en
/ɑ̃/
The English phrase "of it" is translated in French as en.
The pronoun en is used to refer back to a thing or an idea that has already been mentioned in a sentence.
How does it change in a sentence?
The pronoun en is versatile. It can refer to a single thing (of it) or to multiple things (of them), depending entirely on the context of the conversation.
How do you pronounce it?
/ɑ̃/
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly use le or la to mean "of it". However, you must use en when the underlying grammatical construction requires the preposition de.
Did you know?
- While en often means 'of it', its historical roots are found in the Latin word 'inde', which actually means 'from there' or 'thence'.
- The pronoun en is an essential part of the common French phrase en vouloir à quelqu'un, which means to be resentful toward someone rather than wanting something from them.
- The word en is a linguistic relative of the Italian word ne, which serves a nearly identical purpose in replacing 'of it' or 'of them'.
Examples in context
- En es-tu sûre ?Are you sure of it?This sentence shows how to use en to ask if someone is sure of something.Tatoeba #1112308 by sacredceltic, translation #3731821 by CM
- En as-tu peur ?Are you afraid of it?This sentence demonstrates using en to express being afraid of something.Tatoeba #3253649 by sacredceltic, translation #1485278 by arnxy20
- J'en peux plus !I'm sick of it!This sentence shows a common idiomatic way to use en to say one is fed up or sick of a situation.Tatoeba #517874 by zmoo, translation #530221 by wma
- Le livre est à vous. Nous parlerons de cela plus tard.The book is yours. We will talk about it later.
- 308 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Manon and Nathan are talking about a new movie.
- ManonTu as vu le nouveau film ?Did you see the new movie?
- NathanOui, j'en ai entendu parler.Yes, I've heard of it.
- ManonQu'est-ce que tu en penses ?What do you think of it?
- NathanJe trouve qu'il est génial.I think it is great.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry en, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries en, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
