Negotiating salary: Discussing benefits like vacation days or remote work

💬 Il y a means "there is" or "there are", and in everyday speech combien can simply follow it. Swap the ending to reuse it: Il y a combien de jours de télétravail ? "How many remote days are there?"

💬 Congés means time off from work, and it's almost always plural when talking about vacation. Holidays you take yourself are congés, not vacances "holidays", in a work contract.

🇫🇷 Five weeks of paid leave is the legal minimum in France, so this isn't a perk to negotiate. Many full-time jobs also add extra days off, called RTT "reduced working time days", which are worth asking about.

💬 Télé- means "at a distance", just as in téléphone. So télétravail is literally "distance work".

🇫🇷 Putting your ask as a question keeps the tone collaborative rather than demanding. It's a common, polite way to name a figure in a French negotiation.

💬 French often names the topic first, then comments on it with c'est. Reuse it: Et le salaire, c'est négociable ? "And the salary, is it negotiable?"

💬 Serait is the "would" form of est "is", which turns a demand into a gentle suggestion. Compare the blunter C'est possible ? "Is it possible?"

🇫🇷 Floating a number as a soft question is the normal way to push back in a French negotiation. It keeps things cordial while still making your request clear.

💬 Short answers use pas alone, with no ne. Reuse it: Pas maintenant "Not now", Pas encore "Not yet".

🇫🇷 Six months often matches the end of the période d'essai "trial period". Employers commonly promise to revisit perks once you're confirmed.

💬 On means "we" here, and en stands for "about it", sitting before the verb. Reuse it: On peut en parler "We can talk about it."

💬 Convient comes from convenir "to suit". The person it suits goes before the verb, so you can swap it out: Ça vous convient ? "Does that suit you?"

💬 French uses the plain present envoie for something about to happen, where English says "I'll send". Likewise, Je vous appelle demain means "I'll call you tomorrow".