B1.37 - Civil state

Combine en and y with a pronoun

Combiner en et y avec un pronom

En français, il est possible de combiner les pronoms en et y avec des pronoms personnels, qu'ils soient COD, COI ou pronoms toniques.

(In French, it is possible to combine the pronouns en and y with personal pronouns, whether they are direct object pronouns (COD), indirect object pronouns (COI), or stressed pronouns.)

What “en” and “y” really replace (the quick meaning check)

  • en = replaces something introduced by de (or a quantity).
    • de + noun / de + idea → en
    • some / any / a number of → en
  • y = replaces something introduced by à (often a place, sometimes an idea).
    • à + place → y (there)
    • à + thing/idea (with certain verbs) → y (to it / about it)
What you want to avoid repeating Replace with Example (full → with pronoun)
de + something en

Je parle de mon contrat. → J’en parle.
a quantity (some / a few / how many) en

Vous voulez des copies ? → Vous en voulez ?
à + a place y

Je vais à la mairie. → J’y vais.
à + a thing (fixed verb pattern) y

Je pense à cette réunion. → J’y pense.

Step-by-step: choose “en” or “y” reliably

  1. Find the preposition in the original complement:
    • de → likely en
    • à → likely y
  2. Ask yourself: is it a thing/idea or a place?
    • Place with à → almost always y
    • Thing/idea with de → almost always en
  3. If there is a number/quantity (combien, beaucoup, une copie…): choose en.

Word order with another pronoun (me/te/lui/nous/vous/leur)

In these examples, you have two pronouns: a person (me/te/lui…) + en or y.

Structure Correct Meaning
Sujet + (me/te/lui/nous/vous/leur) + en + verbe

Je lui en parle.

I talk to him/her about it.
Sujet + (me/te/lui/nous/vous/leur) + y + verbe

Je les y conduis.

I drive them there.
  • Key idea: the person pronoun comes first, then en/y, then the verb.
  • So: lui en, nous y, leur en, etc.

Imperative: the one big change (affirmative vs negative)

  • Affirmative imperative: pronouns go after the verb, linked with hyphens.
    • Parlez-moi-en. (Talk to me about it.)
    • Emmenez-moi-y. (Take me there.)
    • Donnez-nous-en. (Give us some.)
  • Negative imperative: pronouns go back before the verb.
    • Ne m’en parlez pas.
    • Ne nous y emmenez pas.
    • Ne parlez-moi-en pas. (wrong in modern standard French)

Common traps (and how to fix them fast)

  • Trap 1: mixing “about it” and “there”
    • parler de quelque chose → en (not y)
    • aller à un endroit → y (not en)
  • Trap 2: thinking “y” means only a physical place
    • With some verbs, à + thing becomes y:

      Je pense à cette stratégie. → J’y pense.

  • Trap 3: trying to keep everything
    • You usually replace one complement (de/à) with en/y. If the sentence becomes overloaded, rephrase.

Self-check before you submit an answer

  1. What was the preposition? de → en / à → y
  2. Is there a quantity/number? → en
  3. Indicative/normal sentence: pronouns before the verb.
  4. Imperative:
    • Affirmative: verb + pronouns after (with hyphens).
    • Negative: pronouns before the verb.
  1. Structure: Subject + (me/te/lui/nous/vous/leur) + en + verb.
  2. Structure: Subject + (me/te/lui/nous/vous/leur) + y + verb.
  3. Imperative structure: Verb + (moi/toi/lui/le/la/les/nous/vous/leur) + en or y.
Mode (Mood)Exemples avec "en" (Examples with “en”)Exemples avec "y"
Indicatif (Indicative)Du mariage, je lui en parle. (About the wedding, I talk to him/her about it.)Au mariage, je les y conduis. (To the wedding, I drive them there.)
Impératif (Imperative)Explique-moi-en plus sur ton divorce ! (Tell me more about your divorce!)Emmenez-moi-y !  (Take me there!)
Indicatif (Indicative)Il t'en a acheté combien ? (How many did he buy for you?)Pour la cérémonie, je t'y dépose en voiture ? (For the ceremony, shall I drop you off there by car?)
Impératif (Imperative)Donne-nous-en ! (Give us some!)Laissez-nous-y quand vous aurez le temps. (Drop us off there when you have time.)

Exceptions!

  1. Watch out for the negative form: Subject + ne + (me/te/lui/nous/vous/leur) + en / y + verb + pas. Example: Je ne lui en parle pas.
  2. Watch out for the negative imperative: Ne + (me/te/lui/nous/vous/leur) + en / y + verb + pas. Example: Ne m'en parlez pas !

Exercise 1: Multiple choice

Instruction: Choose the correct answer

Fetching your corrections... Please don't close this page yet.

1. Pour le PACS, vous ___ apportez une copie demain ?

For the PACS, will you ___ bring me a copy tomorrow?

2. Le livret de famille, je ___ fais une photocopie tout de suite.

The family record book, I'll ___ make you a photocopy right away.

3. Au mariage civil, je ___ conduis en voiture si tu veux.

To the civil wedding, I'll ___ drive by car if you want.

4. Ne ___ parlez pas maintenant, remplissez d'abord le formulaire.

Don't ___ talk about it now, fill out the form first.

Exercise 2: Rewrite the phrases

Instruction: Replace the complement with "en" or "y" and add the appropriate personal pronoun (me/te/lui/nous/vous/leur). Rewrite each sentence as a single correct sentence.

Fetching your corrections... Please don't close this page yet.

Show/Hide translation Show/Hide hints
  1. Je parle de mon contrat à mon chef.
    ⇒ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ Example
    Je lui en parle.
    (I’m talking to him about it.)
  2. Tu as envoyé des documents à ta collègue ?
    ⇒ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ Example
    Tu les lui as envoyés ?
    (Did you send them to her?)
  3. Nous pensons à cette réunion toute la journée.
    ⇒ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ Example
    Nous y pensons toute la journée.
    (We’re thinking about it all day.)
  4. Je vais à la mairie avec mes parents et je conduis mes parents à la mairie.
    ⇒ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ Example
    Je vais à la mairie avec mes parents et je les y conduis.
    (I’m going to city hall with my parents and I’m driving them there.)

Exercise 3: Multiple Choice

Instruction: Choose the correct sentence.

Fetching your corrections... Please don't close this page yet.

1.
Incorrect: you can’t place “lui” and “y” together in front of the verb like that; you must replace “lui” with the appropriate direct object pronoun (“les”) or rephrase (“je lui apporte les documents” without “y”).
2.
Incorrect: in the negative imperative you do not use the affirmative order (“parlez‑moi‑en”) — you must place the pronouns before the verb (Ne m'en parlez pas).

Written by

This content has been designed and reviewed by the coLanguage pedagogical team: About coLanguage

Profile Picture

Oscar Figueiral Marques

Master

Université de Poitiers

University_Logo

France


Last Updated:

Sunday, 31/05/2026 20:58