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'En retard', 'en colère', 'en panne': state phrases that never agree

French often describes a state with en followed by a noun, with no article: en retard (late), en colère (angry), en panne (broken down), en vie (alive). These phrases do the job of an adjective. You use them after être, just like content or fatigué.

The catch is that they are not adjectives, so they never change. There is no feminine form and no plural form. English speakers who have learned to add -e and -s everywhere tend to write elles sont en colères or nous sommes en retards. Both are wrong. The noun inside the phrase stays exactly as it is, whoever you are talking about.

Word list
vacancesfA1 vacation en vacances = on holiday congémA2 vacation en congé = on leave dangermA2 danger en danger = in danger en bonne santéA2 healthy en bonne santé = healthy en colèreA2 angry en colère = angry en ligneA2 online en ligne = online en retardA2 late en retard = late en vieA2 alive en vie = alive en coupleB1 in a relationship en couple = in a relationship en désordreB1 messy en désordre = messy en ordreB1 neat en ordre = neat en panneB1 broken en panne = broken en sécuritéB1 safe en sécurité = safe en avanceB2 beforehand en avance = in advance en descenteB2 downhill en descente = downhill en montéeB2 uphill en montée = uphill en retardB2 overdue des factures en retard = overdue bills (never en retards) en souffranceB2 overdue des paiements en souffrance = overdue payments, formal (never en souffrances) en sueurB2 sweaty en sueur = sweaty en vogueB2 fashionable en vogue = fashionable grèvefB2 strike en grève = on strike deuilmC1 mourning en deuil = in mourning en failliteC1 bankrupt en faillite = bankrupt en fusionC1 molten en fusion = molten quarantainefC1 quarantine en quarantaine = in quarantine
How it works

The pattern is simple: en + noun, with no le, la or un in between. English often uses a single adjective here (late, angry, alive), and sometimes a similar phrase (on holiday, in danger, online). In French, the noun belongs to the fixed phrase, not to the subject, so it keeps its own form.

Rule of thumb: if the state starts with en and there is no article, leave it alone. The singular and plural forms are identical, and so are the masculine and feminine.

Désolé, je suis en retard, ma voiture est en panne.
(Sorry I'm late, my car broke down.)
Les deux voitures sont en panne.
(Both cars have broken down.)
Elles sont en colère parce que nous sommes en retard.
(They are angry because we are late.)
The words
Time and plans

En retard means late and en avance means early. For time off, French says en vacances (on holiday) and en congé (on leave). Workers who stop working are en grève (on strike).

Pour une fois, nous sommes en avance.
(For once, we're early.)
Les profs sont en grève et les enfants sont en vacances.
(The teachers are on strike and the children are on holiday.)
Body, feelings and safety

Here you have en colère (angry), en bonne santé (healthy), en vie (alive), en sueur (sweaty), en sécurité (safe), en danger (in danger), en deuil (in mourning) and en quarantaine (in quarantine).

Mes grands-parents sont toujours en bonne santé.
(My grandparents are still healthy.)
Heureusement, tous les passagers sont en vie et en sécurité.
(Luckily, all the passengers are alive and safe.)
Après le match, les joueuses sont en sueur.
(After the match, the players are sweaty.)
Relationships

En couple is the everyday way to say that people are in a relationship.

Ils sont en couple depuis deux ans.
(They've been together for two years.)
Things and places

A room can be en ordre (tidy) or en désordre (messy). A machine can be en panne. A person or a service can be en ligne (online). Clothes and styles can be en vogue (fashionable). A company can be en faillite (bankrupt), and metal can be en fusion (molten).

Ma chambre est en désordre, mais mes papiers sont en ordre.
(My room is messy, but my papers are in order.)
Mes cousines sont en ligne tous les soirs.
(My cousins are online every evening.)
Ces couleurs sont très en vogue cette année.
(These colours are very fashionable this year.)
Plusieurs entreprises de la ville sont en faillite.
(Several companies in the town are bankrupt.)
Watch out

In en bonne santé, the adjective bonne agrees with santé, which is feminine, and not with the person. A man is en bonne santé too, never en bon santé.

You cannot replace en retard with tard when you mean a person. Tard means late in the day (il est tard, it's late). A person who arrives after the agreed time is en retard.

These phrases also work directly after a noun, and they stay the same there as well: des cours en ligne (online courses), des métaux en fusion (molten metals).

A few similar phrases use a different preposition, such as à la mode, hors ligne and au chômage. They do not agree either, but they are not part of the en pattern. Also keep this pattern separate from en + material (une table en bois), which describes what something is made of, not a state.

Finally, if you do want agreement, use a real adjective instead: elles sont fâchées agrees, while elles sont en colère does not.

Summary

When a state is expressed with en + a noun without an article (en retard, en colère, en panne, en vacances), treat the whole phrase as a fixed block. It works like an adjective after être or after a noun, but it never takes a feminine -e or a plural -s, whoever or whatever it describes.