4 Spoken French Scripts about Christmas in France

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One of the best benefits of learning real, everyday spoken French is that you can finally USE your French.

You then have the language you need to converse and build relationships with French-speaking people.

With Christmas approaching, I’d help you improve your spoken French fluency with useful French scripts about the holiday season.

C’est parti!

Index:
Dialogue 1: Préparer Noël – Christmas preparations
Dialogue 2: Les traditions locales – Local traditions
Dialogue 3: Noël en famille – Christmas in the family
Dialogue 4: Les films et chansons de Noël – Christmas movies and songs

Each dialogue comes with an analysis, a vocabulary review and more resources about its theme or difficulties.

Dialogue 1: Préparer Noël – Christmas preparations

Géraldine : Ah, ce week-end on a décoré l’appartement pour Noël. J’adore, et ça me rappelle des jolis souvenirs de famille.
Géraldine: Ah, this weekend, we decorated the apartment for Christmas. I love it, and it brings back lovely family memories.

Lucie : Ouais, c’est clair. Je me revois gamine, à fouiller dans cette vieille boîte de déco de Noël que ma mère gardait au grenier. Elle avait un truc pour les bougies de Noël, sur les couronnes en sapin comme en Alsace.
Lucie: Yeah, for sure. I can picture myself as a kid, rummaging through that old box of Christmas decorations my mom kept in the attic. She had a thing for Christmas candles, on wreaths made of pine, just like in Alsace.

Géraldine : Ah ouais ? Chez mes parents, c’était la crèche, le truc incontournable. Mon père l’avait fabriqué lui-même avec du matériel de modélisme, des petits arbres et tout. Ils la sortent encore tous les ans, d’ailleurs.
Géraldine: Oh, really? At my parents’ place was the nativity scene, the must-have tradition. My dad had made it himself with modeling materials, little trees, and everything. They still take it out every year, actually.

Lucie : Ah c’est chouette ! Ça me fait penser, ma belle-mère collectionne les crèches. Je vais peut-être lui en ramener une de Grenoble cette année.
Lucie: That’s nice! It reminds me of how my mother-in-law collects nativity scenes. I might bring her one from Grenoble this year.

Géraldine : Genre celle du conseil régional ?
Géraldine: Like the one from the regional council?

Lucie : Haha, voilà, une crèche spéciale laïcité, en voilà une bonne idée !
Lucie: Haha, exactly, a special secular nativity scene. What a great idea!

Géraldine : Tu penses qu’ils vont nous refaire le coup cette année ? Créer la polémique pour se faire mousser ?
Géraldine: Do you think they’ll stir up controversy again this year? Create a fuss to get attention?

Lucie : Oh, tu sais, moi, je m’en fiche, tant que personne ne touche aux grands sapins du centre-ville… Ou aux repas de Noël de la boîte ! Je tiens juste à mon petit père Noël en chocolat !
Lucie: Oh, you know, I don’t really care, as long as no one messes with the big Christmas trees in the city center… or the company Christmas dinners! I just really want my little chocolate Santa Claus!

Analysis:

1. Je me revois gamine, à fouiller dans cette vieille boîte de déco de Noël que ma mère gardait au grenier. = I can picture myself as a kid, rummaging through that old box of Christmas decorations my mom kept in the attic.

The speaker nostalgically recalls sifting through a box of Christmas decorations in the attic during their childhood, evoking warm memories of a family tradition.

  • Je me revois gamine… – The speaker is recalling memories from their childhood, emphasizing a sense of self-reflection and introspection.
  • Je me revois gamine, à fouiller dans cette vieille boîte de déco de Noël… – The sentence revisits the past, suggesting a youthful and carefree time during holidays.

2. Je tiens juste à mon petit père Noël en chocolat ! = I just really want my little chocolate Santa Claus!

The speaker conveys a simple desire for a small chocolate Santa Claus, emphasizing this holiday treat’s personal significance and joy.

  • Je tiens à… – It indicates a personal attachment, importance, or significance placed on something, a personal wish.

