Ways to say it
| French | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| fête | /fɛt/ (France) /fɛːt/ |
feminine |
| teuf | /tœf/ | France, slang |
| party | /paʁ.ti/ /paʁ.te/ |
Canada, masculine |
In French, a party can be described in several ways depending on the context. While fête is the most common term for a social gathering or a celebration, it also functions as the standard word for a public holiday or a festival. For more elegant or formal evening gatherings, the term soirée is used. If the gathering is specifically a reception held to honor a person or a particular occasion, you should use réception.
Which one should you use?
fête is a general term for a social gathering or a celebration, whereas soirée is specifically used for formal evening parties. réception is reserved for gatherings held in honor of someone or a specific event.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
For more formal and elegant evening gatherings, use soirée. For official events like a reception, use réception. The term teuf is slang and is used primarily by young people in informal settings.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Quebec, Canada, the English word party is frequently used as a masculine noun in French.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
fête is a feminine noun. In Quebec, the borrowed word party is masculine. If you want to say 'to go to a party', you can use the phrase Aller à une fête. To say 'to organize a party', use Organiser une soirée.
How do you pronounce it?
/fɛt/
Did you know?
- In France, fête is used not only for a party but also to refer to a person's name day, the feast day of the saint they are named after.
- The slang term teuf is a classic example of verlan, a type of French slang where syllables are reversed. To create it, the syllables of fête are flipped to produce 'teuf'.
- A fête foraine is not a house party, but a traveling carnival or funfair.
Examples in context
- C'est la fête !Party time!This sentence shows how to express that it is time to party using fête.Tatoeba #10505413 by pkill, translation #2960455 by Hybrid
- J'étais à la fête.I was at the party.This sentence uses fête to indicate being present at a party.Tatoeba #839252 by U2FS, translation #255368 by CK
- La fête est finie.The party is over.This sentence uses fête to state that a party has concluded.Tatoeba #1602101 by sacredceltic, translation #35626 by CK
- La réception du nouvel ambassadeur était somptueuseThe reception for the new ambassador was sumptuous
- On fait une fête surprise pour son anniversaireWe're throwing a surprise party for his/her birthday
- Je vais chez Pierre pour une soirée entre amisI'm going to Pierre's for a party with friends
- Cette année, j'organise une grande soirée pour le Nouvel AnThis year, I am organizing a big party for New Year's Eve
- Samedi prochain, nous allons à une fête costuméeNext Saturday, we are going to a costume party
- J'ai invité des amis pour une petite fête à la maisonI invited friends for a small party at home
- Nous célébrons la fin de nos études avec une grande fêteWe are celebrating the end of our studies with a big party
- On s'est bien amusés à la fête d'anniversaireWe had a lot of fun at the birthday party
- Viens à ma boum vendredi soir !Come to my party on Friday night!
- 750 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Emma and Gabriel are talking about a birthday event.
- EmmaTu viens à ma fête samedi ?Are you coming to my party on Saturday?
- GabrielOui, je serai là avec plaisir !Yes, I will be there with pleasure!
- EmmaSuper, on organise une grande fête !Great, we are organizing a big party!
- GabrielJe peux apporter quelque chose pour la fête ?Can I bring something for the party?
Sources
- Wiktionary, “party” translations and entries fête, teuf, party, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
