoy the holidays!
🎄Bonne année et bonne santé de The French Tutor! 🎄