Vocabulary:

  • Les décos de Noël (informal) = les décorations = Christmas decorations.
  • Décorer la maison / l’appartement = to decorate the house / flat.
  • Une boîte (literally) = a box.
  • Une boîte (informal) = une entreprise = a company.
  • Une boîte de nuit (informal) = une discothèque = a night club.
  • Un gamin, une gamine (informal) = un gosse, une gosse (informal) = un enfant = a kid.
  • Un beau gosse, une belle gosse = un beau garçon, une belle fille = a handsome guy, a pretty girl.
  • La crèche de Noël = Nativity scene.
  • Une crèche (pour enfants) = a daycare center.
  • Une crèche au conseil régional = a Nativity scene in the regional council.
  • Je tiens à [faire ça] = I really want to [do that]
  • Je tiens à [ça] = I care about [it],
  • J’y tiens ! = I care about that!
  • Tenir = to hold, to take, to keep, to care.

Keywords: une gamine, la crèche, la boîte.

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Dialogue 2: Les traditions locales – Local traditions

Géraldine : C’est super bon ça, c’est quoi ? C’est fait maison ?
Géraldine: This is really delicious. What is it? Did you make it yourself?

Fabien : C’est du pain aux courges ! J’ai trouvé la recette dans un podcast sur les traditions de Noël du Dauphiné, autour de Grenoble. C’est censé donner du moelleux à la brioche. Et je dois dire, ça marche pas mal.
Fabien: It’s pumpkin bread! I found the recipe in a podcast about Christmas traditions in the Dauphiné region around Grenoble. It’s supposed to make the brioche soft. And I have to say, it works pretty well.

Géraldine : Ah ouais ? Trop bien ! C’est vrai que c’est bon. Merci d’en avoir ramené ! J’adore les pâtisseries de Noël. L’année dernière on avait fait deux cents rissoles, ces raviolis sucrés à la compote qu’on mange en Savoie pendant l’Avent, c’était super bon. Mais faut un peu d’organisation.
Géraldine: Oh really? That’s great! It’s true that it’s good. Thanks for bringing it! I love Christmas pastries. Last year, we made two hundred rissoles, these sweet dumplings with applesauce that we eat in Savoie during Advent, and it was really good. But it requires a bit of organization.

Fabien : C’est sûr. Mon beau-père en Alsace ramène toute sa famille et tous ses amis pour faire des gâteaux locaux, les “bredeles,” à la cannelle, aux agrumes et au chocolat. Chaque année, leur maison se transforme en grand atelier pendant tout un week-end, on fabrique des gâteaux toute la journée et on repart chacun avec plusieurs paquets à distribuer.
Fabien: That’s for sure. My father-in-law in Alsace brings his whole family and friends together to make local cakes, the ‘bredeles’ [bray-duh-luh], with cinnamon, citrus, and chocolate. Every year, their house turns into a big workshop for a whole weekend. We make cookies all day, and each of us leaves with several packages to distribute.

Géraldine : Ah, super ! Ça me donne envie de faire une bûche au chocolat et à la confiture pour ce week-end, maintenant. J’ai une bonne recette qui traîne quelque part.
Géraldine: Ah, great! It makes me want to make a chocolate and jam Yule log for this weekend now. I have a good recipe lying around somewhere.

Fabien : L’expert dans le podcast parlait justement des bûches, aussi. Il rappelait qu’avant, pour Noël, les paysans ramenaient le plus gros morceau de bois qu’ils trouvaient. Cette bûche devait pouvoir brûler pendant toute la veillée, les messes et le repas. C’est devenu une pâtisserie, mais le symbole est resté !
Fabien: The expert in the podcast was also talking about Yule logs. He mentioned that, in the past, the peasants would bring the largest piece of wood they could find for Christmas. This log had to burn throughout the evening, the masses, and the meal. It has become a pastry, but the symbol has remained!

Analysis:

1. C’est censé donner du moelleux à la brioche. Et je dois dire, ça marche pas mal. = It’s supposed to make the brioche soft. And I have to say, it works pretty well.

The statement describes an intention to impart a soft texture to the brioche using a particular method, which they note is quite effective.

