Les pronoms y et en
Replacing places, quantities, and 'de/à' phrases
Y and en are two small but powerful pronouns that let you avoid repeating yourself. Y replaces places and 'à + something'. En replaces 'de + something' and quantities. Once you get them, your French sounds much more natural and less repetitive.
Y — replaces places and 'à + thing'
Use y to replace a place you've already mentioned (there), or any phrase introduced by 'à' that isn't a person.
- Tu vas au cinéma ? — Oui, j'y vais. — Are you going to the cinema? — Yes, I'm going (there).
- Elle habite à Paris ? — Oui, elle y habite. — Does she live in Paris? — Yes, she lives there.
- Tu penses à ton examen ? — Oui, j'y pense. — Are you thinking about your exam? — Yes, I'm thinking about it.
En — replaces 'de + thing' and quantities
Use en to replace a phrase with 'de/du/de la/des' or to replace a quantity (some, a lot, three, etc.) when the noun has already been mentioned.
- Tu veux du café ? — Oui, j'en veux. — Do you want some coffee? — Yes, I want some.
- Tu as des frères ? — Oui, j'en ai deux. — Do you have brothers? — Yes, I have two.
- Elle parle de son voyage ? — Oui, elle en parle. — Is she talking about her trip? — Yes, she's talking about it.
Position in the sentence
Both y and en go just BEFORE the conjugated verb (or the helper in compound tenses). In negation, they stay between ne and the verb.
| Tense | Y example | En example |
|---|---|---|
| Present | J'y vais. | J'en veux. |
| Passé composé | J'y suis allé. | J'en ai mangé. |
| Negative present | Je n'y vais pas. | Je n'en veux pas. |
| Futur proche | Je vais y aller. | Je vais en manger. |
« Tu vas au parc ? — Oui, ___ . »
Tu veux du gâteau ? — Oui, j' ___ veux bien.
Tu as des enfants ? — Oui, j' ___ ai deux.
« Elle pense à son examen ? — Oui, elle ___ pense. »
Replace the underlined part with y or en
Nous allons souvent [au restaurant]. →