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How to Say ‘No, he was on leave.’ in French

Non, il était en congé.

noh eel ay-TAY ahn kohn-ZHAY

[noh eel ay-TAY ahn kohn-ZHAY]

Phrase Breakdown

Non, il était

noh eel ay-TAY

No, he was

Pause slightly after 'Non', then link 'il était': 'ee-lay-TAY'.

Example

Non, il était malade.

No, he was sick.

Words in this phrase

Non

[noh]

no

Used to give a negative response.

Example

Non, je ne veux pas.

No, I don't want to.

il

[eel]

he

Third person singular subject pronoun.

Example

Il est heureux.

He is happy.

était

[ay-TAY]

was

Imperfect form of 'être' meaning 'was' or 'used to be.'

Example

C'était un moment agréable pour parler de nos projets.

It was a pleasant moment to talk about our projects.

en congé.

ahn kohn-ZHAY

on leave.

This means away from work on holiday or leave. The 'en' is nasal: 'ahn kon-ZHAY'.

Example

Elle est en congé cette semaine.

She's on leave this week.

Words in this phrase

en

[ahn]

on

Used in set phrases describing a state, like 'en congé' (on leave).

Example

Je suis en vacances.

I'm on holiday.

congé

[kohn-ZHAY]

leave, day off

Time off work; 'en congé' means on leave.

Example

J'ai un jour de congé.

I have a day off.

Related guides

French Conversation for Beginners: 6 Everyday Dialogues You'll Actually UseSix basic French conversations for beginners, from greeting a neighbour and introducing yourself to booking a restaurant, with translations, native audio and the phrases that keep them going.Ordering in French: Cafés, Bakeries and Restaurants (with Menu Vocabulary)How to order in French at a café, a bakery and a restaurant: the phrases, the questions staff ask, and the menu and food vocabulary to understand the answers.

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