  • C’est censé donner du moelleux à la brioche. – It expresses the purpose of enhancing the softness of the brioche.
  • Et je dois dire, ça marche pas mal. – The sentence conveys a casual expression of approval or satisfaction. “Je dois dire” and the colloquial “pas mal” contribute to an informal and conversational tone, suggesting a more personal and relaxed communication style.

2. Ça me donne envie de faire une bûche au chocolat et à la confiture pour ce week-end, maintenant. J’ai une bonne recette qui traîne quelque part. = It makes me want to make a chocolate and jam Yule log for this weekend now. I have a good recipe lying around somewhere.

The sentence communicates the speaker’s desire to bake a chocolate and jam Yule log, mentioning a specific recipe and conveying a relaxed and informal tone.

  • Ça me donne envie de faire une bûche. – It expresses a stimulus for action, conveying that the idea is appealing or tempting to the speaker.
  • J’ai une bonne recette qui traîne quelque part. – The speaker has a good recipe, and “qui traîne quelque part” (= lying around somewhere) suggests a casual or familiar tone as if they don’t know where they precisely left the recipe.

Vocabulary:

  • Fait maison = homemade.
  • C’est censé [+ inf] = C’est supposé… = It’s supposed to…
    C’est censé aider. = It’s supposed to help.
    J’étais censé les avoir avant Noël. = I was supposed to have them before Christmas.
  • Ça me donne envie de [+ inf.] = It makes me want to + infinitive.
    J’ai envie de… [+ noun or inf.] = I want [to], I feel like [doing].
    J’ai pas envie. = Je n’ai pas envie. = I don’t want to. / I don’t feel like doing it.
    Une envie = a wish, a desire, a longing.
    La jalousie = the envy.
  • Pas mal = pretty good, “not bad” (high praise actually!).
  • Une bûche de Noël = Yule log.
  • La cannelle = cinnamon.
  • Traîner = to hang around, to lie around, to drag.
    On va traîner dans le parc. = We’re gonna hang out in the park.
    Arrête de traîner. = Stop dawdling.
    Range tes trucs qui traînent. = Pick up your stuff that’s lying around.

Keywords: la cannelle, une bûche.

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Dialogue 3: Noël en famille – Christmas in the family

Géraldine : Je suis allée chercher le chapon chez le boucher. T’as récupéré la bûche ?
Géraldine: I went to pick up the capon from the butcher. Did you get the Yule log?

Arthur : Oui, je viens de rentrer de la pâtisserie.
Arthur: Yes, I just got back from the pastry shop.

Géraldine : Eh bien tout est prêt, y’a plus qu’à préparer le festin !
Géraldine: Well, everything is ready; we just need to prepare the feast now!

Arthur : Ouais, mais d’abord, il me reste quelques cadeaux à emballer… On a bien assez de rouleaux de papier cadeau, hein ?
Arthur: Yeah, but first, I still have a few gifts to wrap… We have enough gift wrap rolls, right?

Géraldine : Ouais t’inquiète, papa en a racheté deux rouleaux. Tu pourras faire ceux de maman aussi ?
Géraldine: Yeah, don’t worry. Dad bought two more rolls. Can you wrap Mom’s gifts, too?

Arthur : Pas de problème. Et pour la table, j’ai ramené de Strasbourg deux-trois décorations, genre des petites étoiles dorées à mettre sur la nappe. Ça va faire super joli.
Arthur: No problem. And for the table, I brought back a few decorations from Strasbourg, like small golden stars, to put on the tablecloth. It will look really lovely.

Géraldine : Trop cool. D’ailleurs ça me fait penser, moi j’ai des serre-têtes de rennes.
Géraldine: That’s awesome. It reminds me I have some reindeer headbands.

Arthur : De Rennes ? La ville ? Ou de Reine des Neiges ?
Arthur: Reindeer? Like the city? Or from Frozen?

Géraldine : Nan, de rennes, comme les rennes du Père Noël. Je les ai trouvés sur le marché de Noël de Grenoble, j’en ai pris six. Tiens regarde, mets-le ce sera rigolo.
Géraldine: No, reindeer, like Santa’s reindeer. I found them at the Christmas market in Grenoble; I bought six. Look, put one on; it’ll be fun.

