y
/i.ɡʁɛk/
The letter y in French is y.
What does it mean word for word?
The name of the letter 'y' in French is i grec, which literally means 'Greek I' because it resembles the Greek letter upsilon.
How do you pronounce it?
/i.ɡʁɛk/
Did you know?
- While it looks like a letter, y is a common French pronoun used to replace phrases starting with à to mean 'there' or 'to it'.
- In informal written French, particularly in Quebec, you might see y used as a shorthand for 'il' or 'ils'.
- The French expression on y va meaning 'let's go' uses y to refer to a destination that is often unnamed.
Examples in context
- Combien de pays commencent par la lettre Y ?How many countries have names that start with the letter "Y"?This sentence is useful for seeing how to ask about countries starting with the letter y.Tatoeba #3713587 by GB3, translation #3704955 by mervert1
- Les hommes ont un chromosome X et un Y, les femmes, deux X.Men have an X and Y chromosome, women, two Xs.This sentence shows the use of the letter y in a biological context.Tatoeba #1725757 by sacredceltic, translation #1686184 by darinmex
- L'alphabet français contient vingt-six lettres : a, b, c, d, e, f, g, h, i, j, k, l, m, n, o, p, q, r, s, t, u, v, w, x, y, z.The French alphabet contains twenty-six letters: a, b, c, d, e, f, g, h, i, j, k, l, m, n, o, p, q, r, s, t, u, v, w, x, y, z.This sentence lists the letters of the French alphabet including y.Tatoeba #5150070 by nbrr, translation #5157685 by strangeanalyst
- 2 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Nathan and Emma are playing a word game.
- NathanEst-ce qu'il y a un y dans ton nom ?Is there a y in your name?
- EmmaNon, il n'y a pas de y pour Emma.No, there is no y for Emma.
- NathanEt pour le nom de ton frère ?And for your brother's name?
- EmmaOui, son nom contient un y.Yes, his name contains a y.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry y, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries y, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
