fête de fin d'année
The English phrase 'holiday party' is translated into French as fête de fin d'année.
fête de fin d'année is used to refer to celebrations for the entire winter holiday season, such as Christmas and New Year, rather than one specific holiday. In France, if you are referring to a traditional all-night feast held specifically on Christmas Eve or New Year's Eve, you should use the word Réveillon.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase fête de fin d'année literally translates to 'party of the end of the year'.
Which one should you use?
Use fête de fin d'année when you want to be inclusive of the whole season. If the event is specifically for Christmas, use fête de Noël instead.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Belgium, the phrase Fête de fin d'année is used to mean 'End-of-Year Party'.
How does it change in a sentence?
To express the plural 'the holiday parties', use les fêtes de fin d'année by adding the article les and the plural marker s to fête.
Did you know?
- In French, fête is used not only for a party but also to refer to a 'name day', which is the feast day of the saint a person is named after.
- In France, the term Réveillon is specifically tied to the act of staying awake, as it comes from the verb for 'awakening'.
- The word fête is derived from the Latin fēsta, which was originally the plural form of the word fēstum.
Examples in context
- Nous organisons une fête de fin d'année au bureau.We are organizing a holiday party at the office.
- Tu viens à la fête de fin d'année de la famille ?Are you coming to the family holiday party?
- La fête de fin d'année sera samedi prochain.The holiday party will be next Saturday.
Example conversation
Lucas and Manon are talking about office plans.
- LucasEst-ce que tu vas à la fête de fin d'année ?Are you going to the holiday party?
- ManonOui, je l'attends avec impatience !Yes, I am looking forward to it!
- LucasC'est vrai, c'est un moment très sympa.It's true, it's a very nice time.
- ManonOn se voit là-bas alors.See you there then.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries de, fin, fête, CC BY-SA 4.0.
