Y can replace à + [thing/object/location] (French Adverbial Pronouns)

Take the fastest path to fluent French

You've already learned that the pronoun "y" is used to mean there (See Y = There (French Adverbial Pronouns)).

Now here is another usage of "y". 

How to use "y" to replace à + [thing/object/place] in French 


Look at these sentences:

Elle répond à une lettre. Elle y répond.She's answering a letter. She's answering it.

Nous nous intéressons au sport. Nous nous y intéressons. We're interested in sport. We're interested in it.

Il pense à ses vacances. Il y pense.He's thinking of his holidays.  He's thinking of them.
-> Note that y can replace plural things.

 

Nous pensons à faire nos devoirs. Nous y pensons.We're thinking about doing our homework. We're thinking about it.

In French, adverbial pronoun y can replace a group introduced by the preposition à + [thing(s)/object(s)/location(s)] - except people - particularly with verbs that require the preposition à.  

In such cases, remember that y replaces the whole à +[noun group].

 

Case of people

The group à + [people] becomes simply their matching indirect pronoun, as follows:

Nous avons répondu à Sabrina. Nous lui avons répondu oui.We replied to Sabrina. We replied yes to her.

J'écrirai à mes cousines. Je leur écrirai bientôt.I'll write to my cousins. I'll write to them soon.
 

See also  En can replace de + [phrase] (French Adverbial Pronouns)

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

Je réfléchis à sa proposition. Et elle y réfléchit aussi.I'm thinking his proposal over. And she's thinking it over too. 
J'écrirai à mes cousines. Je leur écrirai bientôt.I'll write to my cousins. I'll write to them soon.
Nous avons répondu à Sabrina. Nous lui avons répondu oui.We replied to Sabrina. We replied yes to her.

penser à


Nous pensons à faire nos devoirs. Nous y pensons.We're thinking about doing our homework. We're thinking about it.
Il pense à ses vacances. Il y pense.He's thinking of his holidays.  He's thinking of them.

répondre à


Elle répond à une lettre. Elle y répond.She's answering a letter. She's answering it.

s'intéresser à


Nous nous intéressons au sport. Nous nous y intéressons. We're interested in sport. We're interested in it.
I'll be right with you...