diff --git a/CHANGES.rst b/CHANGES.rst
index 3b94132cb..12f9fb599 100644
--- a/CHANGES.rst
+++ b/CHANGES.rst
@@ -29,6 +29,7 @@ Removed
 
 Fixed
 +++++
+* Restored the ``FeatureError`` for a step placed before the first scenario or background. ``gherkin-official`` 31 and later no longer raise a parse error for this and fold the line into the feature description, so the check is now performed by pytest-bdd to keep the behaviour consistent across supported ``gherkin-official`` versions. `#779 <https://github.com/pytest-dev/pytest-bdd/issues/779>`_
 * Made type annotations stronger and removed most of the ``typing.Any`` usages and ``# type: ignore`` annotations. `#658 <https://github.com/pytest-dev/pytest-bdd/pull/658>`_
 
 Security
diff --git a/src/pytest_bdd/gherkin_parser.py b/src/pytest_bdd/gherkin_parser.py
index 8a6e4abdd..1455083f2 100644
--- a/src/pytest_bdd/gherkin_parser.py
+++ b/src/pytest_bdd/gherkin_parser.py
@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@
 from dataclasses import dataclass, field
 from typing import Any
 
+from gherkin.dialect import Dialect  # type: ignore
 from gherkin.errors import CompositeParserException  # type: ignore
 from gherkin.parser import Parser  # type: ignore
 
@@ -324,9 +325,71 @@ def get_gherkin_document(abs_filename: str, encoding: str = "utf-8") -> GherkinD
         raise exceptions.GherkinParseError(f"Unknown parsing error: {message}", line, line_content, filename) from e
 
     # At this point, the `gherkin_data` should be valid if no exception was raised
+    _raise_if_step_in_feature_description(gherkin_data, feature_file_text, abs_filename)
+
     return GherkinDocument.from_dict(gherkin_data)
 
 
+def _description_step_keywords(language: str) -> tuple[str, ...]:
+    """Return the step keywords for ``language`` as Gherkin itself defines them.
+
+    Reusing the dialect keywords means the check follows the same logic Gherkin
+    uses to recognise steps, so it works for every language Gherkin supports
+    rather than English alone. The generic ``*`` keyword is omitted: it only
+    opens a step inside a scenario, and matching it against a description would
+    flag an ordinary bullet list.
+    """
+    dialect = Dialect.for_name(language)
+    if dialect is None:
+        return ()
+    keywords = (
+        dialect.given_keywords
+        + dialect.when_keywords
+        + dialect.then_keywords
+        + dialect.and_keywords
+        + dialect.but_keywords
+    )
+    return tuple(keyword for keyword in keywords if keyword.strip() != "*")
+
+
+def _raise_if_step_in_feature_description(
+    gherkin_data: Mapping[str, Any], feature_file_text: str, abs_filename: str
+) -> None:
+    """Raise a FeatureError if a step keyword sits before the first scenario or background.
+
+    Older gherkin-official versions raised a parse error in this case; newer ones
+    (>= 31) fold the offending line into the feature description instead. We detect
+    it here so the behaviour stays consistent across gherkin-official versions (#779).
+    """
+    feature = gherkin_data.get("feature")
+    if not feature:
+        return
+    description = feature.get("description") or ""
+    non_empty_lines = [line for line in description.splitlines() if line.strip()]
+    if not non_empty_lines:
+        return
+    # A step keyword is only misplaced when it opens the description. A keyword that
+    # appears later is legitimate free-text inside a multi-line description.
+    first_line = non_empty_lines[0].strip()
+    step_keywords = _description_step_keywords(feature.get("language", "en"))
+    if not any(first_line.startswith(keyword) for keyword in step_keywords):
+        return
+    for lineno, file_line in enumerate(feature_file_text.splitlines(), start=1):
+        if file_line.strip() == first_line:
+            raise exceptions.FeatureError(
+                "Step definition outside of a Scenario or a Background.",
+                lineno,
+                file_line,
+                abs_filename,
+            )
+    raise exceptions.FeatureError(
+        "Step definition outside of a Scenario or a Background.",
+        feature["location"]["line"],
+        first_line,
+        abs_filename,
+    )
+
+
 def handle_gherkin_parser_error(
     raw_error: str, line: int, line_content: str, filename: str, original_exception: Exception | None = None
 ) -> None:
diff --git a/tests/parser/test_errors.py b/tests/parser/test_errors.py
index 5c616388a..dade2f94f 100644
--- a/tests/parser/test_errors.py
+++ b/tests/parser/test_errors.py
@@ -72,6 +72,47 @@ def step_inside_scenario():
     result.stdout.fnmatch_lines(["*FeatureError: Step definition outside of a Scenario or a Background.*"])
 
 
+def test_step_outside_scenario_or_background_error_localized(pytester):
+    """A misplaced step is detected regardless of the feature language.
+
+    The detection uses the Gherkin dialect for the file's language, so a step
+    keyword from a non-English dialect (here French ``Soit``) is reported the
+    same way as the English one.
+    """
+    features = pytester.mkdir("features")
+    features.joinpath("test.feature").write_text(
+        textwrap.dedent(
+            """\
+            # language: fr
+            Fonctionnalité: Fonctionnalité invalide
+            Soit une étape hors de tout scénario
+
+                Scénario: Un scénario valide
+                    Soit une étape dans le scénario
+            """
+        ),
+        encoding="utf-8",
+    )
+
+    pytester.makepyfile(
+        textwrap.dedent(
+            """
+            from pytest_bdd import scenarios, given
+
+            @given("une étape dans le scénario")
+            def step_inside_scenario():
+                pass
+
+            scenarios('features')
+            """
+        )
+    )
+
+    result = pytester.runpytest()
+
+    result.stdout.fnmatch_lines(["*FeatureError: Step definition outside of a Scenario or a Background.*"])
+
+
 def test_multiple_backgrounds_error(pytester):
     """Test multiple backgrounds in a single feature."""
     features = pytester.mkdir("features")