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A2 · Pronouns · Published
Y and En in French
French y and en replace whole phrases, not single English words: y replaces places and many à phrases, while en replaces de phrases with things and quantities. If you can see the missing preposition, the choice becomes much easier.
Tu vas à Paris ? Oui, j’y vais.
Tu veux des pommes ? Oui, j’en prends deux.
Think of them as two fixed slots in the pronoun ladder: y pulls in à-space and places; en pulls in de-space and amounts. This page covers the everyday A2 uses first, then the idioms and advanced verbs you mostly need to recognize.
In short
- Y = there / to it / about it: replaces a place or
à+ thing — j’y vais, j’y pense. - En = some / any / of it / from there: replaces
de+ thing or a quantity — j’en veux, j’en ai trois. - With people, keep the person rule separate: some verbs use
de lui,d’elle, ord’euxinstead of en. - With quantities, repeat the number or amount: j’en ai deux, j’en prends un kilo.
- Placement is like other object pronouns: before the verb, before the auxiliary, or before the infinitive.
yenrepeated number· hover a highlighted word for its label
Y for places
The most concrete use of y is place. It can mean "there", "to there", or "in there", depending on the verb. The French sentence does not need an extra word for "to" or "in"; y carries the place phrase itself.
Are you going to Paris? Yes, I am going there tomorrow.
— Y replaces à Paris, a place phrase.
Y for à + thing
When à introduces a thing, idea, task, or plan, y often replaces the whole phrase. This is the thing-side partner of the direct-vs-indirect object decision: à + person points toward lui or leur; à + thing points toward y.
I am thinking about this problem. I am thinking about it.
— Y replaces à ce problème, not a place but an idea.
She answers the message after lunch. She answers it after lunch.
— Y replaces au message, an à phrase with a thing.
En for de + thing
En replaces a phrase built with de: de ce film, du bruit, de cette histoire. English translations vary wildly — "about it", "from it", "of it", "some" — so do not chase one English word. Look for de.
I am talking about this film. I am talking about it with Sarah.
— En replaces de ce film, a de phrase.
He needs this file today. He needs it today.
— En replaces de ce dossier after avoir besoin de.
En for quantities
En is also the pronoun for amounts: partitive articles (du, de la, des), indefinite plural objects, and numbers. The key habit is this: when the quantity is a number, French keeps the number after the verb.
Do you want coffee? Yes, I want some.
— En replaces an unstated amount of coffee.
Do you have children? Yes, I have two.
— En replaces the noun, but the number deux stays.
She buys potatoes. She buys three kilos of them.
— With a measured amount, en replaces the noun phrase and the amount stays visible.
Placement and common idioms
Y and en sit before the conjugated verb, before the auxiliary in compound tenses, and before an infinitive when they belong to that infinitive. In the pronoun ladder, y comes before en, which is why the fixed phrase is il y en a.
There are some in the kitchen.
— Il y en a combines y and en in the fixed ladder order.
I am leaving now.
— S’en aller is an idiom: learn it as one unit.
Advanced verbs to recognize
Some verbs come with fixed pronoun patterns: s’y mettre (to get started on it), s’y connaître (to know about it), en vouloir à quelqu’un (to be angry with someone). At A2, you do not need to produce all of them perfectly. Recognize the pattern, notice whether the verb is carrying à or de, and keep the person rules separate: lui and leur still cover many à + person objects.
We are getting started on it after the meeting.
— S’y mettre is a fixed verb pattern with y.
She is angry with her brother, but she is not angry with me.
— En vouloir à is a fixed pattern; the person stays after à.
Common mistakes
✗Tu vas à Marseille ? Oui, je vais y demain.
✓Tu vas à Marseille ? Oui, j’y vais demain.
Y normally goes before the conjugated verb, not after it.
✗Tu as combien de billets ? — J’en ai.
✓Tu as combien de billets ? — J’en ai deux.
En replaces the noun but the number must be restated; without it the sentence means just “I have some”.
✗Tu te souviens de ce voyage ? Oui, je m’y souviens.
✓Tu te souviens de ce voyage ? Oui, je m’en souviens.
Se souvenir is built with de, so the pronoun is en, not y.
✗Elle parle de cette décision. Elle y parle.
✓Elle parle de cette décision. Elle en parle.
Parler de creates a de phrase, so the replacement is en.
Check yourself
1 / 4Tu vas au marché ? Oui, j’___ vais.
2 / 4Vous voulez du thé ? Oui, nous ___ voulons.
3 / 4Il a besoin de ce document. Il ___ a besoin.
4 / 4Tu as trois billets ? Oui, j’___ ai ___.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between y and en in French?
Y replaces places and many à phrases: j’y vais, j’y pense. En replaces de phrases and quantities: j’en parle, j’en veux, j’en ai deux.
Why does French say "j’en ai deux" and not just "j’en ai"?
Because en replaces the noun, not the number. If the answer includes a quantity, the quantity stays: j’en ai deux, j’en prends un, j’en veux beaucoup.
Can y replace a person?
Normally, no. For à + person, French usually uses lui or leur, or a stress pronoun after the preposition in some verb patterns. Y is for places, things, ideas, and tasks.
What does "il y en a" mean?
Il y en a means "there is some" or "there are some". It combines y from il y a with en for the amount or thing being mentioned.
Where do y and en go with an infinitive?
They usually go before the infinitive they belong to: je vais y aller, je veux en acheter. If they belong to the conjugated verb, they go before that verb.
Memory tip
Look for the preposition that disappeared. A missing à or place points to y; a missing de or amount points to en. With numbers, say the number out loud after the verb.
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