pronoun y in french examples
When pronouncing “il y a”, there will always be a vowel gliding between the “y” and the “a”, making it sound like “ya“. In France, if someone was to enunciate quite well, the double “i” sound of the Y would be dropped, and we’d pronounce “il y a” “eelya“. Nous y sommes allé (e)s en voiture. We use “en” in French to replace a noun modified by a notion of quantity. 2. Support us on Patreon or by purchasing our unique audiobooks to learn French. 2018-06-21. It often means “there”.. “Y” is pronounced like the French letter “i” (like the sound ‘ee’ in the English word ‘meet’). The French pronoun y replaces a prepositional phrase that indicates location, like dans le garage (in the garage). In this example, y means there . If it helps remember the French general's reply to a surrender demand: j'y suis et j'y … A simple explanation of "Using "y" with affirmative commands (L'Impératif)". that have already been mentioned. “Il y a” is probably the common French expression where the everyday French pronunciation versus overly enunciated pronunciation – often featured in French methods – is the most blatant. I think about it every day. A place is introduced by a preposition of place which can be “à” but also “sur, sous, en, au, aux…”: 1. So, in order to master Y, you should really learn the most common verbs followed by à in French. Add to Notebook 0 questions. So let’s compare the sounds: from the most overly enunciated to the most common spoken form of “il y a”: To train on the pronunciation of “il y a” in spoken French, check out my unique downloadable French audiobooks, featuring different speeds of recording and enunciation, and focussing on today’s modern glided pronunciation, exclusively on sale on French Today. This letter is extremely important in French. Identify: French Grammar: The Adverbial Pronoun [Y] la grammaire française: le pronom adverbial [Y] The adverbial pronoun “y” is used to refer to places or things (but never to people!) The “à, au, aux, à la à l'” often comes from the verb meaning that this particular verb is going to be followed by “à”, and that is why you’d be using a “à” there. is not enough; the person you’re talking to will be waiting for you to finish your sentence. The peskiest of these–and the most difficult for many French learners to master–is y and en. Je vais à Paris. The present tense would be j'y vois, the future j'y verrais, the imperfect j'y voyais, the past historic j'y vis, the pluperfect j'y avais vu, etc.. I want two (of them). A typical translation would be “here” or “there.” Here is an example from a website: Bienvenue sur notre site web. Instant download. That’s probably what you’ve learned in your French classes. When the nine single consonant words that end in silent e (ce, de, je, le, me, ne, que, se, te) are followed by a word that begins with a vowel, silent h, or the pronoun y, the silent e are dropped and the two words are contracted. – I went to France with my family. Shall we go (to somewhere) ?. "Y: An Adverbial Pronoun That Replaces Prepositional Phrases." The French expression “il y a” is very common. Here’s how to proceed to replace this type of prepositional phrase with y: Find the phrase that’s introduced by the preposition. So let’s study how you may have learned to say “il y a” and see how most French people would pronounce “il y a” in a regular, relaxed French conversation today. 1 – The French Pronoun Y Replaces A PLACE. Let's go, on y va! -> J’y pense. Yes, actually it looks very similar, but there is a difference. Note than when a verb is followed by à + PERSON, you need to use an indirect object pronoun (me, te, lui, nous, vous, leur): Or a stress pronoun: “moi, toi, lui, elle, nous, vous, eux, elles”, You cannot guess, you have to know which verb’s construction asks for which pronoun – indirect object or stress… another difficulty of French…. He gives you (some) cheese. J’y vais pour mon anniversaire. 2 – The French Pronoun Y Also Replaces A THING. Download it Today At No Charge When le and la are followed by a vowel, h muet (silent h), or the pronoun y, the vowel in le and la are omitted and they are combined with the second word. Some of you might say "But that is the structure to be replaced by an indirect object pronoun". They will drive there in a bus. It’s not really slang, it’s something almost everybody does. Restes-y. We'll get there with a bit of patience. The French adverbial pronoun y is so tiny that you might think its role in a sentence is not very important, but, in fact, quite the opposite is true. Very often, writers of colloquial French will use “y” to represent the subject pronoun “il” without the “l” sound. We use “y” (pronounced ee as in “bee”) to replace a place or a word in a sentence that follows the prepositions a and en. We went there by car. Nous y allons demain. He's thinking about it. 2) Y Y is a pronoun that replaces a