You already know that the adverbial pronoun "en" is used to replace quantities. It can also be used replace specific phrases.
How to use the pronoun "en" to replace phrases in French
Look at these sentences with the pronoun en:
Je viens de Paris. - J'en viens aussi !I come from Paris. - I come from there too!
Que penses-tu de cette exposition ? - J'en pense le plus grand bien !What do you think of this exhibition? - I think very highly of it.
Je m'occupe de mes problèmes. Je m'en occupe.I'm dealing with my problems. I'm dealing with them.
-> Note that en can replace plural things too.
Elle a besoin de vacances. Elle en a besoin.She needs holidays. She needs them.
En as a pronoun can replace phrases introduced by the preposition de + [thing]/[object]/[location] (but not people), particularly with verbs that require de.
In such cases, you cannot replace the noun alone with a pronoun; you must replace the whole de + [noun] group with en.
In such cases, you cannot replace the noun alone with a pronoun; you must replace the whole de + [noun] group with en.
Case of "de" + [people]
In the case of de + [people], the preposition de remains and is followed by a stress pronoun (moi, toi, lui, elle, nous, vous, eux, elles) replacing and agreeing with the noun:
Tu te moques de Paul et Daniel. - Non, je ne me moque pas d'eux !You're mocking Paul and Daniel. - No, I'm not mocking them!
J'ai besoin de ma mère tous les jours. - J'ai besoin d'elle aussi.I need my mother every day. - I need her too.
Examples with uncountable things
Vous mangez de la viande. Moi, je n'en mange pas.You eat meat. Me, I don't eat any.
BUT
Ta viande est dans ton assiette. Pourquoi tu ne la manges pas ?Your meat is in your plate. Why don't you eat it?
-> See our lesson on Using le/la/l'/les = it/him/her/them (French Direct Object Pronouns)
See also Y can replace à + [thing/object/location] (French Adverbial Pronouns) and Y = There (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
