Pendant les vacances, nous allons nous reposer au bord de la mer.

In French, vacances is normally used in the plural, even when English would often use the singular vacation.

So:

• les vacances = the holidays / vacation time
• en vacances = on vacation / on holiday

This is just a normal French usage pattern, so learners should get used to seeing vacances in the plural.

Here, pendant means during.

So Pendant les vacances means During the holidays or During our vacation.

A useful point:

• pendant is used for something happening throughout a period of time
• It can also mean for with a duration, as in pendant deux jours = for two days

In this sentence, it introduces the time frame for the action.

Nous allons nous reposer is the near future in French. It means we are going to rest / we’re going to relax.

Structure:

• nous allons = we are going
• nous reposer = to rest ourselves / to relax

So together:

• nous allons nous reposer = we are going to relax

If you said nous nous reposons, that would mean we are resting / we rest, which is present tense, not future.

The first nous is the subject pronoun: we.

The second nous is a reflexive pronoun, because se reposer is a reflexive verb.

So:

• nous = we
• nous reposer = to rest ourselves / to relax

This pattern is very common with reflexive verbs in French:

• je vais me lever = I’m going to get up
• tu vas te coucher = you’re going to go to bed
• nous allons nous reposer = we’re going to rest

Se reposer means to rest or to relax.

It is reflexive because, in French, the action is seen as happening to oneself:

• se reposer = literally something like to rest oneself

In natural English, we usually just say to rest or to relax, without oneself. But in French, the reflexive form is the normal one here.

In a structure like aller + infinitive, the reflexive pronoun usually goes before the infinitive, not before aller.

So:

• nous allons nous reposer

not:

• nous nous allons reposer

The pattern is:

• subject + aller
  • reflexive pronoun + infinitive

Examples:

• je vais me coucher = I’m going to go to bed
• elle va se laver = she’s going to wash
• nous allons nous reposer = we’re going to rest

Au bord de la mer means by the sea, at the seaside, or literally at the edge of the sea.

It suggests being next to the sea, not in it.

Breaking it down:

• au = at the / to the
• bord = edge / side
• de la mer = of the sea

This is a very common French expression for being at the coast or seaside.

Because à + le contracts to au in French.

So:

• à le → au
• à les → aux

That is why you say:

• au bord de la mer

not:

• à le bord de la mer

This contraction is mandatory in standard French.

French usually needs an article where English may not.

So the sea in French is:

• la mer

And after bord de, you keep that article:

• au bord de la mer = by the sea

Saying au bord de mer can exist in some fixed expressions, especially in advertising or labels, but au bord de la mer is the standard full phrase in a normal sentence like this one.

Yes. Depending on context, se reposer can mean:

• to rest
• to relax
• to take it easy

In this sentence, since it is about vacation and the seaside, relax is often a very natural translation.

So the French does not only suggest physical rest; it can also suggest unwinding and enjoying time off.

The comma separates the time expression from the main clause:

• Pendant les vacances,
• nous allons nous reposer au bord de la mer.

This is similar to English, where you often put a comma after an introductory phrase:

• During the holidays, we’re going to relax by the sea.

The comma helps readability. In French, this punctuation is very natural when a time phrase comes first.

The present-tense version would be:

• Pendant les vacances, nous nous reposons au bord de la mer.

That means During the holidays, we relax / we are relaxing by the sea.

The original sentence:

• nous allons nous reposer

means:

• we are going to relax

So the original focuses more clearly on a future plan.

A few useful pronunciation points:

• allons sounds roughly like ah-lon
  The -ons ending is nasal.
• nous sounds roughly like noo
• reposer sounds roughly like ruh-poh-zay
• au bord de la mer flows quite smoothly, with au sounding like oh

One thing learners often notice is that French pronunciation is more connected than English. In normal speech, the sentence may sound quite fluid:

Pendant les vacances, nous allons nous reposer au bord de la mer.

You do not pronounce every final consonant. For example:

• the s in vacances
• the d in bord

are normally silent here.