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French Halloween Vocabulary: How To Sound Spooky!

French Halloween Vocabulary: How To Sound Spooky!

Did you know that while Halloween is not traditionally celebrated in France, it’s become a very popular holiday in Quebec, Canada. To say Halloween in French you simply say “l’Halloween” as there is no official translation. To say “Trick Or Treat” kids in Quebec say, “Bonbons s’il-vous-plaît“, which means, “Candy, please!” Keep reading to learn lots of fun French Halloween vocabulary!

l’Halloween

French Halloween Vocabulary

Essential Halloween vocabulary

The following are the most important Halloween words in French. As mentioned above, “Trick-or-treat” in Canada is simply “bonbons, s’il vous plaît” (candy please!) The other way of saying “trick-or-treat” is “bonbons ou un sort”, with sort meaning curse or spell. Scroll down and repeat the words as your hear them.

Bonbons s’il-vous-plaît !

Trick-or-treat! (Québec)

Des bonbons ou un sort !

Trick-or-treat! (France)

Joyeux Halloween !

Happy Halloween!

le 31 octobre

October 31

un déguisement halloween

Halloween costume

French vocabulary for Halloween costumes

Halloween costumes in French

In French, the word for “costume” is un déguisement, much like the English word “disguise”. Here are the French equivalents of the most popular Halloween costumes:

une sorcière

witch

une princesse

princess

un cow-boy

cowboy

un clown

clown

une squelette

skeleton

une citrouille

pumpkin

un zombie

zombie

un fantôme

ghost

un épouvantail

scarecrow

un pompier

firefighter

French Halloween Vocabulary List

Here’s a list of French words for more popular Halloween costumes:

  • la Faucheuse Grim Reaper
  • un chat, une chatte cat
  • un diable devil
  • un dinosaure dinosaur
  • un elfe, lutin elf
  • un gobelin, un lutin goblin
  • un loup-garou warewolf
  • un masque mask
  • un médecin doctor
  • un monstre monster
  • un pirate pirate
  • un policier policeman
  • un prisonnier, une prisonnière prisoner
  • un sorcier wizard
  • un super-héros super hero
  • un vampire vampire
  • un(e) astronaute astronaut
  • un(e) extraterrestre alien
  • une abeille bee
  • une coccinelle ladybug
  • une fée fairy
  • une infirmière nurse
  • une momie mummy
  • une perruque wig
  • une tête de mort skull and crossbones

Halloween decorations and nouns

  • l’automne (m) autumn
  • la chasse aux bonbons trick-or-treating
  • la collecte de bonbons trick-or-treating
  • la collecte pour l’UNICEF UNICEF collection
  • la fumée smoke
  • le clair de lune moonlight
  • le Père Fouettard boogeyman
  • les activités (f) activities
  • les décors d’horreur scary decorations
  • les effets sonores sound effects
  • les enfants kids
  • les esprits spirits
  • un cercueil coffin
  • un cimetière cemetary
  • un conte horrifiques scary story
  • un déguisement costume
  • un démon demon
  • un film d’horreur horror movie
  • un manche à balai broomstick
  • une barre de chocolat candy bar
  • une cape cape
  • une célébration celebration
  • une citrouille illuminée Jack-o-lantern
  • une soirée costumée costume party
  • une squelette en plastiques plastic skeleton
  • une toile d’araignée spiderweb
  • une tombe, une pierre tombale grave, tombstone

Halloween adjectives

  • amsuant(e) fun
  • bienvenu(e) welcome
  • bizarre weird
  • déguisé(e) dressed up
  • effrayant(e) scary
  • effrayé(e) frightened
  • hanté(e) haunted
  • horrifique hair-raising
  • illuminé(e) lit, lit up
  • maléfique evil
  • mort(e) dead
  • noir(e) black
  • terrifiant(e) bloodcurdling

Verbs related to Halloween

  • brancher les décorations to hang up decorations
  • célébrer l’Halloween to celebrate Halloween
  • décorer la masion to decorate the house
  • demander des friandises to ask for sweets or candy
  • distribuer les bonbons to hand out candy
  • donner des friandises to hand out candy
  • effrayer quelqu’un to scare somebody
  • faire du porte-à-porte pour amasser des bonbons to go trick-or-treating
  • faire peur à quelqu’un to scare somebody
  • frapper aux portes to knock on doors
  • hanter les rues to haunt the streets
  • orner le pas de la porte to decorate the doorstep
  • revendiquer des bonbons to ask for (demand) candy
  • sculpter une citrouille to carve a pumpkin
  • se déguiser to wear a costume
  • sonner aux ports to ring doorbells

Down PDF Vocabulary List

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French Halloween Vocabulary

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David Issokson

David Issokson is a lifelong language enthusiast. His head is swimming with words and sounds as he speaks over six languages. Of all the languages he speaks, he's the most passionate about French! David has helped hundreds of students to improve their French in his private online lessons. When procrastinating working on his site, FrenchLearner.com, David enjoys his time skiing and hiking in Teton Valley, Idaho.

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