Fun Fall Words in French

Quick Answer

C'est l'automne !(It's fall!) It’s time for falling leaves, pumpkin patches, and going back to school! In this article, you'll learn fun vocabulary words to talk about the fall season in French, including vocabulary related to fall holidays and traditional autumn activities!

Questions This Article Answers

How do you talk about the fall season in French?

What are some seasonal fall vocabulary words in French?

How do you talk about fall holidays in French?

What are some autumn activities in French?

How Do You Talk About the Fall Season in French?

In France and Québec, or anywhere in the northern hemisphere, l'automne(fall) is a season that includes three months of the year: septembre(September), octobre(October), and novembre(November). The cooler weather brings with it a host of fall changes. Here's some key vocabulary to talk about the season!

Seasonal Fall Vocabulary Words in French

French	English
l'arbre	the tree
l'automne	the fall
le chrysanthème	the chrysanthemum
la citrouille	the pumpkin
la courge	the squash
l'épouvantail	the scarecrow
le feuillage d'automne	the fall foliage
la feuille	the leaf
la feuille morte	the fallen leaf
la pomme	the apple
le pommier	the apple tree
le pull	the sweater
la récolte	the harvest
la rentrée scolaire	the start of the school year
le vent	the wind
le verger	the orchard

examples
Les enfants adorent jouer dans les tas de feuilles mortes. The children love to play in the piles of fallen leaves.
Philippe et moi allons au verger ce week-end pour cueillir des pommes. Philippe and I are going to the orchard this weekend to pick apples.

Learn all the essential back-to-school vocabulary you'll need in this article!

Back-to-School Vocabulary in French

Fall Colors in French

French	English
jaune	yellow
marron	brown
noir	black
orange	orange
rouge	red

examples
J'adore les couleurs des arbres en automne. Les feuilles sont jaunes, rouges et orange ! I love the colors of the trees in the fall. The leaves are yellow, red, and orange!
David et Suzie ont décoré leur appartement en noir et orange pour Halloween. David and Suzie decorated their apartment with black and orange for Halloween.

Expand your French color palette by checking out all the colors and how to use them with this article!

Colors in French

Fall Weather in French

French	English
C'est nuageux.	It's cloudy.
Il fait frais.	It's cool out.
Il y a du vent.	It's windy.
Le ciel est bleu.	The sky's blue.
Le ciel est gris.	The sky's gray.

examples
Les enfants, il fait frais ce matin. N'oubliez pas de mettre vos pulls ! Children, it's cool out this morning. Don't forget to put on your sweaters!
Il y a du vent aujourd'hui. Les feuilles tombent des arbres. It's windy today. The leaves are falling from the trees.

How Do You Talk About Fall Holidays in French?

Following are some of the major fall holidays you might want to talk about in French!

Fall Holidays in French

French	English	Notes
le 11 Novembre	Veterans Day Armistice Day	November 11
l'Action de grâce Thanksgiving	Thanksgiving	2nd Monday of October (in Québec) 4th Thursday of November (in the United States)
Halloween	Halloween	October 31
la Toussaint	All Saints' Day	November 1

Fall Holidays in France and Québec

Fall holidays aren't always celebrated the same way in all French-speaking countries, and they may be different than where you're from!

For instance, Halloween isn't a traditional holiday in France, though some French people do enjoy costume parties and even trick-or-treating. Halloween is celebrated in Québec, however, much in the same way as in the United States. In France, la Toussaint, an official holiday on November 1, is a day when people remember deceased loved ones, often by placing les chrysanthèmes(chrysanthemums) on their graves.

Likewise, l'Action de grâce (Thanksgiving) isn't a holiday celebrated in France, but it is in Québec! It's not a November holiday, though! Canadian Thanksgiving is celebrated on the second Monday of October.

Finally, le 11 Novembre (November 11)—called Veterans Day in the United States—is a holiday to commemorate les anciens combattants(the veterans) and the end of World War I in both France and Québec, but they have different names for it. In France, it's le jour de l'Armistice(Armistice Day), while in Québec, it's le Jour du souvenir(Remembrance Day).

Halloween Vocabulary in French

French	English
le bonbon	the candy
le chapeau de sorcière	the witch hat
le chat noir	the black cat
la citrouille d'Halloween	the jack-o'-lantern
le déguisement effrayant	the scary costume
le fantôme	the ghost
le film d'horreur	the horror movie
la maison hantée	the haunted house
le sorcier	the (male) witch, sorcerer
la sorcière	the (female) witch, sorceress
le squelette	the skeleton
le zombie	the zombie

Thanksgiving Vocabulary in French

French	English
la corne d'abondance	the cornucopia
le défilé	the parade
la dinde	the turkey
la farce	the stuffing
le jus de pomme chaud	the hot apple cider
le maïs	the corn
le match de football américain	the (American) football game
la purée de pommes de terre	the mashed potatoes
le repas	the meal
la sauce aux canneberges	the cranberry sauce
la tarte à la citrouille	the pumpkin pie
la tarte aux pommes	the apple pie

Attention !(Watch out!) There is a word for cider in French: le cidre(the cider), but it refers to an alcoholic beverage made from apples. The non-alcoholic hot apple cider most people drink in the United States is called le jus de pomme chaud (literally, hot apple juice) in French!

examples
Regarde, ces enfants portent des déguisements effrayants et demandent des bonbons. Look, those children are wearing scary costumes and asking for candy.
Mes parents préparent une dinde farcie pour l'Action de grâce. My parents are making a stuffed turkey for Thanksgiving.

What Are Some Traditional Autumn Activities in French?

Here are some verbs to describe traditional autumn activities in French!

Autumn Activities in French

French	English
admirer le feuillage d'automne	to look at the fall foliage
aller à l'école	to go to school
boire du jus de pomme chaud	to drink hot apple cider
cueillir des pommes	to pick apples
faire une randonnée	to go for a hike
ratisser les feuilles mortes	to rake fallen leaves
regarder un film d'horreur	to watch a horror movie
regarder un match de football américain	to watch a football game
sculpter une citrouille	to carve a pumpkin
se déguiser pour Halloween	to dress up for Halloween

examples
Nous allons regarder un film d'horreur et boire du jus de pomme chaud ce soir. We're going to watch a horror movie and drink hot apple cider tonight.
Les enfants pourront sculpter leurs citrouilles après avoir ratissé les feuilles dans le jardin. The children can carve their pumpkins after they rake the leaves in the yard.