This lesson focuses on the French pronouns "y" and "en," which replace location expressions and quantities to avoid repetition. "Y" replaces places following prepositions like "à" or "dans," while "en" replaces places or quantities introduced by "de" or its forms. It also explains the use of "lui" and "leur" when referring to people instead of these pronouns. The lesson includes practical examples and highlights key grammatical points for beginner French learners (A1 level).
- The pronoun "y" replaces a place when it is preceded by "à", "dans", "chez", "sur", "en".
- The pronoun "en" replaces a place from which one comes, a quantity, or a partitive preceded by "de", "du", "de la", "des".
| Pronom (Pronoun) | Exemple |
|---|---|
| Y | Tu vas à la cuisine ? - Oui, j'y vais. Je dois nettoyer la cuisine. Je dois y nettoyer le sol. (I have to clean the kitchen. I have to clean the floor there.) Je vais au frigo. J’y vais pour prendre un verre d’eau. (I am going to the fridge. I am going there to get a glass of water.) |
| En | Nous étendons le linge. Nous en étendons beaucoup. Il passe l’aspirateur dans la chambre. Il en passe dans toute la maison. (He vacuum cleans the bedroom. He vacuum cleans it throughout the whole house.) Elle utilise son ordinateur pour le travail. Elle en utilise pour faire des recherches. (She uses her computer for work. She uses some to do research.) |
Exceptions!
- If "à" or "de" refers to a person, you should not use "y" or "en", but "lui" or "leur" instead. Example: Je parle à Marie: Je lui parle.
Exercise 1: Les pronoms compléments de lieu: "y" et "en"
Instruction: Fill in the correct word.
en, y
Exercise 2: Multiple Choice
Instruction: Choose the correct solution
1. Je vais à la cuisine. J'___ vais pour prendre du pain.
(I go to the kitchen. I ___ go there to get some bread.)2. Tu passes l'aspirateur dans le salon ? Oui, je ___ passe.
(Are you vacuuming in the living room? Yes, I ___ vacuum there.)3. Nous faisons une machine. Nous ___ faisons maintenant.
(We are doing a load of laundry. We ___ are doing one now.)4. Il va au frigo. Il ___ va pour prendre une boisson.
(He goes to the fridge. He ___ goes there to get a drink.)5. Elle utilise son ordinateur pour le travail. Elle ___ utilise beaucoup.
(She uses her computer for work. She ___ uses a lot of them.)6. Tu passes l'aspirateur chez Marie. Tu ___ passes ce matin.
(You vacuum at Marie's place. You ___ vacuum there this morning.)