place, usually a prepositional phrase beginning with à , chez , dans , etc.You can translate y by ‘there'. Now it’s important you understand the large majority of French people speaks like that in a relaxed setting: politicians would speak like that at home, my 80 years young mother would say “ya” as well, so would I or my daughter…. For example: « Je vais à Paris. However, it’s quite unlikely you’ll hear “il y a” spoken this way in France. In French, the letter y usually replaces a prepositional phrase beginning with something like à, chez, or dans (at, in, or in), as demonstrated in these examples, where the English sentence or sentences are followed by the French translation: Note that "there" can often be omitted in English, but y can never be omitted in French. You cannot use y to replace à + a person or à + a verb. When French natives speak fast and in a relaxed environment , the pronunciation of “il y a” glides even more! Learn French offline, at home or on the go on any device! For example, it doesn’t make sense to use it in the following ways: Je réponds à Marie. I hesitate to tell it. Pronouns are placed before verbs 15. J'y vais tous les deux mois. -> She brings me there. The French pronoun “en” replaces a noun. How To Say “There Is, There Are” In French? And now, click this link to learn about the French pronoun EN. – Not the place we come from! >, I continue to read Balzac. Based on my students' goals and needs, I've created unique downloadable French audiobooks focussing on French like it's spoken today, for all levels. Je suis allé (e) en France avec ma famille. This quantity is likely to be introduced by a partitive article “De, du, de la, de l’, des” , or a French numbersuch as “un, une, trois, vingt-huit”… or a fraction “un quart”… or an adverb of quantity “beaucoup de, un peu de”… or an expression of quantity “un … In this example, y means there . What does “il y a” mean in French? -> Il t’en donne. What’s that French “ya”? Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/y-french-pronoun-1368924. Examples: J'y vais tout de suite. Il te donne du fromage. This article comes with audio recordings. Don’t leave school. If there were people with verbs followed by à the indirect object pronouns lui and leur would have to be used. Tomorrow, they’re going to Lyon. The adverbial pronoun y replaces: Places and parts of a sentence that are introduced with the prepositions à or en Example: Demain, ils iront à Lyon. The pronoun y has two distinct uses: It is the indirect-object pronoun used with things introduced by the preposition à. Now what about sentences with y and en. It is used to replace a spatial prepositional phrase. Il y a states the existence of something – there is, there are. Y is also used with verbs that require the preposition à plus an indirect object. Je vais à Paris = j’y vais 2. It’s a double logic meaning that for each pronoun there are 2 main points to understand. J’hésite à lire le livre. The pronoun y. Par exemple… French pronouns Y and EN are actually adverbs that we use as pronouns, hence their name. This “y” has nothing to do with the subject of this blog post. In Part 1 of this blog post, we saw that the most common use of the French pronoun y is to refer to a a physical place or location. There are many more expressions featuring “il y a” in French. "Y" Do's and Don'ts The pronouns en and y basically do not refer to people.How we translate them into English depends on where en and y are found in French. In French, we use the expression “il y a” to translate the notion of “ago”. Vous y trouverez les réponses à toutes vos questions sur nos produits et services. Impersonal Subject Pronouns. Note that in French, you must include either à + something or its replacement y, even though the equivalent may be optional in English. ThoughtCo, Aug. 27, 2020, thoughtco.com/y-french-pronoun-1368924. Je vais à Washington demain. Press the link next to the headphones to play the audio. Elle est très gentille.She is very sweet. Places that are introduced with the prepositions dans, devant, sous or sur Example: >, I'm responding to a letter. ThoughtCo. The French Pronoun Y also Replaces a thing (never a person) introduced by “à, au, aux, à l’, à la”. y Yes! In that case, it’s EN – We can have other prepositions expressing the place: sous, sur, dans, à côté … We also use Y in these cases. Notice in all the example sentences below the objects are all inanimate. If we wanted to use a noun rather than a pronoun for phrase #2 above, we could say “Elle est allée à Paris” rather than “Elle y … Born and raised in Paris, I have been teaching today's French to adults for 23+ years in the US and France. A place is introduced by a preposition of place which can be “à” but also “sur, sous, en, au, aux…”: When you study this, the key is to know well the rules on prepositions of places in French. Yes, I attended (it). Y is a pronoun, and it