Hi, could you please explain the difference in using y/là/là-bas
For example,
I'm going to the beach tonight
Je vais y aller ce soir
Je vais aller là ce soir
Je vais aller là-bas ce soir
Is there a difference in these phrases?
Look at these two examples:
Notice that to refer to a place previously mentioned in French, you use the pronoun y ('there').
Note also that "y" is placed before the conjugated verb.
Look at how "y" can replace locations introduced by the following prepositions: à, sur, chez, dans :
Paul est arrivé à Paris hier ? - Oui, Paul y est arrivé hier.Did Paul arrive in Paris yesterday? - Yes, Paul arrived there yesterday.
Elle a posé les clés sur la table ? - Oui, elle y a posé les clés.Did she put the keys on the table? - Yes, she put the keys there.
Tu passeras par chez elle ? - Oui, j'y passerai plus tard.Will you swing by her place ? - Yes, I'll swing by [there] later.
BUT
You cannot replace the expression "de + a place" by "y". You will always use "en" instead:
See En can replace de + phrase (adverbial pronoun)
and more advanced cases with Y can replace à + thing / object / location (adverbial pronoun)
Learn more about these related French grammar topics
Examples and resources
Depuis quand habite-t-il chez Laurent ? - Il y habite depuis janvier.Since when has he lived at Laurent's place? - He's lived there since January.
Qu'est-ce que tu mets dans cette boîte ? - J'y mets mes bijoux.What do you put in that box? - I put my jewellery in there.
Paul est arrivé à Paris hier ? - Oui, Paul y est arrivé hier.Did Paul arrive in Paris yesterday? - Yes, Paul arrived there yesterday.
Tu passeras par chez elle ? - Oui, j'y passerai plus tard.Will you swing by her place ? - Yes, I'll swing by [there] later.
Q&A Forum 9 questions, 19 answers
Hi Jessica,
Je vais y aller ce soir = I am going to go there tonight
Y= plage (if it has been mentioned beforehand )
Je vais aller là-bas ce soir ( we don't know what là-bas refers to)
Hope this helps!
Jessica asked:View original
Y vs là vs là-bas
Hi, could you please explain the difference in using y/là/là-bas
For example,
I'm going to the beach tonight
Je vais y aller ce soir
Je vais aller là ce soir
Je vais aller là-bas ce soir
Is there a difference in these phrases?
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DrewKwiziq Q&A regular contributor
Y not En
«Nous allons en France tous les ans» . Write "We go there every year": Nous ________ allons tous les ans. The correct answer is "Nous y allons tous les ans." Why does "y" replace "en france" instead of "en."Lesson states: "Y replaces places introduced with prepositions "à, sur, chez, dans."
Asked 1 year ago
Hi Drew,
As stated below and taken from the lesson-
"Notice that to refer to a place previously mentioned in French, you use the pronoun y ('there')."
Hope this helps!
Drew asked:View original
Y not En
«Nous allons en France tous les ans» . Write "We go there every year": Nous ________ allons tous les ans. The correct answer is "Nous y allons tous les ans." Why does "y" replace "en france" instead of "en."Lesson states: "Y replaces places introduced with prepositions "à, sur, chez, dans."
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JudyKwiziq Q&A regular contributor
How and why do I use “y” in this sentence
“Je vais y aller avec toi.” Instead of (my version) “J’y vais aller avec toi.”
Thanks.
Asked 1 year ago
Chris Kwiziq Q&A super contributor
The "y" comes before the infinitive, similar to other pronouns. In the absence of the infinitive, it comes before the conjugated verb.
Je vais les rencontrer.
Je dois lui en parler.
JudyKwiziq Q&A regular contributor
In a frequently asked question, I found out that when using the ‘futur proche’ the pronoun ‘y’ is placed between the verb and the infinitive. For example ‘Je vais y aller’.
Thanks Chris.
Judy asked:View original
How and why do I use “y” in this sentence
“Je vais y aller avec toi.” Instead of (my version) “J’y vais aller avec toi.”
Thanks.
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HelenKwiziq Q&A regular contributor
About it - "y"?
She'd been dreaming about it forever.
The correct answer was "Elle en rêvait depuis toujours." Why wouldn't this be "Elle y rêvait depuis toujours?
