In short

y and en are two little pronouns that replace whole phrases so you do not repeat them. Use y for a place or an à + thing phrase, and en for a de + thing phrase or a quantity.

The rule

Both pronouns sit before the verb (like the object pronouns in Lesson 23), and both let you avoid repeating a noun already mentioned. Choose between them by the preposition the original phrase uses: à -> y, de -> en.

y = place / à + thing

Use y for a location - it replaces a place introduced by almost any preposition (à, en, dans, sur, sous, chez…). It answers the question where?

• Je vais à Paris. -> J’y vais. (I’m going there.)
• Elle habite en France. -> Elle y habite.
• Les clés sont sur la table. -> Elles y sont.

Use y for à + a thing or idea - it replaces à + noun when that noun is not a person.

• Je pense à mon travail. -> J’y pense. (I’m thinking about it.)
• Tu joues au tennis? -> Tu y joues?
• Nous réfléchissons à ce problème. -> Nous y réfléchissons.

Note: for à + a person, use an indirect object pronoun (Je parle à Marie -> Je lui parle) or, after verbs like penser à, a stressed pronoun (Je pense à Marie -> Je pense à elle; see Lessons 19 and 23), not y.

en = de + thing / quantity

Use en for de + a thing - it replaces de + noun (place of origin, or a verb built with de), when the noun is not a person.

• Je viens de Lyon. -> J’en viens. (I come from there.)
• Il parle de son projet. -> Il en parle. (He’s talking about it.)
• Nous avons besoin de repos. -> Nous en avons besoin.

Use en for a quantity - it replaces a noun introduced by a partitive (du, de la, des), by an indefinite article (un, une, des), or by a number / expression of quantity. The quantity word stays at the end.

• Je bois du café. -> J’en bois. (I drink some.)
• Tu veux des pommes? -> Tu en veux?
• Il a trois voitures. -> Il en a trois. (keep the number!)
• Elle mange beaucoup de légumes. -> Elle en mange beaucoup.
• J’ai une sœur. -> J’en ai une. (keep un/une)

Position; combination with other pronouns (preview)

Both y and en go directly before the conjugated verb, or before the infinitive in a two-verb group. In the affirmative imperative they come after the verb, joined by a hyphen.

• Before the verb: J’y pense. Nous en avons.
• With a negation: Je n’y vais pas. Il n’en veut plus.
• With an infinitive: Je vais y aller. Tu peux en prendre.
• Imperative (affirmative): Vas-y! Prends-en! (note the added -s on va -> vas before y/en for liaison; prends already ends in -s, so nothing is added).
• Imperative (negative): N’y va pas. N’en prends pas.

When y or en combine with another pronoun, they always come last, and their order is y before en (the memory phrase il y en a keeps them in order). Full double-pronoun order is covered in Lesson 40.

• Il y en a trois. (There are three of them.)
• Donne-m’en. (Give me some.)
• Je l’y retrouve. (I meet him there.)

Forms & patterns

y and en never change form (no gender, no number). What changes is where they sit around the verb.

Choosing between them by preposition:

Examples

Common mistakes

• J’y pense (about a person) -> Je pense à lui - for à + a person keep a stressed pronoun, not y.
• J’en ai. (for “I have three”) -> J’en ai trois - with a number or quantity word, en replaces the noun but the quantity word stays.
• Je vais y. -> J’y vais / Je vais y aller - y/en cannot end a clause alone; they lean on a following verb.
• Va-y! -> Vas-y! - add the liaison -s to va before y/en in the affirmative imperative (verbs already ending in -s, like prends -> prends-en, need nothing extra).
• Je y vais -> J’y vais - elide je before y (j’y); do not leave je y.
• Il en y a -> Il y en a - the order is always y before en, never the reverse.

Tips

• Ask which preposition the full phrase uses: à / a place -> y; de / a quantity -> en. That one question settles almost every case.
• en always shows up with quantities: un, deux, beaucoup, un peu, assez - and the quantity word stays at the end.
• For people, switch off y/en: use an indirect pronoun or a stressed pronoun (Lessons 23, 19).
• Both pronouns sit right before the verb they belong to - including before an infinitive: Je vais y penser, Tu dois en acheter.
• Memorise the ready-made chunks: il y a -> il y en a, vas-y, j’en ai marre, je m’en vais.
• In the affirmative imperative only, y/en move after the verb with a hyphen; a negative imperative puts them back in front: Prends-en! / N’en prends pas!