When you start learning French, there are two tiny words that can suddenly make you freeze mid-sentence: en and y. Short, seemingly innocent, but far more common and essential than they first appear.
These pronouns replace parts of a sentence that would otherwise be repetitive, heavy, or redundant. And because they appear everywhere — in dialogues, texts, movies, and everyday speech — mastering them can immediately make your French sound much more natural.
In this guide, you’ll find everything you need to use them confidently: when to use them, what they replace, common mistakes to avoid, and plenty of model sentences you can reuse with ease.
1. Why are en and y so useful?
When learning French, it’s natural to focus first on verbs, tenses, and agreement. But often, it’s pronouns — especially en and y — that determine how natural a sentence sounds.
These two pronouns help you to:
- lighten your sentences by removing unnecessary repetition
- make your speech smoother and more immediate
- gain confidence and speed when speaking
- express yourself with structures closer to real, spoken French
2. The pronoun en: when to use it
En replaces a complement introduced by de, or a noun accompanied by an indefinite article, partitive article, or quantity.
Let’s look at the main cases.
a) En replaces a noun introduced by an indefinite or partitive article
If a noun is introduced by un, une, des, du, de la, de l’, or by an expression of quantity, en avoids repeating it.
– Je porte toujours une cravate au travail. Toi, tu n’en portes pas.
(en = une cravate)
The same applies to quantities like beaucoup de, trop de, assez de…
– J’ai beaucoup de travail, j’en ai trop en ce moment.
b) En replaces a complement introduced by de (referring to a thing)
When de introduces a complement referring to a thing, en is the pronoun you use to replace it.
– Il a lu un livre très intéressant et il en parle tout le temps.
(parle de ce livre)
❗ Important: If you are referring to a person, you cannot use en. You must use de + stressed pronoun:
– Jean n’est pas là, je ne veux pas parler de lui.
c) En as an adverb of place (origin / coming from)
En can also indicate coming from a place.
– Tu vas au cours de tennis maintenant ? — Non, j’en reviens.
(j’en reviens = “I’m coming back from there”)
This usage is less frequent than the pronoun uses but still important to recognize.
3. The pronoun y: when to use it
Y works like en, but with another preposition: à.
It is used to replace complements referring to things, never people.
a) Y replaces a noun introduced by à (referring to a thing)
– Il aime beaucoup son pays d’origine, il y pense souvent.
(pense à son pays)
If referring to a person, you must use à + stressed pronoun:
– J’aime Antoine, je pense à lui tout le temps.
b) Y as an adverb of place (“there”, “to that place”)
Y indicates a place where someone is or where someone is going.
– Le comité d’entreprise organise un voyage en France, tu y vas ?
(tu y vas = “are you going there?”)
❗ Important note: y is never used with the future of the verb aller.
✔ J’irai.
❌ J’y irai. (incorrect)
4. Fixed expressions with en
Many common French expressions use en in a fixed way, sometimes unpredictably. It’s worth memorizing them.
Il s’en va. → He is leaving.
J’en ai assez. → I’ve had enough.
Je n’en peux plus. → I can’t take it anymore.
Ne t’en fais pas. → Don’t worry.
Je lui en veux. → I’m mad at him/her.
You’ll hear these expressions constantly in real conversations.
5. Fixed expressions with y
Y also appears in many typical spoken French expressions.
Ça y est. → Here we go / It’s done.
Ah ! J’y suis ! → I got it!
Je n’y peux rien. → There’s nothing I can do.
Il s’y connaît bien en informatique. → He knows his stuff in IT.
Je n’y comprends rien. → I don’t understand anything.
On y va ! → Let’s go!
These are essential for understanding native French speakers — and for being understood yourself.
6. En vs Y: How to Never Confuse Them Again
Here’s a helpful overview:
| SITUATION | PRONOUN |
| de + thing | en |
| à + thing | y |
| de + person | de + stressed pronoun (de lui, d’elle…) |
| à + person | à + stressed pronoun (à lui, à elle…) |
| quantity | en |
| place (motion / being at a place) | y |
| place (origin / coming from) | en |
8. Want to dive deeper? Check out the complete reference sheet for en and y
If you want a quick, clear, and well-organized reference, check the full grammar sheet on en and y in the A2-level Sillabi resources.
It includes all the main cases, extra examples, and a compact overview that makes it easy to review and apply.
9. Want to take your French to the next level?
If you love French and want to finally speak without translating in your head, understand native speakers more easily, use structures like en and y naturally, and build smoother sentences… the course Et voilà! is perfect for you.
It guides you step by step, with clear explanations, constant practice, and a method that helps you use grammar in real-life contexts.
Not sure where to start? Take the free placement test — in just a few minutes, it will show you exactly where in the course to begin.