Y replaces a place or a thing introduced by à; en replaces a quantity or a thing introduced by de. Both go before the verb; with a quantity, en leaves the number after the verb: J’y vais. J’en ai deux.
Summary
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| Point | Rule | Example | English | Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Set phrases | to learn as they are: allons-y / on y va | Allons-y ! / On y va ! | Let's go! / Off we go! | |
| Y: place | y replaces a place with à / en / dans / chez | Tu vas à Paris ? — Oui, j’y vais. | Are you going to Paris? — Yes, I'm going there. | |
| En: quantity | en replaces du / de la / des or a number; the number stays after the verb | Tu as des frères ? — Oui, j’en ai deux. | Do you have brothers? — Yes, I have two. | |
| Place | before the verb, the infinitive or the helper verb | Je veux y aller. / J’y suis allé. | I want to go there. / I went there. | |
| Negation | n’y or n’en before the verb, then pas | Je n’y vais pas. / Je n’en ai pas. | I'm not going there. / I don't have any. | |
| Imperative | after the verb, with a hyphen | Vas-y ! / Prends-en ! | Go on! / Take some! | |
| Y: thing with à | y replaces a thing, never a person | Tu penses à ton examen ? — Oui, j’y pense. | Are you thinking about your exam? — Yes, I'm thinking about it. | |
| En: thing with de | en replaces a thing, or a place of origin, with de | Tu parles de ton travail ? — Oui, j’en parle. | Are you talking about your job? — Yes, I'm talking about it. | |
| Negative imperative | n’y or n’en is back before the verb | N’y va pas ! / N’en prends pas ! | Don't go there! / Don't take any! | |
| Trap | with a quantity, do not forget en | J’en ai deux. | I have two. | |
| Trap | for a person, neither y nor en: à elle, de lui | Marie ? Je pense souvent à elle. | Marie? I often think about her. |
Overview
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- A few expressions with y are learned as they are. Allons-y ! / On y va ! / Vas-y !Let's go! / Off we go! / Go on!
- Y replaces a place introduced by à, en, dans, chez or sur. Tu vas à Paris ? — Oui, j’y vais.Are you going to Paris? — Yes, I'm going there.
- En replaces a noun with du, de la, des or a number; the number stays after the verb. Tu veux du thé ? ‖ Oui, j’en veux. / Tu as des frères ? ‖ J’en ai deux.Do you want some tea? ‖ Yes, I want some. / Do you have brothers? ‖ I have two.
- Y and en also replace a thing: à and a thing give y, de and a thing give en. Tu penses à ton voyage ? ‖ Oui, j’y pense. / Tu parles de ce film ? ‖ Oui, j’en parle.Are you thinking about your trip? ‖ Yes, I'm thinking about it. / Are you talking about this film? ‖ Yes, I'm talking about it.
- For the place of the other object pronouns, see Object Pronouns.
- For a person (penser à lui, parler de lui), see Stressed Pronouns.
- For il y en a, see There Is: il y a.
Form: the place of y and en
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| Form | Example | English | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| subject + y / en + verb | J’y vais. / Du pain ? Elle en achète. | I'm going there. / Bread? She buys some. | |
| subject + ne + y / en + verb + pas | Je n’y vais pas. / Elle n’en veut pas. | I'm not going there. / She doesn't want any. | |
| subject + verb + y / en + infinitive | Je veux y aller. / Il va en prendre deux. | I want to go there. / He is going to take two. | |
| subject + y / en + verb + ↗ | Tu y vas ? / Vous en voulez ? | Are you going there? / Do you want some? | |
| subject + y / en + helper + past participle | J’y suis allé. / J’en ai mangé. | I went there. / I ate some. | |
| subject + ne + y / en + helper + pas + past participle | Je n’y suis pas allé. / Je n’en ai pas pris. | I didn't go there. / I didn't take any. | |
| verb + hyphen + y / en | Vas-y ! / Prends-en ! | Go on! / Take some! | |
| ne + y / en + verb + pas | N’y va pas ! / N’en prends pas ! | Don't go there! / Don't take any! |
- Before y and en, je becomes j’ and ne becomes n’. J’y vais. / Elle n’en veut pas.I'm going there. / She doesn't want any.
- In the imperative, ‑er verbs keep their s before y and en: vas-y, manges-en. Vas-y ! / Manges‑en !Go on! / Eat some!
