- en and y do not usually refer to people. How we translate them into English depends on where en and y are found in French.
1 en
- en is used with verbs and phrases normally followed by de to avoid repeating the same word.
| Si tu as un problème, tu peux m’en parler. | If you’ve got a problem, you can talk to me about it. (en replaces de in parler de quelque chose) |
| Est-ce que tu peux me prêter ce livre? J’en ai besoin. | Can you lend me that book? I need it. (en replaces de in avoir besoin de quelque chose) |
| Il a un beau jardin et il en est très fier. | He’s got a beautiful garden and is very proud of it. (en replaces de in être fier de quelque chose) |
- en can also replace the partitive article (du, de la, de l’, des).
| Je n’ai pas d’argent. Tu en as? | I haven’t got any money. Have you got any? |
| ‘Tu peux me prêter des timbres?’ – ‘Non, je dois en acheter.’ | ‘Can you lend me some stamps?’ – ‘No, I have to buy some.’ |
- en is also used:
- as a preposition
- with the present participle of verbs
- When en is used with avoir, with il y a or with numbers, it is often not translated in English but can NEVER be missed out in French.
| ‘Est-ce que tu as un dictionnaire?’ – ‘Oui, j’en ai un.’ | ‘Have you got a dictionary?’ – ‘Yes, I’ve got one.’ |
| ‘Combien d’élèves y a-t-il dans ta classe?’ – ‘Il y en a trente.’ | ‘How many pupils are there in your class?’ – ‘There are thirty.’ |
| J’en veux deux. | I want two (of them). |
2 y
- y is used with verbs and phrases normally followed by à to avoid repeating the same word.
| ‘Je pensais à l’examen.’ – ‘Mais arrête d’y penser!’ | ‘I was thinking about the exam.’ – ‘Well, stop thinking about it!’ (y replaces à in penser à quelque chose) |
| ‘Je ne m’attendais pas à ça.’ – ‘Moi, je m’y attendais.’ | ‘I wasn’t expecting that.’ – ‘Well, I was expecting it.’ (y replaces à in s’attendre à quelque chose) |
- y can also mean there. It can be used to replace phrases that would use prepositions such as dans (meaning in) and sur (meaning on).
| Elle y passe tout l’été. | She spends the whole summer there. |
| Regarde dans le tiroir. Je pense que les clés y sont. | Look in the drawer. I think the keys are in there. |
3 Word order with en and y
- en and y usually come BEFORE the verb.
| J’en veux. | I want some. |
| Elle en a parlé avec lui. | She talked to him about it. |
| En êtes-vous content? | Are you pleased with it/them? |
| Comment fait-on pour y aller? | How do you get there? |
| N’y pense plus. | Don’t think about it any more. |
- In orders and instructions telling someone to do something, en or y come AFTER the verb and are attached to it with a hyphen (-).
| Prenez-en. | Take some. |
| Restez-y. | Stay there. |
TipThe final -s of -er verbs is usually dropped in the tu form used for orders and instructions. When an -er verb in the tu form is used before en or y, however, the -s is not dropped, to make it easier to say.
| Donne des bonbons à ton frère. | Give some sweets to your brother. |
| Donnes-en à ton frère. | Give some to your brother. |
| Va dans ta chambre! | Go to your room! |
| Vas-y! | Go on! |
- en and y come AFTER other direct or indirect object pronouns.
| Donnez-leur-en. | Give them some. |
| Il m’en a parlé. | He spoke to me about it. |
Key points
- en is used with verbs and expressions normally followed by de to avoid repeating the same word.
- en can also replace the partitive article.
- When en is used with avoir and il y a or with numbers, it is often not translated in English but can never be missed out in French.
- y is used with verbs and expressions normally followed by à to avoid repeating the same word.
- y can also mean there and may replace expressions that would be used with dans and sur or some other preposition indicating a place.
- en and y usually come before the verb, except in orders and instructions telling someone to do something, when en or y follows the verb and is attached to it with a hyphen.
- en and y come after other direct or indirect object pronouns.