Arthur : J’adore ! Et sinon, en fin de compte, on va à la messe de minuit ce soir ?
Arthur: I love it! So, are we going to the midnight Mass tonight, after all??

Analysis:

1. Eh bien tout est prêt, y’a plus qu’à préparer le festin ! = Well, everything is ready; we just need to prepare the feast now!

The sentence conveys the speaker’s satisfaction with the preparations and introduces the imminent action of preparing a feast in an informal way with eagerness and an enthusiastic tone.

  • Eh bien tout est prêt. – “Eh” is a commonly used exclamation in spoken French at the beginning of a sentence. The use of “tout” (= everything) indicates thorough preparation.
  • Y’a plus qu’à préparer le festin ! – This phrase introduces the upcoming action. The use of “y’a” (a contraction of “il y a”) and the colloquial “festin” contribute to an informal and conversational style, suggesting a relaxed and familiar atmosphere.

2. Ouais, mais d’abord, il me reste quelques cadeaux à emballer… On a bien assez de rouleaux de papier cadeau, hein ? = Yeah, but first, I still have a few gifts to wrap… We have enough gift wrap rolls, right?

We can feel a conversational and relaxed atmosphere, discussing wrapping gifts and seeking confirmation about the availability of wrapping paper for the upcoming festivities.

  • Ouais, mais d’abord, il me reste quelques cadeaux à emballer… – The use of “Ouais” as a colloquial and informal way of saying “Yeah” sets an easygoing and conversational tone. “Il me reste quelques cadeaux à emballer” specifies the task at hand, indicating the speaker still has a few gifts left to wrap.
  • On a bien assez de rouleaux de papier cadeau, hein ? – With this informally made question, the speaker seeks assurance about the availability of wrapping paper. “Hein” functions as a tag question, seeking agreement or confirmation.

Vocabulary:

  • Chez le boucher = à la boucherie = at the butcher’s.
    Chez le pâtissier = à la pâtisserie = at the pastry shop (often la boulangerie = bakery).
  • Le festin = the feast.
    Préparer le festin = to prepare the feast.
  • Un serre-tête de rennes = a reindeer headband.
    Un renne du père Noël = Santa’s reindeer
    Rennes = city in Brittany.
    La Reine des Neiges = the Snow Queen = French title of Disney’s “Frozen”
  • Un cadeau = a gift.
    Emballer un cadeau = to wrap a gift.
    Le papier cadeau = gift wrap (paper).
  • Rigolo / Rigolote = drôle = funny
    Rigoler = to laugh, to giggle, to kid, to joke.
    Je rigole = I’m kidding. I am joking.
    Une rigolade = a laugh, a joke.

Keywords: le papier cadeau, le Père Noël, rigolo.

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Dialogue 4: Les films et chansons de Noël – Christmas movies and songs

Géraldine : Et toi, si je te dis “films et chansons de Noël,” tu penses à quoi ?
Géraldine: And you, if I say ‘Christmas movies and songs,’ what do you think of?

Manon : Oulah ! Là tout de suite, à chaud, je dirais… Les Rois Mages ? Le film des Inconnus, du début des années 2000. Je me souviens qu’on était allés le voir au ciné avec mes parents à l’époque, et j’avais bien aimé. Il y a quelques scènes qui m’ont marquée, c’est fou. Et toi ?
Manon: Oh boy! Right now, off the top of my head, I’d say… ‘Les Rois Mages’? The film by Les Inconnus from the early 2000s. I remember we went to see it at the cinema with my parents back then, and I liked it. There are a few scenes that left an impression on me. It’s crazy. And you?

Géraldine : Hum, étrangement, pour moi, ce serait les Douze Travaux d’Astérix. Ou la Ballade des Dalton, avec Lucky Luke. Deux films d’animation qui n’ont rien à voir avec Noël, mais on les avait en K7 quand j’étais petite, et on les regardait en boucle pendant les vacances de Noël à la maison. Surtout qu’ils sont rediffusés tous les ans à la télé, de toute façon !
Géraldine: Strangely, for me, it would be ‘Les Douze Travaux d’Astérix’ (The Twelve Tasks of Asterix). Or ‘La Ballade des Dalton,’ with Lucky Luke. Two animated films have nothing to do with Christmas, but we had them on VHS when I was little, and we watched them on repeat during the Christmas holidays at home especially since they are broadcast on TV every year, anyway.

