Introduction to the French pronouns 'en' and 'y' - French Grammar

What are the pronouns "en" and "y"?

"en" and "y" are short French pronouns that replace whole phrases so you don't have to repeat nouns or prepositional phrases. They make speech and writing shorter and more natural.

- "en" usually replaces a phrase introduced by de (du / de la / des / de l' / de + noun) or a quantity: think "some / of it / of them."
- Tu veux du café ? — Oui, j'en veux. (Do you want coffee? — Yes, I want some.)
- J'ai besoin d'aide. — J'en ai besoin. (I need help. — I need it.)

- "y" usually replaces a place (prepositional phrases with à, dans, sur, chez, etc.) or a phrase with à + a thing (not a person): think "there / to it / about it."
- Tu vas à la gare ? — Oui, j'y vais. (Are you going to the station? — Yes, I'm going there.)
- Il pense à son travail. — Il y pense. (He thinks about his work. — He thinks about it.)

When do I use "en"?

1) To replace "de + noun" (partitive and indefinite articles)

Il boit du thé. → Il en boit. (He drinks tea. → He drinks some.)
J'ai acheté des pommes. → J'en ai acheté. (I bought apples. → I bought some.)

2) After verbs or adjectives that are built with "de"

Parler de: Elle parle de son projet. → Elle en parle. (She talks about her project. → She talks about it.)
Avoir besoin de: J'ai besoin d'argent. → J'en ai besoin. (I need money. → I need it.)
Se souvenir de: Je me souviens de ce jour. → Je m'en souviens. (I remember that day. → I remember it.)

3) To replace quantities and numbers

Combien de frères as-tu ? → J'en ai deux. (How many brothers do you have? → I have two.)
Tu veux du pain ? → J'en veux un peu. (Do you want some bread? → I want a little.)
Negation: Je n'en ai pas. (I don't have any.)

4) Other uses: origin, "of it/them," and after être + adjective

Je viens de France. → J'en viens. (I come from France. → I come from there.)
Il est fier de son travail. → Il en est fier. (He is proud of his work. → He is proud of it.)

Notes about "en":
- "en" is invariable: it does not change for gender or number.
- When you replace a noun introduced by "un/une" or a number, you often keep "un/une/trois" after the verb: Tu as un chien ? → J'en ai un. (Do you have a dog? → Yes, I have one.)
- In compound tenses, "en" comes before the auxiliary: J'en ai parlé. (I spoke about it.)

When do I use "y"?

1) To replace a place or location

Je vais à la bibliothèque. → J'y vais. (I'm going to the library. → I'm going there.)
Les clés sont sur la table. → Elles y sont. (The keys are on the table. → They are there.)

2) To replace "à + noun" when the noun is a thing or concept (not a person)

Penser à: Tu penses à tes vacances ? → Tu y penses ? (Are you thinking about your vacation? → Are you thinking about it?)
Répondre à: Je réponds à la question. → J'y réponds. (I answer the question. → I answer it.)
S'intéresser à: Elle s'intéresse à la musique. → Elle s'y intéresse. (She is interested in music. → She is interested in it.)

Important restriction for "y": replace places or things, not people

Je parle à Marie. → Je lui parle. (I speak to Marie. → I speak to her.) — NOT *J'y parle.
BUT: Je vais chez Marie. → J'y vais. (I'm going to Marie's house. → I'm going there.) Here "chez" is a location, so "y" is correct.

How do I place "en" and "y" in a sentence? (Position and order)

Basic rule: pronouns come before a simple (conjugated) verb

Je parle de mes problèmes. → J'en parle. (I speak about my problems. → I speak about them.)
Tu vas à Paris. → Tu y vas. (You are going to Paris. → You are going there.)

Order of object pronouns before a conjugated verb
- The usual order is:
me / te / se / nous / vous → le / la / les → lui / leur → y → en

Examples showing order:
- Je te le donne. (I give it to you.) — te before le.
- Je lui en ai parlé. (I spoke to him about it.) — lui before en.
- Je l'y ai rencontré. (I met him there.) — le before y; past participle agrees with "l" if necessary.

With an infinitive: pronouns go before the infinitive

Je vais y aller. (I am going to go there.) — NOT *J'y vais aller.
Je veux en prendre. (I want to take some.) — NOT *J'en veux prendre.
Je vais te l'expliquer → Je vais te l'expliquer (I will explain it to you) — pronouns attach to the infinitive.

