FRENCH	ENGLISH
Pronom français 'y'	French pronoun 'y'
In French, the word "y" is a pronoun that is used to replace a previously mentioned location or place. It can also be used in some idiomatic expressions. Here's how "y" is typically used in sentences:
Replacing a location:
J'aime Paris. / J'y vais souvent.	I love Paris. / I go there often.
J’y vais quand même.	I'm going there anyway.
Il n'y a personne.	There's no one there.
J'y serai dans quelques minutes.	I will be there in a few minutes.
J'ai trop envie d'y passer.	I really want to go there.
J’y suis allé plusieurs fois.	I have been there several times.
J'y suis presque.	Almost there.
Replacing an introduced place, by a preposition such as "à" (to), "chez" (at the house of), "dans" (in), etc.:
Je vais à la plage. / J'y vais.	I'm going to the beach. / I'm going there.
Replacing an introduced location, typically introduced by "dans" (in) or "sur" (on):
Il y a des livres dans la bibliothèque. / Il y en a beaucoup.	There are books in the library. / There are many of them.
In idiomatic expressions:
Allons-y !	Let's go!
Vas-y !	Go ahead! / Go for it!
Allez-y doucement.	Take it easy.
Allez-y vite.	Go quickly.
y usually comes BEFORE the verb:
Je dois y aller.	I have to go.
Je suis obligée d'y aller ?	Do I have to go there?
J'y vais en premier.	I will go first.
N'y pense plus.	Forget it. / Don't think about it anymore.
N'y va pas trop vite.	Don't go too fast.
y sometimes mean 'it' or about it':
Personne ne s'y attendait.	No one expected it.
J'y crois pas.	I don't believe it.
J'y croyais pas non plus.	I didn't believe it either.
J'y connais rien.	I don't know anything about it.
Même moi, j'y arrive pas.	Even I can't do it.
J'y arrive plus.	I can't do it anymore.
On n'y arrive plus.	We can't do it anymore.
Je m'y fais pas encore.	I haven't gotten used to it yet.
N'y pense même pas.	Don't even think about it.
Je peux rien faire. / Je peux rien y faire.	I can't do anything. / I can't do anything about it.
On peut rien y faire.	There's nothing we can do about it.
J'y peux rien.	I can't help it.
Il n'y a rien à faire.	There is nothing to be done about it.
Il n’y a rien à dire.	There's nothing to say about it.
Je préfère m'y tenir.	I'd rather stick to it.
On s'y sent bien.	It feels good.
y comes AFTER other direct or indirect object pronouns.
Je m'y connais.	I know my stuff.
Je m'y attendais pas du tout.	I didn't expect it at all.
Je m'y habitue.	I'll become accustomed to it. (habit)
Je vais m'y faire.	I'm getting used to it. (situation or circumstance)
Je vais m'y mettre.	I'll get to it. / I'll get started.
Qu'est-ce t'y connais ?	What do you know about it?
T'y arrives pas.	You can't do it. / You're not managing it.
Tu vas t'y habituer.	You'll become accustomed to it. (habit)
Tu vas t'y faire.	You will get used to it. (situation or circumstance)
On s'y met. / Commençons. / C'est parti.	Let's get started.
On s'y habitue.	We are getting used to it.