French Phrase
Combien de jours de congé il me reste ?
Meaning
The sentence asks the listener to tell the speaker how many days of paid leave (congé) are still available to them. It is a polite, neutral way to request a balance of vacation days, often used in a professional setting.
When to use
Use this question when you are checking your remaining annual leave with a manager, HR representative, or a self‑service portal. It works both in formal written emails and in spoken conversation at the office.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Combiendejoursdecongéilmereste?
Combien de
The interrogative phrase ‘Combien de’ is used before a noun to ask ‘how many’. It never changes with gender or number.
jours de congé
A noun phrase meaning ‘days of leave’. ‘Congé’ is masculine singular; the plural is expressed by the noun that precedes it (jours).
il me reste
An impersonal construction with the verb ‘rester’ (to remain). The subject is the dummy pronoun ‘il’, while the person who still has the days is expressed with the indirect object pronoun ‘me’.
Verb placement in questions
In formal written French the verb stays after the subject (il me reste). In spoken French you may also hear inversion: ‘Il me reste combien de jours…?’
🗨In Conversation
Combien de jours de congé il me reste ?
How many days of leave do I have left?
Il vous reste cinq jours de congé cette année.
You have five days of leave left this year.
✕Common Mistakes
Je reste combien de jours de congé ?
‘Rester’ does not take ‘je’ as the subject in this meaning; the correct impersonal construction is ‘il me reste’.
Combien de jours de congé je reste ?
The pronoun order is wrong; the verb must stay with the dummy ‘il’ (il me reste).
Il reste combien de jours de congé à moi ?
‘À moi’ is unnecessary and sounds unnatural; use the indirect object pronoun ‘me’ instead.
↔Alternatives
Il me reste combien de jours de congé ?
How many days of leave do I have left?
Quel est le solde de mes jours de congé ?
What is the balance of my leave days?
Combien de jours de vacances me restent‑ils ?
How many vacation days do I have left?
Cultural Tip
In French workplaces, ‘congé’ usually refers to paid annual leave (congés payés). When speaking to HR or a manager, it’s safer to use the formal ‘vous’ form (e.g., ‘Il vous reste…’). In Québec, people often say ‘vacances’ instead of ‘congé’, but the structure of the question stays the same.