Adverbial Pronouns in French-en and y – Part I

“En” and “y” are both adverbial pronouns in French. They are used to replace phrases that refer to quantities, places, or things and are essential for avoiding repetition in sentences. 

In French, COD (Complément d’Objet Direct) and COI (Complément d’Objet Indirect) are two other types of object pronouns that allow us to avoid repetition by replacing nouns.A COD is a direct object pronoun that replaces the noun receiving the action directly without any preposition (e.g., him, her, it). It answers the questions “who?” or “what?” after the verb. A COI is an indirect object pronoun that replaces the noun receiving the action indirectly, usually following a preposition like à (to) or de (of). It answers the questions “to whom?” or “for whom?” the action is being done.

Another are,  Relative pronouns(qui,que, ou, dont) which connect two clauses by referring to a noun mentioned earlier (the antecedent). They help avoid repetition and provide additional information about the noun.

Pronoun “En”

“En” replaces phrases referring to quantities like du, de la, des, un, une or things introduced by “de”.

1. Replacing Quantities

“En” replaces phrases where a quantity or an unspecified amount of something is mentioned. It translates to “some,” “any,” or “of it.”

• Examples:
  • Tu as des livres? (Do you have books?)
  • Oui, j’en ai. (Yes, I have some.)
  • Vous avez des chats? (Do you have any cats?)
  • Oui, j’en ai deux. (Yes, I have deux.)
  • Il y a des pommes dans le panier ? (Are there apples in the basket? )
  • Oui il y en a dans le panier. (Yes, There are some in the basket)

2. Replacing “de” + Noun

“En” also replaces de + noun (thing or idea), indicating origin or possession.

• Example:
  • Tu parles de ton projet? (Are you talking about your project?)
  • Oui, j’en parle. (Yes, I’m talking about it.)
  • Il y a beaucoup de biscuits dans la boite? (Are there lot of biscuits in the box.)
  • Oui, Il y en a beaucoup dans la boîte.( Yes, there lot of them in the box.)

3. Replacing “de” + Place

• “En” can replace de + a place, indicating movement from that place.
  • Example:
    • Ils reviennent de Paris. (They’re coming back from Paris.)
    • Ils en reviennent. (They’re coming back from there.)

Rules for Using “En”:

• It replaces de + a thing or place.
• It replaces quantities like du, de la, des, un, une.
• It never replaces people.

Position: “en” is placed before the verb (or infinitive if there is one).

• Il en veut. (He wants some.)
• Je vais en prendre. (I will take some.)

Pronoun “Y”

“Y” replaces phrases that refer to a place or things introduced by certain prepositions (usually à).

1. Replacing Places

“Y” replaces a phrase with a preposition referring to a place introduced by à, chez, dans, sur, sous, etc. It usually translates to “there” in English.

• Example:
  • Tu vas à Paris? (Are you going to Paris?)
  • Oui, j’y vais. (Yes, I’m going there.)

2. Replacing Things Introduced by “à”

“Y” also replaces à + a thing or an idea, not people.

• Example:
  • Tu penses à ton avenir? (Are you thinking about your future?)
  • Oui, j’y pense. (Yes, I’m thinking about it.)

Rules for Using “Y”:

• It replaces prepositions referring to places (except where de appears with places).
• It replaces à + a thing, not a person.

Position: In most tenses, just as pronoun “en”, “y” comes before the conjugated verb or the infinitive in compound verb structures:

• Nous y allons. (We are going there.)
• Je veux y aller. (I want to go there.)

Summary of Differences Between “Y” and “En”

Pronoun	Replaces	Examples
Y	à + place or thing (not people)	Tu vas à la plage? → Oui, j’y vais.
	Places introduced by chez, dans, sur	Il est chez Paul. → Il y est.
En	de + noun, place, or quantity	Tu veux du pain? → Oui, j’en veux.
	Quantities (with or without a number)	J’ai trois pommes. → J’en ai trois.

Examples with Both “Y” and “En”:

1. Tu vas au supermarché?
   → Oui, j’y vais. (Yes, I’m going there.)
2. Tu veux du café?
   → Oui, j’en veux. (Yes, I want some.)
3. Il revient de New York?
   → Oui, il en revient. (Yes, he’s coming back from there.)
4. Tu participes à la réunion?
   → Oui, j’y participe. (Yes, I’m taking part in it.

To understand how to use the pronouns “en” and “y” in negation, passe compose and with two verbs in a sentence check the second part of this post here Adverbial pronouns “en” and “y” – II

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Here are some exercises to practice the French pronouns “en” and “y”:

Exercise 1: Replace with “y” or  “en”.

1. Je vais à la bibliothèque.
2. Il a beaucoup de livres.
3. Tu veux encore du café?
4. Ils habitent en France.
5. Je mange souvent des fruits.
6. Il y a trop de bruit ici ?
7. Elle pense souvent à son travail.
8. Il y a assez de chaises pour tout le monde.
9. Nous allons au cinéma ce soir.
10. Vous retournez chez vous après les vacances?
11. Il y a assez de sel dans la soupe ?
12. Ils parlent de leurs problèmes.
13. Elle a acheté trois pommes.
14. Il y a du lait dans le frigo?
15. Est-ce qu’il y a trop de de sucre dans le café ?

Exercise 2: Choose between “en” or “y” and fill in the blanks

1. Tu vas __ aller demain?
2. Ils reviennent __ du marché.
3. Elle pense __ tous les jours.
4. Il y a beaucoup de monde, mais je __ vais quand même.
5. J’ai besoin __ pour mon projet.

Exercise 3: Rewrite the sentences by replacing the object with “en” or “y”.

1. Elle a besoin de ses clés. →
2. Nous allons à la piscine. → 
3. Tu bois du jus de fruit. → 
4. Ils reviennent de Paris. → 
5. Il parle de ses vacances. → 
6. Tu vas aller demain? →
7. Ils reviennent du marché. →
8. Elle pense tous les jours. →
9. Il y a beaucoup de monde, mais je vais quand même. →
10. J’ai besoin pour mon projet. →

Exercise 4: Translate these sentences into French using the correct pronouns.

1. She is going there tomorrow.
2. He has a lot of them.
3. We are thinking about it.
4. They need some.
5. Are you going to the park? Yes, I am going there.
6. Are you thinking about your vacation?
7. We talked about it yesterday.
8. They are not going to the meeting.
9. He bought three apples.
10. I will take care of it.