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French Pronouns 'en' and 'y'

The pronouns en and y are two incredibly useful little words in French! They help us avoid repetition when talking about places or things. Think of them as two superheroes that replace words in our sentences to make them more elegant.

1. Talking About Places 🗺️

The pronoun 'en'

Replaces from/of + place (de + place)

Tu viens de Paris ?
Are you coming from Paris?
Oui, j'en viens.
Yes, I'm coming from there.

The pronoun 'y'

Replaces to + place (à + place)

Tu vas à Londres ?
Are you going to London?
Oui, j'y vais.
Yes, I'm going there.

A. The Pronoun 'en' for Origin

Use 'en' with verbs of origin/source:

- venir de
to come from
- revenir de
to come back from
- rentrer de
to return from
- partir de
to leave from
- sortir de
to exit from

Examples:

Je reviens du cinéma → J'en reviens
I'm coming back from the cinema → I'm coming back from there
Elle sort du magasin → Elle en sort
She's leaving the store → She's leaving from there
Ils partent de la gare → Ils en partent
They're leaving the station → They're leaving from there

B. The Pronoun 'y' for Destination

Use 'y' with verbs of destination:

- aller à
to go to
- retourner à
to return to
- arriver à
to arrive at
- se rendre à
to go to
- passer à
to stop by

Examples:

Je vais au parc → J'y vais
I'm going to the park → I'm going there
Elle retourne à l'école → Elle y retourne
She's returning to school → She's returning there
Nous passons à la banque → Nous y passons
We're stopping by the bank → We're stopping there

💡 Important Note! Don't confuse:

  • The preposition en: Je vais en France
I'm going to France
  • The pronoun en: Je viens de France → J'en viens
I'm coming from France → I'm coming from there

2. Talking About Things 📦

The pronoun 'en'

Replaces of/some + thing or partitive articles

Tu as du pain ?
Do you have (some) bread?
Oui, j'en ai.
Yes, I have some.

The pronoun 'y'

Replaces about/to + thing

Tu penses à tes examens ?
Are you thinking about your exams?
Oui, j'y pense.
Yes, I'm thinking about them.

A. The Pronoun 'en' for Things

We use 'en' with:

  1. Verbs + de
- avoir besoin de
to need
- se souvenir de
to remember
- parler de
to talk about
- rêver de
to dream about
  1. Partitive Articles
- du, de la, des
some/any
- de l'
some/any (before vowels)

Examples:

Tu as besoin d'aide ? → Tu en as besoin ?
Do you need help? → Do you need it?
Je mange du gâteau → J'en mange
I'm eating cake → I'm eating some
Elle boit de l'eau → Elle en boit
She's drinking water → She's drinking some

B. The Pronoun 'y' for Things

We use 'y' with verbs + à:

- penser à
to think about
- réfléchir à
to reflect on
- participer à
to participate in
- s'intéresser à
to be interested in
- jouer à
to play (games/sports)

Examples:

Tu penses à tes vacances ? → Tu y penses ?
Are you thinking about your vacation? → Are you thinking about it?
Il joue aux échecs → Il y joue
He plays chess → He plays it
Nous participons à la fête → Nous y participons
We're participating in the party → We're participating in it

3. Special Cases ⚠️

A. With People

For people, we don't use 'en' and 'y' but rather stress pronouns:

  • Je pense à Marie → Je pense à elle
I'm thinking about Marie → I'm thinking about her
  • Il parle de Paul → Il parle de lui
He's talking about Paul → He's talking about him

Exception: When talking about a number of people, use 'en'

  • Tu as des frères ? → Tu en as ?
Do you have brothers? → Do you have any?

B. Common Expressions

These expressions are very useful in everyday conversation. They're fixed expressions, which means you can't modify them!

With 'en'

  • s'en aller
    to leave, to go away
    "Je m'en vais !"
    I'm leaving!
  • en avoir marre
    to be fed up
    "J'en ai marre du bruit !"
    I'm fed up with the noise!
  • s'en sortir
    to manage, to cope
    "Je m'en sors bien !"
    I'm managing well!
  • en avoir assez
    to have had enough
    "J'en ai assez !"
    I've had enough!

