# The Pronouns y and en

https://langs123.com/en/french/pronoms/y-en/
CEFR A1–A2 · 2026-10-24 · CC BY 4.0, langs123 contributors (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

> **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

| Point | Rule | Example |  |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 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

- 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

| Form | Example |  |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 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** ! / Mange**s**-en ! (Go on! / Eat some!)
- For the imperative, see Imperative: parle, parlons, parlez.

## Form: en and the quantity

| Form | Example |  |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 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

- **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

| Use | Example |  |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 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

| Use | Example |  |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 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

| y | en |
| --- | --- |
| 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

| ✗ | ✓ |  |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 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** |