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• Y can mean ‘there’ or ‘it/them’ when it replaces an object introduced by the preposition à

• Some useful verbs followed by à are croire à (to believe in), s’intéresser à (to be interested in) and réfléchir à (to think about/reflect on)

• En can mean ‘of it/of them’ and replaces nouns in expressions about quantity, such as j’en achète cinq (I buy five of them)

• En also replaces an object introduced by the preposition de

• Useful verbs followed by de are avoir besoin de (to need), faire de (to do a sport or activity) and rêver de (to dream about)

The pronoun y can either mean ‘there’, to replace the name of a location in a sentence, or it can replace an object (not a person) that is introduced by the preposition à, to mean ‘it’ or ‘them’.

When using the pronoun y to mean ‘there’, the same position rules apply as for direct object pronouns. The y comes between the subject or subject pronoun and the verb.

For example:

• Elle est à la banque. Elle y est pour changer de l’argent. – She is at the bank. She is there to change money.

• Je suis allé(e) en France avec ma famille. Nous y sommes allé(e)s en voiture. – I went to France with my family. We went there by car.

The adverbial pronoun y is often used to replace a previously mentioned or implied place or location, and it usually translates as 'there' in English.

The concept of y is broader however, and it can also be used to replace any phrase that begins with à, en, dans, or other prepositions indicating location, and it can mean 'it' or 'them' depending on the context.

For example:

• Il s’intéresse à l’histoire depuis longtemps. Il s’y intéresse depuis longtemps. – He’s been interested in history for a long time. He’s been interested in it for a long time.

• J’aime jouer au foot. J’y joue trois fois par semaine. – I like playing football. I play it three times a week.

When y is used with verbs followed by à, it typically replaces the object of the preposition à, referring back to something previously mentioned. The object can be a thing, a place, or a concept/idea.

The y replaces the 'à + noun' phrase to avoid repetition.

Here are some useful verbs that are followed by à and can use y as a pronoun:

For example:

• Il faut faire attention à vos devoirs. Il faut y faire attention. – You should pay attention to your homework. You should pay attention to it.

• Je pense aux vacances. J’y pense tous les jours. - I’m thinking about the holidays. I think about them every day.

The adverbial pronoun en replaces nouns in phrases about quantity, or with verbs that are normally followed by de. Its translation in English varies depending on the meaning of the phrase.

Like y, en follows the same position rules as direct object pronouns. The en comes between the subject or subject pronoun and the verb.

Here are some examples in different tenses:

• Vous voudriez des oeufs? Oui, j’en voudrais six, s’il vous plaît. – Would you like some eggs? Yes, I’d like six (of them), please.

• Il a besoin d’un nouveau portable. Il en a besoin car il a perdu son vieux portable. – He needs a new phone. He needs one because he has lost his old phone.

• Elle aime écouter de la musique et elle va en écouter tous les jours. She likes listening to music and she is going to listen to it every day.

En is used with verbs followed by de to replace the object of the preposition de, which can be a thing, a place, a quantity, or a concept/idea.

It typically translates in English as 'some', 'any', 'of it', 'about it', 'from there', etc. It goes in front of the verb.

Here are some useful verbs that are followed by de and can use en as a pronoun.

For example:

• Qu’est-ce que tu en penses ? - What do you think of it?

• J’en rêve depuis des années. - I’ve been dreaming about it for years.

• Le sport ? J’en fais tous les mardis. - Sport? I do it every Tuesday.

• Je vais en avoir besoin. - I am going to need it.

• Elle n’en a pas envie. - She doesn’t feel like it.

Remember

Learn verbs and their prepositions together, so that you can use y and en to replace the à and the de correctly.

Practise what you’ve learned about the adverbial pronouns y and en with this quiz for Higher Tier.

Now you’ve learned about adverbial pronouns, why not explore direct object pronouns?