Y or EN in French: when to use them and where to place them

Two small letters, a lot of hesitations. In French, y and en help avoid repeating a place, a thing, or a quantity. Mastering them changes everything in both spoken and written language.

The principle in one minute

- y replaces "à + thing/place" and is often translated as "there" or "to that".
- en replaces "de + noun" and everything that expresses quantity or origin ("of that", "en" in the sense of "some/any").
They are placed before the conjugated verb. With an infinitive, they are placed before the infinitive.. In the affirmative imperative, they are placed after, connected by a hyphen: “Go for it,” “Talk about it.”

• y = to/at/in/on + thing/place: “Are you going to the post office? Yes, I’m going there.”
• en = from/of + noun: “Do you want some bread? Yes, I want some.”
• Quantity: “Do you have any ideas? Yes, I have many/two.”
• Origin: “Is he coming back from Paris? He’s coming back tomorrow.”
• Position: before the verb (“I don’t want any”), before the infinitive (“I’m going to think about it”), after the verb in the affirmative imperative (“Think about it! Talk about it!”).

Examples that come up all the time

These constructions account for 80% of everyday usage. Read them aloud to feel the rhythm and placement of the pronouns.

• “I’m going there.” = I’m going to that place/about that.
• “I remember it.” = I remember that. (pronominal verb + en)
• “There are some.” = There exists/There are some of that. (y before en)
• “You get used to it.” = You get used to that/to this place.
• “I’m talking about it to him/her.” = I talk about that to him/her. (indirect object + en)
• “Don’t talk about it.” (negation: the pronoun comes before the verb)
• “Go for it!” / “Talk about it!” (affirmative imperative after the verb; the -s is maintained for liaisons: “Talk about it”)

Pitfalls to avoid

Some confusions often arise. Here’s how to defuse them.

• Penser à vs penser de: “penser à” = to have in mind → “I’m thinking about it” (thing). “penser de” = to give an opinion → “What do you think about it?”; possible response: “I think it’s good,” but we simply say “I think that…”.
• No y for a person: we say “I’m thinking about him/her,” not “I’m thinking him.” To talk to Paul: “I’m talking to him,” but “thinking about Paul” → “I’m thinking about him.”
• Se souvenir de takes en: “Do you remember that movie?” — “Yes, I remember it.” (Be careful not to mimic “se rappeler de” in formal speech: “I remember that movie.”)
• Mandatory quantity with en: we don’t say “I have two” but “I have two of them.” Without a number: “I have some.”
• Revenir de (en) vs retourner à (y): “He’s coming back from there” (de là) ≠ “He’s going back there” (à cet endroit).
• Imperative and -s of -er verbs: we keep the -s before y/en for euphony: “Go there,” “Talk about it.”

My experience

At first, I confused everything: I put y everywhere, then I tried to fix half of it… and I got lost. The breakthrough came the day I stopped reasoning in terms of “pronoun” and started reasoning in terms of preposition: if I say “à + thing/place,” then y; if I say “de + noun/quantity/source,” then en. Since then, I also listen to how people link words: “I’m going there” flows naturally, “I don’t want any of it” too. Two mini-reflexes, and the sentence breathes.

How to train yourself

Transform sentences by systematically replacing prepositional phrases. Example: “Are you thinking about this project?” → “Are you thinking about it?”; “How many emails?” → “How many do you have?” If you want to practice in context, the module Phrases in context from Discus offers free translations and fill-in-the-blank exercises: perfect for automating the placement of pronouns. And for an overview of the language and the countries where it is spoken, take a look at /fr/langues/french.

To go further

In French grammar, y and en are adverbial pronouns. In the canonical series of preverbal clitics, the order is: 1) me/te/se/nous/vous; 2) le/la/les; 3) lui/leur; 4) y; 5) en. Hence "Il y en a" (y precedes en) and "Je lui en parle" (lui precedes en). In the affirmative imperative, the post-verbal order is different: verb – le/la/les – moi/toi/lui/nous/vous/leur – y – en (e.g., "Donne-lui-en"). After a preposition, tonic pronouns are used: "à lui/à elle", never "Je lui pense" for "I think of him/her". For a normative description and more technical examples, one can consult the resources of the CNRTL or the sections of the Académie française.

As you progress, have fun spotting clitic chains and pre-verbal/post-verbal alternation in native dialogues: once your ear is trained, the order settles almost effortlessly.