Pronouns replace nouns in a sentence. They are usually quicker ways to refer to a noun and reduce repetition. Types of pronoun include subject pronouns, direct and indirect object pronouns.
The pronoun y usually means ‘there’ and the same position rules apply as for direct object pronounA direct object pronoun replaces a noun that is the object in a sentence, eg ‘I throw the ball’ becomes ‘I throw it’.. 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.
Y can also mean ‘it’ or ‘them’ and is used to replace a thing (not a person) that is normally introduced by the prepositionA preposition is a word such as 'at', 'for', 'with', 'into' or 'from' which is usually followed by a noun or pronoun. They are used to show where something is in place or time.à. For example:
J’aime jouer au hockey. J’y joue trois fois par semaine. – I like playing hockey. I play it three times a week.
Il faut faire attention à la circulation. Il faut y faire attention. – You’ve got to be careful of the traffic. You’ve got to be careful of it.
When to use 'en'
The pronoun en replaces nounThe name of a thing such as an object, a place or a person. Nouns are often described as naming words. in phrases about quantity, or with verbA word used to describe an action or state of being. that are normally followed by de. Its translation in English varies depending on the meaning of the phrase. Like y, en usually comes before the verb. For example:
Vous voudriez des bananes ? Oui, j’en voudrais cinq, s’il vous plait. – Would you like some bananas? Yes, I’d like five (of them), please.
Il a besoin d’un nouveau portable. Il en a besoin car il a perdu son vieux portable. – He needs (has need of) a new phone. He needs one (has need of one) because he has lost his old phone.
Learn verbs and their prepositions together, so that you can use y and en correctly replacing the à and the de.
