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How to use the adverbial pronoun ‘y’ in French?

By: Céline Bateman-Paris Fri Aug 30 2024

Pronouns

Use the French adverbial pronoun y as a substitute for a place and to mean “there.” You probably have heard of the phrase J’y vais(I’m going there). Like many , the pronoun y is particularly useful to avoid repetitions:

Elle va au cinéma ?
Is she going to the cinema?

Oui, elle va au cinéma.
Yes, she is going to the cinema.

Oui, elle y va.
Yes, she is (going there).
au cinéma is replaced by y

But there is much more to y than just avoiding the repetition of a place! In this article, you’ll read about what y can also stand for, where it is placed in a wide range of sentences, some useful expressions with y, and some do’s and don’ts.

On y va ?!

Let’s get going!

What does ‘y’ mean in French?

It is quite common to think the adverbial pronoun y means “there” and replaces a place; although this is true, y can also stand for something other than a place. Y can replace a single , an entire or , or nothing at all because it is in fixed expression. Let’s see what y can stand for!

When does ‘y’ replace nouns following prepositions of place?

Y replaces nouns that are introduced by a of place like chez(at the home of) or dans(in). Y replaces both the noun and the preposition.

Example: chez
- A quelle heure allez-vous chez Lucie ?
  At what time are you going to Lucie’s?
- On y va vers 20h.
  We’re going (there) around 8 pm.
Example: dans
Laurent est dans sa chambre, il y est depuis trois heures !
Laurent is in his bedroom, he’s been (in) there for three hours!

→ Check our article about French prepositions of place to learn more!

Important

Watch out for these common mistakes with aller(to go) + place

Sometimes in English, you don’t need a pronoun after the verb “to go,” because it is implied in the sentence. However, in French, you must add a place after aller, or use the pronoun y:
- ❌Ils sont allés en train.
  (lit. They went by train).
- ✅Ils y sont allés en train.
  They went (there) by train.
For pronunciation reasons, the verb aller(to go) can’t be combined with y when aller is conjugated in the simple future. You can use là-bas(over there) instead.
- ❌J’y irai avec vous.
- ✅J’irai là-bas avec vous
  I’ll go with you.

When does ‘y’ replace phrases introduced by preposition ‘à’?

Y also replaces some phrases that begin with a verb + the preposition à. These phrases can be verb + à + verb or verb + à + noun, so long as the noun doesn't represent a person.

Here is an example of y replacing a noun phrase introduced by verb + à:

Tu penses encore à tes vacances ?
Are you still thinking about your holidays?
Je sais, j’y pense tout le temps !
I know, I’m constantly thinking (about) them!

Below, you’ll see that y can also replace a verb phrase introduced by verb + à:

Elle n’arrive pas à faire la roue.
She can’t manage to do a cartwheel.
Ah bon ? Elle n’y arrive pas ?
Really? She can’t (do one)?

Important

Watch out for this common mistake!

People can’t be replaced by y, only objects can! For people, use à + stressed pronoun (like moi, toi, lui, etc.).

❌Mes parents, j’y pense souvent.

I often think of my parents.

✅Mes parents, je pense souvent à eux.

I often think of them.

The noun phrase or that is introduced by a verb + preposition à is called a “complement.” In the examples above, the verbs penser à and arriver à take noun or verb phrases as complements (tes vacances and faire la roue). The preposition and its complement are then replaced by y.

Have a look at this list of French verbs followed the preposition à to learn more!

Exception!

You can only use the pronoun y to replace a noun or verb phrase introduced by à when the verb before à is able to take a noun as a complement. This means that the verb in the “verb + à” structure must be able to be used with a noun directly after à.

This might seem a bit tricky, so let’s look at an example! Let’s compare the two verbs se préparer à(to get ready for) and hésiter à(to hesitate).

Se préparer à can be followed by a noun or by a verb
✅Je me prépare à mon déménagement.
I am preparing for my move.
with a noun
✅Je me prépare à déménager.
I am preparing for my move.
se préparer can also be used with a verb
So we can use y with this verb!
✅Mon déménagement ? Je m’y prépare.
Moving out? I’m getting ready for it.
✅Déménager ? Je m’y prépare.
I am preparing for my move.
However, hésiter à(to hesitate) cannot be followed by a noun, only by a verb:
❌Il hésite au déménagement.
He hesitates over moving out.
with a noun → doesn’t work!
✅Il hésite à déménager.
He hesitates to move out.
hésiter can be used with a verb
So we cannot use y with this verb!
❌Son déménagement ? Il y hésite.
His move? He’s hesitating over it.
❌Déménager ? Il y hésite.
Moving out? He hesitates over it.
You can only say:
✅Il hésite à déménager.
He hesitates to move out.