In compound tenses: pronouns go before the auxiliary

J'ai parlé de la réunion. → J'en ai parlé. (I spoke about the meeting. → I spoke about it.)
Nous sommes allés au musée. → Nous y sommes allés. (We went to the museum. → We went there.)
If a direct object pronoun (le/la/les) comes before an auxiliary with avoir, the past participle agrees with it: J'ai mis la clé dans la boîte. → Je l'y ai mise. (I put the key in the box. → I put it there.)

Imperative (commands): affirmative vs negative

Affirmative commands: pronouns follow the verb and are joined by hyphens; order changes slightly and "me/te" become "moi/toi":
Donne-le-moi. (Give it to me.)
Parle-lui-en. (Talk to him about it.)
Vas-y ! / Allez-y ! (Go there! / Go there, formal/plural!)

- Negative commands: pronouns go before the verb (normal order) and remain the same form:
- Ne m'en parle pas. (Don't talk to me about it.)
- N'y va pas. (Don't go there.)

Notes: in affirmative commands, the order is: le / la / les → moi / toi → lui / leur → y → en.

Common mistakes and how to avoid them

Mistake 1 — Replacing people with "y"

Wrong: Je parle à Paul. → *J'y parle.
Right: Je parle à Paul. → Je lui parle. (Use lui/leur for people.)
Exception: Je vais chez Paul. → J'y vais. ("chez" is a place, so "y" is fine.)

Mistake 2 — Mixing up "en" and "y"

If the preposition is de → use en. (Tu parles de ton travail ? → Tu en parles ?)
If the preposition is à (and the object is a thing/place) → use y. (Tu penses à ton travail ? → Tu y penses ?)

Mistake 3 — Wrong placement with an infinitive

Wrong: *J'y veux aller.
Right: Je veux y aller. (Pronouns go before the infinitive.)

Mistake 4 — Trying to make the past participle agree with "en"

J'ai acheté des pommes. → J'en ai acheté (trois). (No agreement after en.)
But: J'ai acheté les pommes. → Je les ai achetées. (Agreement with direct object pronoun les.)

Mistake 5 — Wrong order in affirmative commands

Wrong: *Donne-moi-le.
Right: Donne-le-moi.
For en: Donne-m'en. (Not *Donne-moi en.)

Quick reference: useful example pairs

Use "en":
- Tu veux du gâteau ? — Oui, j'en veux. (some)
- Combien de cours suis-tu ? — J'en suis trois. → better: Combien de cours suis-tu ? — J'en suis trois. (I follow three of them.)
- Tu parles de ce film ? — Tu en parles ?
- Je viens de la bibliothèque. — J'en viens.

Use "y":
- Tu vas à l'école ? — Oui, j'y vais. (there)
- Les chaussures sont sous le lit. — Elles y sont. (they are there)
- Tu réponds à la question ? — Tu y réponds ?
- Allez au marché ! — Allez-y ! (Go there!)

Combinations with other pronouns:
- Je vais t'en parler demain. (I'll talk to you about it tomorrow.)
- Je lui en ai donné deux. (I gave him two of them.)
- Je l'y ai rencontré. (I met him there.)
- Nous les y avons rencontrés. (We met them there.)
- Je t'y amènerai. (I'll bring you there.)

Glossary (short)</b]

Partitive article — du / de la / des: used to mean "some" or an unspecified amount.

Direct object pronoun — le / la / les: replace a noun that receives the action directly.

Indirect object pronoun — lui / leur: replace a person introduced by à.

Auxiliary — the helping verb in compound tenses (avoir or être in French).

Past participle agreement — when a direct object pronoun precedes the auxiliary avoir, the past participle agrees in gender and number with that pronoun.

Imperative — command form of the verb (tu, nous, vous forms). Pronouns attach after the verb in affirmative commands.

Final tips:
- Ask: "Is the phrase introduced by de?" → try "en." Example: parler de / avoir besoin de / se souvenir de.
- Ask: "Is it a place or à + a thing?" → try "y." Example: aller à / être dans / répondre à (a thing).
- Keep the pronoun order list in mind: me/te/se/nous/vous → le/la/les → lui/leur → y → en.

If you remember the two short translations — "en = of it / some" and "y = there / to it" — and the placement rules above, you'll be able to use en and y correctly in most sentences.