Using French adverbial pronoun "y" in affirmative commands in the imperative mood (L'Impératif) in French

In French, the adverbial pronoun "y" is usually placed before a verb. In L'Impératif, it is not the case.

Position of the pronoun "y" in L'Impératif Présent in French

Look at these sentences in L'Impératif:

Mange dans ce restaurant ! Manges-y !Eat in that restaurant! Eat there!

Tu y vas. - Vas-y !You're going there. - Go there!

Restons-y !Let's stay there!

Retournez-y !Go back there!

Allons-!Let's go!
-> Note that in French, you always need to mention where you're going with aller (to go *somewhere*) 

Note that in L'Impératif, the pronoun y is placed after the verb with a hyphen in between.

ATTENTION: 

In the tu form, -ER verbs recover their original -s  in front of y (for pronunciation reasons):

Mange dans ce restaurant ! Manges-y !Eat in that restaurant! Eat there!

Marches-y !Walk there!

 

See also Using French adverbial pronoun "en" in affirmative commands in the imperative mood (L'Impératif) in French
and Conjugate regular verbs in the imperative mood in French (L'Impératif)

Want to make sure your French sounds confident? We’ll map your knowledge and give you free lessons to focus on your gaps and mistakes. Start your Brainmap today »

Learn more about these related French grammar topics

Examples and resources

Marches-y !Walk there!
Restons-y !Let's stay there!
Mangez-y !Eat there!
Tu y vas. - Vas-y !You're going there. - Go there!
Allons-!Let's go!
Mange dans ce restaurant ! Manges-y !Eat in that restaurant! Eat there!
Retournez-y !Go back there!
Getting that for you now...