is used to replace the structure à +noun. When to use y in French. ThoughtCo. And train on making sentences using Y with these verbs. The French Pronoun "y" The pronoun y often replaces à + an object. Such phrases begin with a preposition, like at, under, in, and so on. I'm going to think about it. In English, it’s okay to say “I’m going,” but in French, you have to add y. Je Vais—Don't Make This Mistake in French, French Indirect Objects and Indirect Object Pronouns, Using the French Prepositions 'En' and 'Dans', Personal Pronouns: French Grammar and Pronunciation Glossary, Understanding Object Pronoun Verb Order in French, How to Pronounce the Letter "Y" in French, Follow This Word Order for Correct French Sentences, French Direct Objects and Direct Object Pronouns, Prepositions: Small and Mighty Words That Drive French Sentences, The Ten Most Common Intermediate French Mistakes, How to Use the French Expression "Allons-y", Learn How to Conjugate the French Verb 'Aller', All About the French Verb "Penser" ("to Think"), verbs that don't allow preceding indirect object pronouns, Are you going to the bank today? As with all French grammar, the use of the pronoun y is pretty restrictive. But in French, Je vais ! I'm going to Washington tomorrow; I go there every two months. The various French pronouns are explained in depth and illustrated in context within the story of my French learning method À Moi Paris L3 – with audio of course! Stay there. The second use of y has to do with objects/concepts that follow the preposition à. In this sense, it might be translated as there. (I hesitate to read the book.) 13+ hours of 1100 Phrases and Dialogs recorded at 2 different speeds. I'm responding (to it). (He didn’t say a word.) “Il y a” means there is, there are, it’s also used to translate the notion of “ago” in French, and it’s part of many French expression, especially to talk about the weather. https://www.thoughtco.com/y-french-pronoun-1368924 (accessed March 17, 2021). >. You have to obey the law. ☘️ St PATRICK’S DAY SALE – 20% OFF ALL AUDIOBOOKS ENDS MAR 18th. On y va ? > Fais attention à lui, Fais-y attention. Some sentences can contain two object pronouns : - a direct object pronoun (See Me, te, nous, vous = Me, you, us, you (direct and indirect object pronouns) and Replacing nouns with le, la, l', les = it, him, her, them (direct object pronouns) ) and. However, in the case of verbs that don't allow preceding indirect object pronouns, you can use y, as in this example: Pay attention to him. As its name suggests, the subject pronoun takes the position of the subject in the sentence (who/what is performing the action). So, in order to master Y, you should really learn the most common verbs followed by à in French. Je vais au Japon = j’y vais When you study this, the key is to know well the rules on prepositions of places in French. Ils s’ y rendront en bus. >, Yes, I attended the meeting. In this case, we often use the construction “Il y a + partitive article + noun”. This is also true in French; however, an indirect object pronoun can replace the indirect object only when it is an animate noun: person or animal. Je vais (I'm going) is not a complete sentence in French; if you don't follow the verb with a place, you have to say J'y vais. This is a common “enunciated” French pronunciation of “il y a”, the one students of French should learn in school since it would be fine to use in a rather formal register. >, I'm going to think about your proposal. Check the following examples: Est-ce que tu vas chez Annick aujourd’hui? There are two adverbial pronouns (French: les pronoms adverbiaux) in the French language: y and en.In general, they are considered as adverbs but practically used as pronouns. >, I hesitate to tell the truth. Y: An Adverbial Pronoun That Replaces Prepositional Phrases. ce, il. Free French lesson to understand the French adverbial pronoun “y” and the expression “il y a”. Good luck with your studies and remember, repetition is the key! You cannot replace the noun with an object pronoun, as exhibited in the following examples: In most cases, à + person may only be replaced by an indirect object. J’y pense tous les jours. Notice how everything following the à gets shrunk down in to y. Je pense à mes vacances. ThoughtCo. This is a very, very common French gliding. I continue to read him. It’s not just slang. :) Today, we will see how to differentiate "y" and "en" in French! Example: 1. Please consider supporting my free French lesson creation: we’re a tiny husband-and-wife company in France. We also use “Il y a” a lot for expressions of weather. example sentences with y. Available for iOS, Android, Mac, Windows and Others. Unfortunately in French, there are many French pronounsto chose from according to the grammatical value of the noun, or the way it’s being used. J’y … >. Here the pronoun y translates best to “it”. 