Ways to say it
| French | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| vacances | /va.kɑ̃s/ | feminine, plural |
| congé | /kɔ̃.ʒe/ | masculine |
The term holiday in French can refer to a period of leisure and travel, or more specifically to the administrative time off granted by an employer. Use vacances to talk about a general period of time spent away from work or school. To refer to statutory public holidays, such as Christmas or Bastille Day, use the phrase les jours fériés.
Which one should you use?
vacances is the general term used to refer to the period of time spent on vacation or holidays. In contrast, congé is used to refer more specifically to the administrative status of official leave or time off granted by an employer.
How does it change in a sentence?
When expressing that you are 'on holiday', you use the preposition en with vacances to say en vacances. Similarly, to say you are 'on leave' or 'on holiday' in a professional context, you use the preposition en with congé to say en congé.
How do you pronounce it?
/va.kɑ̃s/
What mistakes should you avoid?
Avoid using the singular form une vacance to mean 'a holiday', as this is a common error. The word is almost always used in the plural form les vacances.
When do people say it?
Les fêtes de fin d'année is a phrase used to describe the winter holiday season and encompasses the broader end-of-year celebrations.
Did you know?
- French has a specific term pont meaning 'bridge' to describe taking a Friday off when a public holiday falls on a Thursday.
- The word congé is used in the phrase donner congé, which means to fire someone or terminate a lease.
- The term vacances implies a sense of emptiness or being 'void', which is why it shares its linguistic roots with the concept of a 'vacancy'.
Examples in context
- Je suis en congés.I'm on holiday.This sentence shows how to use congé to say you are on holiday.Tatoeba #4686105 by sacredceltic, translation #1655626 by CK
- Êtes-vous en vacances ?Are you on holiday?This sentence uses vacances to ask if someone is on holiday.Tatoeba #3430481 by sacredceltic, translation #434250 by lukaszpp
- Es-tu ici en vacances ?Are you here on holiday?Tatoeba #4992689 by sacredceltic, translation #4593673 by Hybrid
- Je vais en vacances en Bretagne cet été.I am going on holiday to Brittany this summer.
- J'ai pris mes congés pour passer du temps avec ma famille.I took my days off to spend time with my family.
- Mon employeur m'a accordé deux jours de repos supplémentaires.My employer granted me two extra days off.
- Je pars en vacances à la plage avec mes amis.I'm going on holiday to the beach with my friends.
- J'ai enfin mes congés payés, on part à la montagne.I finally have my paid leave, we're going to the mountains.
- J'ai hâte d'être aux grandes vacances pour partir à la mer.I can't wait for the summer holidays to go to the sea.
- Je vais rendre visite à ma famille pendant les fêtes de fin d'année.I'm going to visit my family during the end-of-year celebrations.
- 142 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Nathan and Manon are talking about their summer plans.
- NathanTu pars quand en vacances ?When are you leaving for your holidays?
- ManonJe pars en juillet pour mes vacances.I am leaving in July for my holidays.
- NathanC'est super, profite bien de tes vacances !That's great, enjoy your holidays!
- ManonMerci, toi aussi si tu en prends.Thanks, you too if you take any.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “holiday” translations and entries vacances, congé, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
