lexique de l’action de grâce
Every year on the last Thursday of November Americans celebrate Thanksgiving. This is one most enjoyable day of the year for millions of people across the country. In Canada, Thanksgiving is celebrated in mid-October and is called l’Action de Grâce. The following table contains an extensive list of Thanksgiving vocabulary covering the le festin (celebratory meal), historical terms, holiday and autumn words as well as some useful verbs.
| THANKSGIVG MENU | |
| main dishes | |
| turkey | la dinde |
| gravy | la sauce au jus de viande |
| stuffing | la farce |
| mashed potatoes | la purée |
| ham | le jambon |
| venison | la chevreuil |
| side dishes | |
| cranberry sauce | la sauce de canneberge |
| roll | le petit pain |
| corn bread | le pain de maïs |
| yams | les ignames (f) |
| squash | la courge (f) |
| macaroni and cheese | les pâtes au fromage |
| collard greens | les feuilles de chou cavalier |
| green bean casserole | le ragoût aux haricots verts |
| dessert | |
| pumpkin pie | la tarte à la citrouille |
| apple pie | la tarte aux pommes |
| mince pie | la tartelette fourrée de fruits secs |
| sweet potato pie | la tarte à la patate douce |
| cherry pie | la tarte aux cerises |
| pecan pie | la tarte à la noix de pécan |
| HISTORICAL CONTEXT | |
| Colonists | les colons (m) |
| colonies | les colonies (f) |
| harvest | la récolte |
| New England | la Nouvelle-Angleterre |
| pilgrims | les pèlerin (m) |
| Native Americans | les Amérindien |
| Wampanoag Tribe | la tribu Wampanoag |
| the New World | le Nouveau Monde |
| treaty | un pacte |
| Puritans | les Puritains |
| MORE THANKSGIVING VOCABULARY | |
| the last Thursday of November | le dernier jeudi de novembre |
| a family gathering | une réunion de famille |
| autumn, fall | l’automne (m) |
| football game | un match de football américain |
| family | la famille |
| traffic | la circulation |
| parade | le défilé |
| holiday season | les fêtes de fin d'année |
| gratitude | la reconnaissance, gratitude |
| autumn leaves | les feuilles d’automne |
| pumpkin | une citrouille, un potiron |
| THANKSGIVING VERBS | |
| to be grateful | être reconnaissant |
| to feast, have a good meal | bien manger, festoyer |
| to share | partager |
| to take a long weekend | faire le pont |
| to gather the family | réunir la famille |
| to carve the turkey | découper la dinde |
Related lessons:
More resources:
- Do the French celebrate Thanksgiving? (FrenchToday.com)
- French Thanksgiving vocabulary (Quizlet Flashcards)
Bonjour! My name is David Issokson. I'm based in Victor, Idaho and have helped hundreds of students to learn French via Skype or Zoom since 2014. 