2) Y. Y is a pronoun that replaces a place, usually a prepositional phrase beginning with à, chez, dans, etc. (2020, August 27). Il pense à cela; au fait il y pense beaucoup. So "y" comes between the subject "je" and the verb "ai". Y can also replace à + a noun that is not a person, such as with verbs that need à. She brings me to the beach. For example, in Je viens de rentrer de Nice, the first de is part of the phrase venir de (to have just done something), so it has to stay there even when you … Y refers to a previously mentioned or implied place; it is normally translated as "there" in English. I’m going there for my birthday. "Y: An Adverbial Pronoun That Replaces Prepositional Phrases." As I said above, “il y a” is very common and sometimes won’t translate literally in English! Examples: Je pense à ta proposition. This is the case for my examples “penser à” and “réfléchir à”. All in one breath, you cannot breathe or stop in the middle. ‘Combien d’élèves y a-t-il dans ta classe?’ – ‘Il y en a trente.’ ‘How many pupils are there in your class?’ – ‘There are thirty.’ J’ en veux deux. With full transcript + translations. I'm going (there) immediately. » → « J'y … Y a pas dit pas un mot. J’y pense tout le … You can translate y by ‘there’. Even though you don't need to add ‘there'systematically in English, you will need it in French. And this modern way of speaking French often comes to a shock to poor students of French who were never prepared for that! No really, this is IT. However, in the case of verbs that don't allow preceding indirect object pronouns, you can use y, as in this example: Note that y usually cannot replace à + verb, as in these examples, which show the correct way to create this construction: Y is also found in the expressions il y a, on y va, and allons-y, which translate into English as, "there is," "let's go," and "let's go," respectively. … par example: Elle m’ammène à la plage -> Elle m’y ammène. Most of my audiobooks are recorded at several speeds to help you conquer the modern French language. Coucou les amis ! No, I'm going (there) tomorrow. 3) Y with verbs. When you have an indirect object that's not a person or animal, it can only be replaced with the adverbial pronoun y. The French adverbial pronouns “Y” and “En” follow the same kind of logic. and no one will bat an eye. Revise and improve your French with detailed content, examples, audio, personalised practice tests and learning tools The first type of French pronoun to look at is subject pronouns. Je vais en France = j’y vais 3. On va y arriver avec un peu de patience. This is the case for my examples “penser à” and “réfléchir à”. (He’s not coming with us.) This is IT. French Subject Pronouns. So if someone enunciated a lot, like maybe someone reciting French poetry, “il y a” would be pronounced “eel ee ya“. For more on this use, see above. J’ai une copine.I have a girlfriend. The French pronoun Y replaces a place Here are two examples to get started. You have to obey it. Example: Are you ready? In English, an indirect object can be animate or inanimate. Again, use the table above to determine the right placement of the object pronouns. The French adverbial pronouns Y and En follow the same kind of logic. He's thinking about our trip. If you’re not going to specify the place, e.g., je vais en France, you have to say j’y vais. Thus, je vais should be j’y vais. I’m going to Paris. I’m thinking about the pandemic. The … In French, the most well known pronouns, of course, are je (I), tu (you singular), il/elle/on (he/she), nous (we), vous (you plural/formal), ils/elles (they).But there are many other–and more confusing–pronouns as well. Examples would be: Y vient pas avec nous. ThoughtCo. We use Y to replace a noun that expresses the place we are in or the place we go. Even though you don’t need to add ‘there’systematically in English, you will need it in French. Y can only be used to refer to inanimate objects, ideas or places, so it must replace something and not someone. In English, our impersonal subject … The French everybody speaks in France today is NOT the overly enunciated, extremely formal French usually taught to foreigners. Je pense à la pandémie. For example: Jeanne […] And of course, it affects all the variations / conjugations of “il y a”: You are not supposed to write “ya” instead of “il y a”, but you’ll find “ya” or “y’a” in texting, some coming books… Anywhere where French is spelled the way it sounds. Can You Understand Today’s Spoken French? J’y réponds. (I’m responding to Marie.) Je chante des chansons.I sing songs. “Il Y A” – Overly Enunciated French Pronunciation, “Il Y A” Everyday Enunciated French Pronunciation, “Il Y A” – Overly Enunciated French Pronunciation, Je réfléchis aux problèmes internationaux – j’y réfléchis, the most common verbs followed by à in French, or even more common, the whole “il y a” would just become a “. We’re going there tomorrow.