Time to celebrate Thanksgiving with your amigos and familia… but how do you talk about El Día de Acción de Gracias in Spanish?
In this Spanish beginner lesson, you’ll learn essential vocabulary related to this popular celebration.
You’ll discover:
🦃 Spanish vocabulary for traditional Thanksgiving food
✈️ Common Thanksgiving activities
🏠 How to describe the family atmosphere during Thanksgiving en español
Ready? Listen to the lesson below.
¡Vamos!
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Thanksgiving: Beginner Spanish Listening Transcript
The audio activity describes a typical Thanksgiving celebration in basic Spanish.
If it feels a little challenging, don’t worry. Here’s the transcript with its English translation so you can read along while listening and check your understanding.
El Día de Acción de Gracias se celebra en Estados Unidos el cuarto jueves de noviembre.
Thanksgiving Day is celebrated in the United States on the fourth Thursday of November.
Es una celebración familiar muy importante.
It is a very important family celebration.
Muchas personas viajan para reunirse con sus familiares y amigos.
Many people travel to spend time with their family and friends.
Durante el día, las familias comparten una cena especial.
During the day, families share a special dinner.
La comida tradicional incluye pavo, puré de papas y pastel de calabaza.
The traditional meal includes turkey, mashed potatoes, and pumpkin pie.
Antes de comer, muchas personas expresan gratitud por las cosas buenas de su vida.
Before eating, many people express gratitude for the good things in their lives.
Es un momento para estar con la familia y dar gracias.
It is a time to be with family and give thanks.
Key Thanksgiving Vocabulary in Spanish
Here are some of the most important words and expressions from this episode of the Spanish for Beginners Podcast:
Día de Acción de Gracias: Thanksgiving
Cuarto jueves de noviembre: fourth Thursday of November.
la cena familiar: family dinner
expresar gratitud: express gratitud
dar gracias: give thanks
Thanksgiving Food Vocabulary
Sharing food with loved ones at the table is one of the most important parts of Thanksgiving. After all, who doesn’t love a Thanksgiving feast with family and close friends?
To help you talk about this tradition with your amigos, here are some common Thanksgiving foods en español:
pavo: turkey
puré de papas: mashed potatoes
paste del calabaza: pumpkin pie
Expressing Gratitude at the Table
Not sure how to say “I’m thankful for” in Spanish?
There are several ways to express gratitude, but let’s keep it simple for this lesson. A common structure to use is:
Estoy agradecido/-a por + thing you’re grateful for
Note: Use “agradecido” if you’re a man, and “agradecida” if you’re a woman.
Examples:
Estoy agradecido por compartir con ustedes (I’m thankful to share with you)
Estoy agradecido por tener buena salud (I’m thankful for having good health)
Estoy agradecido por mi nueva casa (I’m thankful for my new house)
Your turn: ¿De qué estás agradecido/-a este año? (What are you thankful for this year?)
Thanksgiving and Spanish-Speaking Countries
One interesting cultural fact is that Thanksgiving is not a public holiday in Spanish-speaking countries.
Because of this, many Spanish speakers are surprised by some of the traditions associated with Thanksgiving.
Sharing these traditions can be a great way to connect with Spanish-speaking friends and introduce them to an important part of your culture.
Now that you know the basics, have fun celebrating Thanksgiving in Spanish with your friends and family.
Remember: your goal isn’t language perfection. Your goal is connection.
I’m sure your amigos latinos will appreciate the effort you make to use some of these Thanksgiving phrases in Spanish.
¡Felíz día de Acción de Gracias! 🦃 (Happy Thanksgiving!)
Looking For More Thanksgiving Spanish Lessons?
We’ve created more resources to help you communicate with your familia, amigos, and comunidad:
Ways To Say Thank You in Spanish
Thanksgiving in Spanish (Intermediate-Level lesson)
¡Hasta la próxima!