Wouldn't the words "about it"require "y"and "of it" - en?
Asked 1 year ago
Kwiziq Q&A super contributor
Helen,
The short answer is that the verb rêver takes the preposition "de" when we want to say we dream about/of something, and "de" is replaced by the pronoun "en".
Elle rêve de son père -> Elle en rêve.
Helen asked:View original
About it - "y"?
She'd been dreaming about it forever.
The correct answer was "Elle en rêvait depuis toujours." Why wouldn't this be "Elle y rêvait depuis toujours?
Wouldn't the words "about it"require "y"and "of it" - en?
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RobKwiziq community member
Why is elle met les tasses là not accepted for she put the cups there?
Asked 1 year ago
Chris Kwiziq Q&A super contributor
It's simply because the lesson is about the pronoun "y". You're supposed to practice its use.
-- Chris.
Kwiziq Q&A regular contributor
In general, you are doing something very tempting when learning a foreign language, but something you can never do: you can never take an English sentence, translate each word with a dictionary, and end up with a correct foreign-language sentence. That's just not how grammar works. Foreign languages not only have different lists of words--they have different ways of putting words together into sentences.
There is a famous book where someone tried to go the other way: he took French sentences and looked up the matching English words in a dictionary. The results were pretty comical:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_As_She_Is_Spoke
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SusanKwiziq community member
what if both a and de are there in the sentence what am i supposed to use en or y ?
Asked 3 years ago
AurélieKwiziq team member
Bonjour Susan !
You will never use both "y" and "en" together in the same sentence.
In such a case, you will use either "en" or "y" to replace one of the groups, and keep the original other group.
"Je veux des bonbons à la plage." (I want sweets at the beach.)
-> "J'y veux des bonbons." (Not my favourite option, it doesn't sound great to my French ears!)
-> "J'en veux à la plage."
I hope that's helpful!
À bientôt !
KalondeKwiziq community member
"You will never use both "y" and "en" together in the same sentence."
- I often hear the phrase "Y en a." in response to a question like "Il y a des pommes dans ce magasin?", for example.
Is it then wrong to use "y" and "en" together in the above sentence?
MárcioKwiziq community member
Hi Kalonde! It's more likely that you are hearing "Il en a" rather than "Y en a". They sound similar to our non-french ears when spoken fast, so it get us puzzled sometimes!
AurélieKwiziq team member
Bonjour Kalonde!
The sentence you hear is "Il y en a" = there are some.
This would indeed be the only case where both are present in the same sentence, but only because "y" is part of the fixed expression "il y a" (there is/are).
Bonne journée!
Susan asked:View original
what if both a and de are there in the sentence what am i supposed to use en or y ?
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JohnKwiziq Q&A regular contributor
à + a place?
I was under the impression that we replace "à + a place" with "y", but the quiz gives "Elle pose les tasses sur la table." So "y" can replace any preposition + a place? Thanks.
Asked 3 years ago
LauraKwiziq team member
Bonjour J,
Yes, y can replace any preposition* that indicates a place: à, sur, dans, chez.
*Except de, which is replaced by en.
JohnKwiziq Q&A regular contributor
Thanks, Laura. I think I'm clear on this, but is there a reason you single out "à + a place" in the lesson? Thanks.
AurélieKwiziq team member
Bonjour John !
The lesson has now been updated with new examples of cases with "sur, chez, dans".
Merci et à bientôt !
John asked:View original
à + a place?
I was under the impression that we replace "à + a place" with "y", but the quiz gives "Elle pose les tasses sur la table." So "y" can replace any preposition + a place? Thanks.
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AurélieKwiziq team member
Bonjour Dipika !
Technically, this sentence "J'y peux venir ce soir" is correct to say "I can come there tonight".
However, no one French would actually use this formulation.
We'd rather say:
Je peux venir ce soir. or
Je peux venir ici (here)/là (there)/là-bas (over there) ce soir.
I hope that's helpful!
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DianeKwiziq community member
Why is it 'je vais y reflechir' and not 'j'y vais reflechir?'
Asked 3 years ago
LauraKwiziq team member
Bonjour Diane,
Y precedes the verb it modifies, which is réfléchir. Putting y in front of vais would be like saying "I'm going about it to think."
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