J'y vais, j'en veux: two letters that replace a whole phrase.
Y and en in French are short pronouns that replace a whole phrase. Y stands for a place or for à plus a thing: je vais à Paris becomes j'y vais. En stands for de plus a noun, or for a quantity: tu veux du café ? becomes oui, j'en veux.
This guide shows what each one replaces, where it goes in the sentence, and the fixed expressions that use them every day.
| Pronoun | Replaces | Example |
|---|---|---|
| y | a place (à, en, dans, chez...) | Je vais à Lyon. J'y vais. |
| y | à + a thing or an idea | Je pense à mon examen. J'y pense. |
| en | de + a thing or a place | Il revient de Rome. Il en revient. |
| en | du, de la, des + noun | Je bois du thé. J'en bois. |
| en | a noun after a number or a quantity | J'ai trois frères. J'en ai trois. |
Neither of them normally replaces a person: for people, French uses lui, leur, or à and de with a stressed pronoun.
Y replaces a place introduced by à, en, dans, chez or sur: tu es déjà allé au Canada ? Oui, j'y suis allé l'an dernier. On va chez Paul ? On y va.
It also replaces à plus a thing or an idea, with verbs such as penser à, réfléchir à or s'habituer à: tu réfléchis à sa proposition ? J'y réfléchis. For a person, keep à and a pronoun: je pense à elle, not j'y pense.
En replaces de plus a noun: il parle de son voyage, il en parle; elle sort du bureau, elle en sort. It also replaces a noun introduced by a partitive or indefinite article, du, de la or des, which the guide to French articles explains: tu as des enfants ? Oui, j'en ai.
With a number or a word of quantity, en replaces the noun and the number stays: j'en ai deux, il en a beaucoup, nous en voulons un peu.
Both go just before the conjugated verb: j'y vais, j'en veux. In a compound tense they go before the auxiliary: j'y suis allé, j'en ai acheté. With an infinitive they go before the infinitive: je vais y aller, je veux en prendre.
The negation wraps around them and the verb: je n'y vais pas, il n'en veut plus. Before y and en, je, me, te, le and la elide, as the guide to the apostrophe in French shows: j'y, m'en, l'y.
In a positive command, y and en come after the verb, joined by a hyphen: allez-y, prends-en, profites-en. In the tu form, -er verbs and aller lose their s in the imperative, but take it back before y and en, for the sound: vas-y, manges-en, parles-en.
In a negative command, they go back before the verb: n'y va pas, n'en prends pas.
Many everyday expressions use y and en with a meaning of their own:
| Expression | Meaning |
|---|---|
| il y a | there is, there are |
| il y en a | there is some, there are some |
| ça y est | that's it, done |
| on y va | let's go |
| je m'en vais | I'm leaving |
| j'en ai assez | I've had enough |
In il y en a, y comes before en: that order never changes, as in il y en a trois.
Y replaces a place or à plus a thing; en replaces de plus a noun, or a noun after a quantity. Both go before the conjugated verb, after it in a positive command, and in il y en a, y always comes first.
What is the difference between y and en in French?
Y replaces a place or à plus a thing: j'y vais, j'y pense. En replaces de plus a noun, or a noun after a quantity: j'en viens, j'en ai deux.
What does j'en ai mean?
It means I have some, with en standing for a noun already mentioned: tu as des frères ? Oui, j'en ai. Add a number for a quantity: j'en ai deux.
How do you use il y en a?
Il y en a means there is some or there are some, with en standing for a noun already mentioned: il reste du pain ? Oui, il y en a. Add a number for a quantity: il y en a trois.
Where does the y pronoun go in French?
Before the conjugated verb, or before the infinitive when there is one: j'y vais, je vais y aller. In a positive command it goes after the verb: vas-y.
Can y or en replace a person?
Normally not. For a person, use lui or leur, or keep à or de with a stressed pronoun: je pense à elle, je parle de lui.
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