Mastering French Y and En: Two Small But Powerful Words

In this post we’ll look at French y and en, two small, but common – and often confusing – pronouns. These little words often replace longer phrases and are essential for sounding natural and fluent. In this post, we’ll break down what they mean, when to use them, and how to use them in different tenses and with different types of verbs.

Y

First, let’s look at the pronoun y. Y replaces phrases that begin with the preposition à (to, at, in) when referring to a place or a thing or idea. Let’s break that down further:

Y Replacing a place introduced by à / chez / dans / en / sur

Y can replace a prepositional phrase introduced by à, chez, dans, en, and sur. In this use, you can usually translate it as there.

• Tu vas à Paris ? Oui, j’y vais.
  Are you going to Paris? Yes, I’m going there.
• Elle est chez le médecin ?  Oui, elle y est.
  She’s at the doctor’s? Yes, she’s there.
• Depuis combien de temps habite-t-elle à Tours ? Elle y habite depuis trois ans.
  How long has she lived in Tours? She’s lived there for three years.

Y Replacing Other à Phrases

Y can also replace a prepositional phrase starting with à when it refers to a thing or idea. In this cases, it’s typically translated as about it, in it, and so on.

• Tu penses à ton travail ? Oui, j’y pense.
  Are you thinking about your work?  Yes, I’m thinking about it.
• Il s’intéresse à la politique ? Oui, il s’y intéresse.
  Is he interested in politics? Yes, he’s interested in it.
• Elle réfléchit à la situation. Elle y réfléchit.
  She’s thinking about the situation. She’s thinking about it.
• Nous participons à un projet important. Nous y participons.
  We’re participating in an important project We’re taking part in it.

Just remember that y cannot replace people introduced with à. For these cases, use indirect object pronouns like lui or leur.

• Je pense à ma mère. Je pense à elle.
  I’m thinking about my mother. I’m thinking about her.
• J’envoie un message à mes amis. Je leur envoie un message.
  I’m sending a message to my friends. I’m sending them a message.

En

Now, let’s turn to the pronoun en. En replaces phrases that begin with the preposition de (of). It replaces quantity expressions, partitive (some), and other expressions with de. Let’s break that down further:

En Replacing de + noun Phrase

En can replace a prepositional phrase introduced by de when the object is a thing or idea, not a person. This often happens with partitive (some) expressions using de. In this use, the typical translations are some, some of it/them, about it, and so on.  

• Tu veux du pain ? Oui, j’en veux.
  Do you want some bread? Yes, I want some.
• Ils boivent du vin ? Oui, ils en boivent.
  Are they drinking wine? Yes, they’re drinking it/some.
• Il parle de son projet ? Oui, il en parle.
  Is he talking about his project? Yes, he’s talking about it.

En Replacing Quantity Expressions

The pronoun en is also used to replace expressions of quantity.

• Tu as trois enfants ? Oui, j’en ai trois.
  You have three children? Yes, I have three.
• Elle a beaucoup de travail ?  Oui, elle en a beaucoup.
  Does she have a lot of work? Yes, she has a lot.

En with De Verbs

En is also used with verbs that typically take objects with de.

• Tu te souviens du vieux vélo que j’avais ? Oui, je m’en souviens.
  Do you remember the old bike that I had? Yes, I remember it.
• Tu te sers de ton mixeur ? Oui, je m’en sers souvent.
  Do you use your blender? Yes, I use it often.
• Tu as besoin de ton livre ? Non, je n’en ai pas besoin.
  Do you need your book? No, I don’t need it.
• Il a peur de l’araignée ? Oui, il en a très peur.
  Is he afraid of the spider? Yes, he’s very afraid of it.

Just remember that en cannot replace people. Instead, use de lui, d’elle, d’eux, d’elles, and so on.

• Tu te souviens de mes sœurs ? Oui, je me souviens d’elles.
  Do you remember my sisters? Yes, I remember them.
• Il a peur de son patron ? Non, il n’a pas peur de lui.
  Is he afraid of his boss? No, he’s not afraid of him.

Position of French Y and En

Now let’s see where y and en go in sentences in different constructions.

Simple Tenses

In simple tenses (the present, the future, the imperfect), the pronoun goes before the conjugated verb.

• J’y vais tous les jours.
  I go there every day.
• Nous en parlions hier.
  We were talking about it yesterday.
• Tu y penseras ?
  Will you think about it?
• J’y pense souvent.
  I think about it often.
• J’en veux un peu.
  I want some.
• Il y sera demain.
  He’ll be there tomorrow.
• Elle en prenait tous les matins.
  She used to take some every morning.

Compound Tenses

In compound tenses – tenses that use avoir or être as an auxiliary – the pronoun goes before the auxiliary verb.

• Il en a parlé.
  He talked about it.
• Je m’en étais douté.
  I had suspected it. I thought so.
• Nous y sommes allés ensemble.
  We went there together.

With Infinitives

If there’s an infinitive, the pronoun goes before the infinitive.

• Je vais en acheter.
  I’m going to buy some.
• Elle veut y aller.
  She wants to go there.
• On va en parler.
  We’re going to talk about it.

With Imperatives

In affirmative commands, pronouns come after the verb, joined with a hyphen.

• Vas-y !
  Go there!
• Parles-en !
  Talk about it!
• N’y pense plus !
  Don’t think about it anymore!

In negative commands, they go before the verb.

• N’y va pas !
  Don’t go there!
• N’en parle pas !
  Don’t talk about it!
• Ne t’en fais pas.
  Don’t worry about it.

Practice 1

Let’s practice the pronoun y. Rephrase each sentence using y, then translate your answers.

1. Elle pense à son avenir.
2. Nous allons à la piscine chaque samedi.
3. Tu réponds à la question ?
4. Ils habitent à Paris.
5. Je suis allée au restaurant hier soir.
6. Elle assiste aux réunions du comité.
7. Il reste à la maison aujourd’hui.
8. Vous jouez souvent au tennis ?
9. Je pense à mon travail.
10. Elles participent à un concours.

Practice 2

Finally, let’s practice the pronoun en. Rephrase each sentence using en, then translate your answers.

1. Elle parle de son voyage.
2. J’ai besoin de ton aide.
3. Tu veux du pain ?
4. Nous avons trois enfants.
5. Il revient de la plage.
6. Je me souviens de cette chanson.
7. Vous avez parlé de ce problème ?
8. Elle achète des pommes.
9. Il est fier de son travail.
10. On a reçu des messages.

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Answers

Practice 1

1. Elle y pense. (She thinks about it.)
2. Nous y allons chaque samedi. (We go there every Saturday.)
3. Tu y réponds ? (Are you answering it?)
4. Ils y habitent. (They live there.)
5. J’y suis allée hier soir. (I went there last night.)
6. Elle y assiste. (She attends them.)
7. Il y reste aujourd’hui. (He’s staying there today.)
8. Vous y jouez souvent ? (Do you play it often?)
9. J’y pense. (I think about it.)
10. Elles y participent. (They’re taking part in it.)

Practice 2

1. Elle en parle. (She talks about it.)
2. J’en ai besoin. (I need it.)
3. Tu en veux ? (Do you want some?)
4. Nous en avons trois. (We have three of them.)
5. Il en revient. (He’s coming back from there.)
6. Je m’en souviens. (I remember it.)
7. Vous en avez parlé ? (Did you talk about it?)
8. Elle en achète. (She’s buying some.)
9. Il en est fier. (He’s proud of it.)
10. On en a reçu. (We received some.)

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