I'm confused about pronouns: when should I use 'y' and when should I use 'en'

Y and en although pronouns, act as if they were adverbs - they are used to replace wrds in a phrase that denotes quantities, qualities, properties and relations.Firstly, the pronouns 'y' and 'en' have different meanings: 'y' means 'there' and it replaces indirect objects that end with "à" + a place and "en" + a place. For example "Je suis allée à la piscine" changes into "J'y suis allée" when you already know the subject of the sentence, in this case "piscine" so you say I went there. Another example could be: "elle va en France l'été prochain" which changes to "elle y va l'été prochain" she is going there.'en' means 'of them', 'of it' or 'some' it replaces indirect objects following "de" about quantity. It also comes before all parts of the verb. For example: "elle a bu du café" changes to "elle en a bu" if we already know what she has drunk. Or "ils ont beaucoup d'argent" which changes to "ils en ont beaucoup" they have a lot of it.

IH
Answered by Imogen H. French tutor

1414 Views

See similar French A Level tutors

Related French A Level answers

All answers ▸

When do past participles agree in French?


When does a past participle agree with its preceding object in French?


French oral examination question: Pourquoi est-ce que vous avez choisi d'étudier le français?


What is the passé simple, and why/when is it used?


We're here to help

contact us iconContact ustelephone icon+44 (0) 203 773 6020
Facebook logoInstagram logoLinkedIn logo

MyTutor is part of the IXL family of brands:

© 2025 by IXL Learning