- For the imperative, see Imperative: parle, parlons, parlez.
Form: en and the quantity
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| Form | Example | English | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| subject + en + verb + number | J’en ai deux. / Elle en a trois. | I have two. / She has three. | |
| subject + en + verb + un / une | J’en veux un. / Tu en as une ? | I want one. / Do you have one? | |
| subject + en + verb + beaucoup / un peu / assez | J’en mange beaucoup. / Il en boit un peu. | I eat a lot of it. / He drinks a little. | |
| subject + ne + en + verb + pas | Je n’en ai pas. / Il n’en veut pas. | I don't have any. / He doesn't want any. | |
| il y en a + number | Il y en a trois. / Il n’y en a plus. | There are three. / There are none left. |
- With en, the noun disappears; un, une, a number or beaucoup stay after the verb. Des pommes ? J’en prends trois. / Du café ? J’en bois beaucoup.Apples? I take three. / Coffee? I drink a lot.
- For du, de la, des and quantities, see Partitives and Quantities.
Pronunciation: y and en
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- Y is said /i/ and en is said /ɑ̃/. J’y vais. / J’en veux.I'm going there. / I want some.
- Nous and vous link with y and en: vous y allez is said /vu zi ale/. Vous y allez ? / Nous en avons trois.Are you going there? / We have three.
- Before a verb that starts with a vowel, en runs on: j’en ai is said /ʒɑ̃ ne/. J’en ai deux. / Elle en achète.I have two. / She buys some.
- For all liaisons and elisions, see Liaison and Elision.
Use: y
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| Use | Example | English | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| A town or a country with à or en | Elle habite en France ? — Oui, elle y habite. | Does she live in France? — Yes, she lives there. | |
| A place with dans, sur or chez | Tu es chez toi ? — Oui, j’y suis. | Are you at home? — Yes, I'm there. | |
| A thing with à | Tu penses à ton examen ? — Oui, j’y pense. | Are you thinking about your exam? — Yes, I'm thinking about it. | |
| Verbs with à and a thing: penser / répondre / réfléchir / jouer | Vous répondez à cette lettre ? — Oui, nous y répondons. | Are you replying to this letter? — Yes, we are replying to it. |
Use: en
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| Use | Example | English | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| A number of things | Tu as des frères ? — Oui, j’en ai deux. | Do you have brothers? — Yes, I have two. | |
| A part: du / de la / de l’ | Tu veux du thé ? — Oui, j’en veux. | Do you want some tea? — Yes, I want some. | |
| A thing with de | Tu parles de ton travail ? — Oui, j’en parle. | Are you talking about your job? — Yes, I'm talking about it. | |
| Expressions with avoir: besoin de / envie de / peur de | Tu as besoin d’un stylo ? — Oui, j’en ai besoin. | Do you need a pen? — Yes, I need one. | |
| The place you come from | Tu viens de Lyon ? — Oui, j’en viens. | Are you coming from Lyon? — Yes, I'm coming from there. |
Compare: y and en
Nothing in this section is at or below. It starts at A1.
| y | en | Level |
|---|---|---|
| a place: you go or are somewhere | a quantity: how much you have, want or take | |
| Paris ? J’y vais.Paris? I'm going there. | Des pommes ? J’en prends trois.Apples? I take three. | |
| a thing after à: penser à, répondre à | a thing after de: parler de, avoir besoin de | |
| Ton projet ? J’y pense.Your project? I'm thinking about it. | Ton projet ? J’en parle.Your project? I'm talking about it. |
Typical errors
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| Wrong | Right | Rule | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| J’ai deux. | J’en ai deux. | with a number and no noun, en is needed | |
| J’en ai trois frères. | J’en ai trois. | en replaces the noun: it is not repeated | |
| Oui, j’en vais. | Oui, j’y vais. | a place is replaced by y, not by en | |
| Je suis y allé. | J’y suis allé. | in the passé composé, y goes before the helper verb | |
| Va-y ! | Vas-y ! | aller keeps its s before y: vas-y | |
| Marie ? J’y pense souvent. | Marie ? Je pense souvent à elle. | for a person, use à and a stressed pronoun, not y | |
| Je n’en ai pas de frère. | Je n’en ai pas. | with en, no de follows pas |