Pourquoi?

To avoid restating a place or location, replace it with the pronoun y. The various rules are similar to the pronoun

en’s.

Y also replaces any preposition along with the place/location

such as: dans, à, au, chez, sur, sous, en,

Comment?

First, identify the place or location and its preposition. Replace both the preposition and the place/location with

y and place y before the conjugated verb.

-Tu peux aller au supermarché?-Can you go to the

supermarket?-Oui. J’y vais tout de suite.

-Yes. I can go there right away.

L’anglais

In English, if someone were to ask “Can I go to the movies?”, one might answer “Okay. You can go”.

In French “Tu peux aller”, isn’t a complete statement. If you don’t follow the verb with a place, you must say: “Tu

peux y aller.”

Infinitif

If there is an infinitive, y goes directly before the infinitive verb.

-Est-ce que tu veux aller à l’école?

-Do you want to go to school?

-Non. Je ne veux pas y aller.

-No. I don’t want to go there.

Passé Composé

When using y with past tense, y goes before the helping verb (avoir or être).

-Est-ce que tu es allé(e) au café?

-Did you go to the café?

-Oui. J’y suis allé(e)

-Yes. I went there.

Futur

In the future tense, y goes after the helping verb (aller). This is similar to our other pronouns.

-Est-ce que tu vas aller chez Julien?

-Are you going to Julien’s?

-Oui. Je vais y aller.

-Yes. I will go (there).