The Pronouns Y and En in Context
Y and en are small pronouns that replace a preposition plus a noun so that French does not repeat itself, and they are two of the most commonly misused structures at GCSE. Y replaces à plus a place or a thing (never a person), meaning 'there' or standing in for an idea already introduced with à, as in 'je vais au collège' becoming 'j'y vais'.
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Method
- Use y to replace à (or au/à la/à l'/aux) plus a place or a thing, not a person: 'je vais au collège' becomes 'j'y vais'.
- Use y for the fixed expression il y a (there is/are), which always keeps its y even though nothing is literally being replaced.
- Use en to replace de (or du/de la/de l'/des) plus a noun, meaning 'some', 'any', 'of it' or 'of them': 'je mange des légumes' becomes 'j'en mange'.
- With an expression of quantity (beaucoup de, un kilo de, deux, trop de), keep the quantity word and drop only the noun, replacing it with en: 'j'ai deux soeurs' becomes 'j'en ai deux', not 'j'en ai'.
- Place y and en directly before the conjugated verb, or before the infinitive in a verb-plus-infinitive construction, following the same rule as object pronouns: 'je voudrais y aller'.
- When y and en appear together with another pronoun, en always comes last, immediately before the verb: 'il y en a'.
- In the affirmative imperative of an -er verb, add an -s to the tu form before y or en purely for pronunciation, even though the imperative normally drops the -s: 'Manges-en!'; 'Vas-y!'.
- Remember that y and en are never used for people: use a stressed pronoun after à or de instead ('je pense à lui', not 'j'y pense', when 'lui' is a person).
Worked example
Answer this question using a pronoun to avoid repeating the underlined phrase: 'Tu vas souvent à la piscine?' Answer with: '... deux fois par semaine.'
- Identify the phrase to replace: 'à la piscine' is à plus a place, so the pronoun needed is y.
- Place y directly before the conjugated verb vais: 'j'y vais'.
- Add the frequency detail given in the prompt: 'deux fois par semaine'.
- Write the full answer: 'Oui, j'y vais deux fois par semaine.'
Practice questions
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Q1Replace the underlined phrase with y: 'Je pense souvent à mes vacances.'Show answer
Answer: J'y pense souvent.
Q2Replace the underlined phrase with en: 'Il boit du café tous les matins.'Show answer
Answer: Il en boit tous les matins.
Q3Answer using en and keeping the number: 'Tu as combien de frères et soeurs?' (I have three)Show answer
Answer: J'en ai trois.
Q4Complete with y or en: 'Est-ce que tu vas à la fête ce soir? Oui, je ___ vais.'Show answer
Answer: y (je vais à la fête becomes j'y vais).
Q5Complete with y or en: 'Tu veux de la salade? Non merci, je ___ ai déjà pris.'Show answer
Answer: en (j'en ai déjà pris).
Q6Correct the error: 'Il y a en beaucoup dans cette ville.' (there are lots of shops in this town, referring back to 'des magasins')Show answer
Answer: Il y en a beaucoup dans cette ville.
Q7Translate into French using y: 'I am going there tomorrow.'Show answer
Answer: J'y vais demain.
Q8Rewrite as an affirmative imperative, adding the pronunciation -s: 'Va au parc!' (replace 'au parc' with y)Show answer
Answer: Vas-y!
Exam-style questions
Written in the style of a GCSE French exam paper, with a full mark scheme.
Translate this passage into English: 'J'adore le chocolat, alors j'en mange souvent, même si mes parents disent que j'en mange trop. Le week-end, je vais au cinéma avec mes copains et j'y vais presque toujours le samedi après-midi.'
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Translate into French: 1. I go there every summer. 2. She does not eat any (of it). 3. We have a lot of them. 4. There are some in the kitchen.
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Rewrite each sentence, replacing the underlined phrase with y or en: 1. Je vais souvent au marché le samedi. 2. Il a acheté trois billets pour le concert. 3. Nous avons besoin de temps pour finir. 4. Elle habite en France depuis dix ans.
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See real GCSE French past-paper questions, with official mark schemes →
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