The French verb “rester” means “to stay” or “to remain” in English. But “rester” can be used with indirect object pronouns to mean “to have left.” This is an impersonal construction. In an impersonal construction, the “il” in “il me reste” means “it,” rather than “he.” The literal translation of “il me reste” is “it to me remains,” which is a way of saying “I have (something) left,” or “I still have some (things) left.”

“Rester” with Indirect Object Pronouns:

The indirect object pronouns in French are “me” (to me), “te” (to you), “lui” (to him/her), “nous” (to us), “vous” (to you) and “leur” (to them). When combined with “rester,” these pronouns personalise the remaining action or object.

• il me reste du temps (I have time left)
• il te reste de l’espoir (you have hope left)
• il nous reste quelques jours (we have a few days left)
• il lui reste de l’argent (he/she has money left)
• il vous reste des options (you have options left)
• il leur reste du travail à faire (they still have work to do)
• il t’en reste (you have some left)
• il m’en reste un (I’ve got one left)