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All 14 Flashcards — Pronouns y & en
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Question
y
Answer
replaces « à + a place or thing »: «à Paris» → «j'y vais», «à mon examen» → «j'y pense»
Question
en
Answer
replaces « de + a noun », a partitive or a quantity: «du pain» → «j'en mange», «deux frères» → «j'en ai deux»
Question
Je vais à Paris → ?
Answer
J'y vais. («à + place» → «y», before the verb)
Question
Je mange du pain → ?
Answer
J'en mange. (partitive «du pain» → «en»)
Question
Je viens de Lyon → ?
Answer
J'en viens. («de + place/origin» → «en»)
Question
J'ai deux frères → ?
Answer
J'en ai deux. («en» + keep the number «deux»)
Question
Je pense à mon examen → ?
Answer
J'y pense. («penser à» → «y»)
Question
J'ai besoin d'aide → ?
Answer
J'en ai besoin. («avoir besoin DE» → «en»)
Question
Position of y / en
Answer
Before the conjugated verb (j'y vais, j'en ai); before the infinitive (je vais y aller, je veux en acheter)
Question
Affirmative command with y / en
Answer
Attached after with a hyphen, and the -s comes back: «Vas-y !», «Prends-en !»
Question
How do you choose between « y » and « en »?
Answer
Spot the hidden preposition: «à»/a place → «y»; «de», a partitive (du/de la/des) or a quantity → «en».
Question
Where do « y » and « en » go in the sentence?
Answer
Before the conjugated verb (j'y vais, je n'en veux pas), or attached after an affirmative command (Vas-y !, Prends-en !).
Question
Why do you say « j'en ai deux », not just « j'en ai »?
Answer
When «en» replaces a noun that had a number or quantity word, you must REPEAT that number/quantity: «j'en ai deux», «j'en veux un peu».
Question
What is a common « y / en » error?
Answer
Swapping them (j'en vais for a place), placing the pronoun after the verb (je vais y), keeping the original noun, or dropping the number with «en».
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Full study notes for Pronouns y & en
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