When the pronoun belongs to the verb
You know that y replaces a complement with à or a place, and en a complement with de or a quantity. Two cases are harder: verbs where you have to know the preposition, and with it the pronoun, by heart, and set phrases where en or y no longer replaces anything. There the pronoun has fused with the verb.
Verbs with à and de
Whether a verb takes y or en depends on its preposition, and that often differs from English: s'attendre à is simply to expect, se moquer de is to make fun of. Always learn the verb together with its preposition.
Verbs and their pronoun
| Verb | Meaning | With pronoun |
|---|---|---|
| réfléchir à | to think about | J'y réfléchirai. |
| s'attendre à | to expect | Je ne m'y attendais pas. |
| tenir à | to care about, to value | J'y tiens beaucoup. |
| s'habituer à | to get used to | On s'y habitue vite. |
| s'occuper de | to take care of | Je m'en occupe. |
| se rendre compte de | to realise | Je m'en rends compte. |
| profiter de | to take advantage of, to enjoy | Profites-en ! |
| se moquer de | to make fun of, not to care about | Il s'en moque. |
à → y, de → en
When the complement is a person, the preposition usually stays with a stressed pronoun: Je tiens à elle. – Il se moque de moi.
In conversation
Ce projet me plaît, je vais y réfléchir ce week-end.
I like this project, I'll think about it this weekend.
Laisse la vaisselle, je m'en occupe.
Leave the dishes, I'll take care of them.
Tu as fait une erreur. – Oui, je m'en suis rendu compte.
You made a mistake. – Yes, I realised it.
Set phrases with en
Here the pronoun has lost its reference. Don't ask what en stands for in s'en aller: it stands for nothing any more. Learn the phrase as a unit, pronoun included.
Phrases with en
| Expression | Meaning |
|---|---|
| s'en aller | to leave, to go away |
| en avoir marre | to be fed up |
| s'en faire | to worry |
| en vouloir à quelqu'un | to hold a grudge against someone |
| s'en sortir | to cope, to manage |
| ne pas en revenir | not to get over it, to be amazed |
| n'en pouvoir plus | to be unable to go on |
| je t'en prie | please, you're welcome |
set expressions
Phrases with en in conversation
Bon, je m'en vais, à demain !
Right, I'm off, see you tomorrow!
J'en ai marre d'attendre !
I'm fed up with waiting!
Ne t'en fais pas, tout va s'arranger.
Don't worry, it will all work out.
Merci beaucoup ! – Je t'en prie.
Thank you very much! – You're welcome.
Set phrases with y
Phrases with y
| Expression | Meaning |
|---|---|
| ça y est | there we are; it's done |
| on y va | let's go |
| s'y prendre | to go about something |
| s'y connaître en | to know a lot about |
| y être | to get it (Ah, j'y suis !) |
| n'y être pour rien | to have nothing to do with it |
| n'y pouvoir rien | not to be able to help it |
set expressions
Phrases with y in conversation
Ça y est, le train arrive.
Here we go, the train is coming.
On y va ? Il est tard.
Shall we go? It's late.
Elle s'y connaît en informatique.
She knows a lot about computers.
Désolé, je n'y peux rien.
Sorry, I can't help it.
