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Spooky French Vocabulary
Halloween is not a French holiday, though each passing year sees a few more bits and pieces of it imported to France.
Nevertheless, learning the French translations for Halloween vocabulary can be fun, especially for younger students. ‘Appy ‘Alloween! 🙂
Is it le Halloween or l’Halloween? The "H" is silent either way, and I see / hear it both ways. I guess because it’s a foreign word, the French haven’t come to a consensus on whether the H should be aspiré or muet.
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October | octobre | |
| October 31 | le 31 octobre | ||
| fall, autumn | automne | ||
| All Saints’ Day | la Toussaint | ||
| November 1st | le 1er novembre | ||
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| costume | un déguisement | ||
| bat | une chauve-souris | ||
| black cat | un chat noir | ||
| devil | un diable | ||
| ghost | un fantôme | ||
| goblin | un lutin | ||
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Grim Reaper | la Faucheuse | |
| mask | un masque | ||
| monster | un monstre | ||
| mummy | une momie | ||
| scarecrow | un épouvantail | ||
| skeleton | un squelette | ||
| spider | une araignée |  |
|
| vampire | un vampire | ||
| werewolf | un loup-garou | ||
| witch | une sorcière | ||
| witch’s hat | un chapeau de sorcière, un chapeau pointu | ||
| zombie | un zombie | ||
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Halloween Decorations | Décorations de Halloween | |
| broom | un balai | ||
| candle | une bougie | ||
| cemetery | un cimetière | ||
| full moon | une pleine lune | ||
| haunted house | une maison hantée |  |
|
| horror movie | un film d’horreur | ||
| jack-o’-lantern | une citrouille-lanterne | ||
| leaf | une feuille | ||
| pumpkin | une citrouille, un potiron | ||
| skull | un crâne | ||
| spider web | une toile d’araignée | ||
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tombstone | une tombe, une pierre tombale | |
| Halloween Verbs | Verbes pour Halloween | ||
| to ask for | demander | ||
| to be afraid (of) | avoir peur (de) | ||
| to carve a pumpkin | sculpter une citrouille/un potiron | ||
| to dress up as ___ | se déguiser en ___ |  |
|
| to give | donner | ||
| to haunt | hanter | ||
| to knock on the door | frapper à la porte | ||
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to play a trick (on someone) | jouer un tour (Ã qqun) | |
| to ring the doorbell | sonner à la porte | ||
| to scare, frighten (someone) | faire peur (Ã qqun) | ||
| to yell | crier | ||
Because it’s not a well-established French activity, there’s no single translation for the exclamatory "Trick or treat!" The most common ones are Friandises ou bêtises ! and Des bonbons ou un sort !, but there are numerous other possibilities.
More French for Halloween
Dictée: Le soir d’Halloween*
Fill-in-the-blanks exercises*
- Mes souvenirs d’Halloween (imperfect conjugations)
- Mon programme d’Halloween (contractions)
- La nuit d’Halloween (vocabulary)
* Note: You must be logged into your Progress with Lawless French account to do these exercises. If you don’t have one, sign up – it’s free!
Halloween-themed grammar quizzes
Listening practice
- C’est l’Halloween (song)
- Châteaux et sites hantés en France
- Comment fabriquer une piñata d’Halloween
- Halloween à Biarritz
- Il y a un monstre sous mon lit !
- Maison hantée en Alsace
- La Toussaint et le Halloween en France
French lesson plans
- Dans la citrouille (Lesson, 3rd-8th grade)
- Halloween Flashcard Game (Worksheet, 7th-9th grade)
- L’Halloween vocabulary (Word Puzzle, 9th-12th grade)
Related lessons
More from LKL
French vocabulary for other holidays
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I wonder if Halloween is celebrated in Quebec (since it’s celebrated in English Canada)? And if so, if they have a standard translation for “Trick or Treat!”?
I’ve lived in Montreal for a little more than a year, and yes, Halloween is celebrated in Quebec! Kids say Trick or Treat, or « trique ou traite » here. There are a lot of Anglicisms throughout the province, as well as the rich (and tricky!) québécois dialect, but Quebecers are extremely proud of their francophone heritage and culture.
Here is a link that will give you more information, plus give you a chance to practice your French 😉
http://grandquebec.com/misteres-du-quebec/halloween/