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Use of "en" to indicate "it" - one of something.

Charles B.C1Kwiziq community member

Use of "en" to indicate "it" - one of something.

I've become comfortable thinking of "en" as "some" or "some of them" as in your example "Il m'en a offert." But it's use as "it" in "Elle leur en a parlé" is throwing me. Why "en" and not "Elle la/le leur a parlé" ?
This question relates to:French lesson "Position of Double Pronouns in French - Indirect Object Pronoun + "en""
Asked 8 years ago
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LauraNative French expert teacher in KwiziqCorrect answer

In addition to "some," en has a separate meaning: it replaces de + something.

For example, Elle leur a parlé de son idée --> Elle leur en a parlé: lesson.

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Charles B.C1Kwiziq community member
Of course! I remember that lesson now. I had not grasped that en, as a pronoun, has two distinct meanings. Many thanks for reinforcing this.
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Charles B. asked:View original

Use of "en" to indicate "it" - one of something.

I've become comfortable thinking of "en" as "some" or "some of them" as in your example "Il m'en a offert." But it's use as "it" in "Elle leur en a parlé" is throwing me. Why "en" and not "Elle la/le leur a parlé" ?

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