Manon : Ah oui, comme la Grande Vadrouille, à ce compte-là ! Par contre en chanson, j’hésite entre Anne Sylvestre et Jacques Dutronc.
Manon: Oh, like ‘La Grande Vadrouille’ in that case! As for songs, I’m torn between Anne Sylvestre and Jacques Dutronc.

Géraldine : Oh, Anne Sylvestre, bien sûr ! J’adore ses chansons.
Géraldine: Oh, Anne Sylvestre, of course! I love her songs.

Manon : Elle a fait tout un album sur Noël avec des chansons à moitié traditionnelles, ça a bercé mon enfance. Et puis Jacques Dutronc pour “La fille du père Noël” bien sûr !
Manon: She made a whole album about Christmas with half-traditional songs; it was part of my childhood.And then Jacques Dutronc for ‘La fille du père Noël’ (Santa Claus’ Daughter), of course!

Analysis:

1. Oulah ! Là tout de suite, à chaud, je dirais… = Oh! Right now, off the top of my head, I’d say…

It reflects a sense of immediacy and the speaker’s spontaneous reaction or opinion.

  • Oulah ! Là tout de suite, à chaud… – “Oulah !” is an exclamation that conveys surprise, uncertainty, or a need for attention. It sets a tone of sudden engagement. “Là tout de suite” emphasizes immediacy. The speaker is responding in the heat of the moment.
  • Je dirais… – It introduces the speaker’s opinion or response. The present conditional “dirais” (= would say) suggests the speaker is tentatively expressing their opinion, indicating a degree of uncertainty or a willingness to reconsider.

2. Deux films d’animation qui n’ont rien à voir avec Noël, mais on les avait en K7 quand j’étais petite, et on les regardait en boucle pendant les vacances de Noël à la maison. = Two animated films that have nothing to do with Christmas, but we had them on VHS when I was little, and we watched them on repeat during the Christmas holidays at home.

The response mentions two childhood animated films unrelated to Christmas yet cherished and repeatedly watched during the festive holiday season, emphasizing their sentimental value in the context of Christmas at home.

  • Deux films d’animation qui n’ont rien à voir avec Noël… – It specifies that the films are not related to Christmas, setting up a contrast with the holiday season.
  • On les regardait en boucle… – This part of the sentence expresses the repetitive nature of watching the films on a loop, suggesting they were a considerable part of the speaker’s holiday tradition.

Vocabulary:

  • Là tout de suite = right now, at this very moment, immediately.
  • À chaud = on the spot, right away
    Chaud = hot.
  • À l’époque = at the time, at that time, back in the day.
    Une époque = a time, a period.
    La Belle Époque = the Belle-Epoque, le tout début du XXe siècle.
  • Ils n’ont rien à voir avec Noël. = They’re not at all about Christmas.
    Rien à voir ! = Nothing to do with that!
    Ça n’a rien à voir. = It’s completely different.
  • En boucle = “in a loop,” non-stop.
    Une boucle d’oreille = an earring.
    Des boucles = curls.
    Les cheveux bouclés = curled hair.
    Boucler = to loop, to buckle, to manage.

Keywords: Les Rois Mages, Anne Sylvestre, en boucle.

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Congrats! You completed the dialogues, what did you write down to remember? Are you interested in learning more about these parts of French Christmas? Which ones in particular?

If you enjoyed this format, by the way, you’ll be interested in my longer courses.
You’ll get to practice and listen to real spoken French with real French people and situations, and real dialogues on a whole array of different topics, with programs from intermediate to advanced, such as French Vocabulary and Pronunciation – or the 30-Day French Challenges! The dialogues for today come from our 30-Day French Challenge, and the next Challenge is opening very soon! They’re all very fun, with our lovely community of lovely francophiles, and they’re designed to help you find confidence whatever French Conversation throws at you.

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Join the conversation!

  • Traditionally, the servants would not be forced to work until the Yule Log had completely burned. So, they would soak it in a lake until it was time to add it to the fire… to prolong their respite from work

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