→ Have a look at these additional examples of French verbs that can and can’t be used with y!

How to use ‘y’ in some fixed expressions?

Y is also used in some specialized phrases called “fixed expressions” where its meaning isn’t completely literal. You may be familiar with the fixed expression il y a(there is), which is used to describe the weather or to say what can be found in a place.

Il y a du vent aujourd’hui.

It is windy today.

Il y a une plante sur la table.

There is a plant on the table.

You may wonder: If y replaces a place, why would you have another place (sur la table) in the same sentence?

Well, the answer is that, because il y a is a fixed expression, it doesn’t literally refer to a place, so it is absolutely fine to add a place alongside il y a.

Here are other fixed expressions using y:

Ça y est. That’s it, finally.	Ça y est, j’ai fini ! There, I’m done!
s’y retrouver to get one’s bearings	Je ne m’y retrouve plus. I’m lost.
s’y connaitre to have good knowledge of	Il s’y connaît en films. He has a good knowledge about films.
s’y croire to have a high opinion of oneself	Il s’y croit ! He thinks he’s amazing!
Vas-y! Come on!	Vas-y, c’est n’importe quoi ! Come on, it’s nonsense!
s’y prendre to go about + adverb	Il faut s’y prendre des mois à l’avance. One must start on it months in advance.
On y va ! Let’s get going!	On y va ! Nous allons être en retard. Let’s get going! We’re going to be late.

Now you know what y can stand for, read further to learn useful rules.

What are the other grammar rules for ‘y’ in French?

There are some specific rules for using y when it comes to where to place it in a sentence, as well as how to use it with other pronouns. We’ll take a look at each now!

Where does ‘y’ go in a sentence?

Y works like most pronouns in French. If you need a refresher, check out our post on French object pronouns! Or check the table below to visualize where y goes in affirmative and negative sentences.

Place in the sentence/type of sentence	Affirmative	Negative
Before a conjugated verb	Elle y est allée. She went there.	Elle n’y est pas allée. She didn’t go there.
Before an verb	Ils vont s’y attarder. They’re going to linger over it.	Ils ne vont pas s’y attarder. They’re not going to linger over it.
After a (+) command and before a (-) command	Réfléchis-y. Think about it. → Have you noticed the hyphen before y? For more details, check our article about the French imperative.	N’y réfléchis pas. Don’t think about it.

Important

If you are giving an affirmative tu command in French, and your verb is followed by y or en, be careful! When your chosen verb is an -er verb, you'll need to add an -s between the command and the pronouns y or en. This -s is just there to help with pronunciation, but don't forget it!

Pense à envoyer l’email ! → Penses-y !

How does ‘y’ work with other pronouns?

When you have more than one pronoun in a sentence, y is one of the last pronouns before the verb. You must respect this order of pronouns below:

me / m'

te / t'

nous

vous

le / l'

la / l'

les

lui

leur

Je vais acheter du pain à la boulangerie pour Paul. → Je vais lui y en acheter.

I am going to get the bread at the bakery for Paul. → I am going to get it there for him.

Ne me dépose pas dans la rue principale, c’est dangereux. → Ne m’y dépose pas.

Don’t drop me off on the main road, it is dangerous → Don’t drop me off there.

In brief: What to remember about pronoun ‘y’ in French?

When using the pronoun y in French, remember what we learned in this post:

Y replaces nouns introduced by a preposition of place like à, chez, sur ≠ sous, dans.
Y substitutes non-living nouns but not living nouns.
Y follows the same rules as French pronouns and usually goes before a conjugated verb, before an infinitive, after the imperative when (+) and before when (-).

You are all set! Take a few minutes to do our French pronoun y activities to make sure it’s all understood.

If you enjoyed this article, head to our other post to learn about the useful French pronoun en.

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How to use the adverbial pronoun ‘y’ in French?

What does ‘y’ mean in French?

When does ‘y’ replace nouns following prepositions of place?

Important

When does ‘y’ replace phrases introduced by preposition ‘à’?

Important

Exception!

How to use ‘y’ in some fixed expressions?

What are the other grammar rules for ‘y’ in French?

Where does ‘y’ go in a sentence?

Important

How does ‘y’ work with other pronouns?

In brief: What to remember about pronoun ‘y’ in French?

To embark on your next language adventure, join Mango on social!

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