Bonne fête !

Celebratory French Expression

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Meaning	Happy (holiday)! Happy (name) day! Happy birthday!
Literally	Good holiday!
Register	normal
Pronunciation		[buhn feht]
IPA		[bɔn fɛt]

Usage notes: Bonne fête traditionally means "happy (name) day," in reference to Saint’s days, also known as Feast days. For example, Saint Laura’s feast day is 19 October, so on that day someone might say bonne fête to me.

Bonne fête is also used as a generic holiday wish, such as for Bastille Day or another holiday like Mother’s Day, Assumption, etc.

French holiday expressions

• Bonne Année
• Joyeuses fêtes
• Joyeux Noël
• Meilleurs vœux

 In Canada and Louisiana, bonne fête typically means "happy birthday."

Synonyms (in North America)

• Bon anniversaire
• Joyeux anniversaire

Related features

• Age and Birthdays
• Celebratory expressions
• Expressions with bon
• Holidays and celebrations
• Souffler ses bougies

Useful verb conjugations

• Célébrer
• Fêter

Gifts for French lovers

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