Pronouns
Grammar Modules
Page Title
What are adverbial pronouns?
In French, there are two adverbial pronouns (pronoms adverbiaux): en and y. They are adverbs used as pronouns, and they replace a noun or phrase in a sentence to avoid repetition – similar to how we use "there" or "of it/them" in English.
Examples:
Tu parles de tes vacances. → Tu en parles.
en replaces de tes vacances
Michel va en Thaïlande. → Michel y va.
y replaces en Thaïlande
The Pronoun EN
En replaces a noun introduced by de (du, de la, de l', des) or a quantity expression. It can translate to "of it", "of them", "some", or "any".
Tu veux du café ? → Tu en veux ? (Do you want some?)
J'ai trois frères. → J'en ai trois. (I have three of them.)
Elle parle de son travail. → Elle en parle. (She talks about it.)
The Pronoun Y
Y replaces a noun introduced by à (au, à la, à l', aux) or a place. It can translate to "there", "to it", or "about it".
Je vais à Paris. → J'y vais. (I'm going there.)
Tu penses à ton examen ? → Tu y penses ? (Are you thinking about it?)
Nous habitons en France. → Nous y habitons. (We live there.)
Going Deeper: Nuances of Y and En
1. Keeping the Quantity with "En"
When en replaces a noun follow by a number or quantity (plusieurs, beaucoup), you must repeat that quantity at the end of the sentence.
J'ai deux chiens. → J'en ai deux. (I have two [of them])
Il y a beaucoup d'étudiants. → Il y en a beaucoup.
2. The "Person" Exception (Crucial!)
Generally, y and en replace things, not people. When a person follows à or de, use a stressed pronoun (moi, toi, lui, elle, nous, vous, eux, elles) instead.
Tu penses à ta mère ? → Tu penses à elle ? (NOT "Tu y penses" – though this is becoming common in spoken French)
Il parle de son ami. → Il parle de lui. (NOT "Il en parle")
Summary Placement
Always place en and y directly before the conjugated verb, except in the negative imperative: <br/>N'en mange pas ! (Don't eat any!)