bonnes vacances
In French, "have a nice vacation" is translated as bonnes vacances.
bonnes vacances is used as a friendly wish for someone who is about to go on a holiday. It functions as an elliptical expression, which means the verb passer de (to spend or have) is implied.
What does it mean word for word?
Literally, bonnes vacances translates to "good holidays".
How does it change in a sentence?
In this context, the word vacances is always feminine and plural, so the adjective bonnes must also be feminine and plural.
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers sometimes mistakenly use the singular form bonne vacances. However, because vacances must always be plural when referring to a holiday period in French, you must use the plural bonnes.
Did you know?
- While vacances means 'vacation' in the plural, the singular vacance refers to an empty seat or a job opening. This means wishing someone a bonne vacance would accidentally suggest you hope they find an unoccupied position.
- The word vacances shares a root with the English word 'vacant'. Both derive from the Latin vacare, meaning 'to be empty' or 'to be free from duty'.
- In France, the traditional summer holiday is called les grandes vacances, referring to the long break students take between June and September. This period is culturally distinct from shorter school breaks, which are called les petites vacances.
Examples in context
- Bonnes vacances !Have a nice vacation.This example shows how to use bonnes vacances to wish someone a nice vacation.Tatoeba #2158299 by sacredceltic, translation #21299 by CK
- Je vous souhaite de bonnes vacances.I wish you a nice vacation.
- Passe de bonnes vacances en Italie !Have a nice vacation in Italy!
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
At the office on a Friday afternoon before a break.
- HugoÀ lundi, Emma !See you Monday, Emma!
- EmmaÀ lundi, Hugo. Bonnes vacances à toi aussi !See you Monday, Hugo. Have a nice vacation too!
- HugoMerci, profite bien du soleil.Thanks, enjoy the sun.
- EmmaMerci, à bientôt !Thanks, see you soon!
Sources
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