With 'y'

  • y tenir
    to care about it
    "J'y tiens beaucoup !"
    It means a lot to me!
  • s'y faire
    to get used to it
    "Je m'y fais petit à petit"
    I'm getting used to it gradually
  • s'y prendre
    to go about doing something
    "Comment tu t'y prends ?"
    How do you do it?
  • y arriver
    to succeed, to manage
    "Je n'y arrive pas !"
    I can't do it!

In a conversation:

"Tu vas réussir ton examen ?" → "J'espère que je vais y arriver !"
"Will you pass your exam?" → "I hope I can do it!"
"On continue de travailler ?" → "Non, j'en ai assez, je m'en vais !"
"Shall we continue working?" → "No, I've had enough, I'm leaving!"
"C'est difficile ce nouveau travail ?" → "Oui, mais je m'y fais peu à peu."
"Is this new job difficult?" → "Yes, but I'm getting used to it little by little."

Practical Tips 💡

1. With 'en' 📝

Verb + de

  • parler de → en parler
    to talk about → to talk about it
  • avoir besoin de → en avoir besoin
    to need → to need it
  • venir de → en venir
    to come from → to come from there

Partitive articles

  • du café → en vouloir
    some coffee → to want some
  • de la soupe → en manger
    some soup → to eat some
  • des livres → en acheter
    some books → to buy some

2. With 'y' 📍

Verb + à

  • penser à → y penser
    to think about → to think about it
  • aller à → y aller
    to go to → to go there
  • réfléchir à → y réfléchir
    to reflect on → to reflect on it

Place or thing

  • à la piscine → y aller
    to the pool → to go there
  • aux examens → y penser
    about the exams → to think about them
  • au problème → y réfléchir
    about the problem → to think about it

3. Exceptions ⚠️

For people

  • penser à Marie → penser à elle (not "y")
    think about Marie → think about her
  • parler de Paul → parler de lui (not "en")
    talk about Paul → talk about him

For quantities

  • trois frères → en avoir trois
    three brothers → have three
  • beaucoup d'amis → en avoir beaucoup
    many friends → have many

4. Position and Test 🎯

Position

  • Before the verb: J'en mange, J'y vais
    I eat some, I go there
  • Before the auxiliary: J'en ai mangé
    I have eaten some
  • Negation: Je n'en veux pas
    I don't want any

Quick test

  • "of/about that" → use 'en'
    replacing "de + something"
  • "to/at that" → use 'y'
    replacing "à + something"

Exercises

A. Identification

For each sentence, choose the correct answer.

1.Je vais à la bibliothèque. → Je ___ vais.

2.Tu viens de Paris ? → Tu ___ viens ?

3.Elle pense à ses examens. → Elle ___ pense.

4.Il a besoin de temps. → Il ___ a besoin.

5.Nous parlons de nos vacances. → Nous ___ parlons.

B. Simple Transformation

Choose the correct transformation for each sentence.

1.Je vais au cinéma souvent.

2.Elle parle de son travail tout le temps.

3.Tu as des frères ?

4.Ils réfléchissent à leur avenir.

5.Nous rentrons de la plage maintenant.

C. Common Expressions

Complete these expressions with the correct form.

1.Je suis épuisé, je _____ plus !

2.Le problème est résolu ! _____ !

3.Ce n'est pas ma faute, je _____ pour rien.

4.Pour la cuisine italienne, je _____ bien.

5.Il est en colère, il _____ à son frère.

D. Final Test

Choose the best answer for each situation.

1.As-tu été à Paris ? Oui, j'_____ reviens.

2.Tu aimes le café ? Oui, je/j' _____ bois tous les matins.

3.Penses-tu à ton examen ? Oui, je _____ pense tout le temps.

4.Tu habites toujours à Lyon ? Non, je ne/n' _____ habite plus.

5.Tu as parlé à Marie ? Non, je _____ .