French grammar · Intermediate
En in French: The Preposition, the Pronoun, and the Gerund
En is three different words that happen to be spelled alike. As a preposition it means in, to, by or made of: en France, en janvier, en bois. As a pronoun it replaces de plus a noun and means of it, about it or some: j'en ai deux. And in front of a present participle it builds the gerund: en sortant, on the way out.
En France, on en parle beaucoup en ce moment.
In France, people are talking about it a lot at the moment.
What it is
Few French words are as overloaded as en. It marks place and time, it makes a noun into a material or a means, it stands in for a phrase beginning with de, and it turns a verb into a gerund. The three uses have nothing to do with each other historically, so the practical skill is telling them apart at speed.
Il est parti en Espagne en train, et il en revient demain. — He went to Spain by train, and he's coming back from there tomorrow.
How to spot it
Look at what follows. A noun with no article means the preposition. A verb means the pronoun, sitting in the object slot. A word ending in -ant means the gerund.
- Nous vivons en Italie. — We live in Italy. (preposition + place)
- J'en ai besoin. — I need it. (pronoun, standing for de + noun)
- Il lit en mangeant. — He reads while eating. (gerund)
- C'est une bague en argent. — It's a silver ring. (preposition + material)
The pronoun is the only one of the three that sits in front of a verb. If en is glued to the verb rather than to a noun, it's the pronoun every time.
En (Pronoun and Preposition) Quick Reference
The jobs of en
| Type | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Preposition of place | in, to (feminine countries and regions) | en France, en Bretagne — in France, in Brittany |
| Preposition of time | in, within | en janvier, en une heure — in January, in an hour |
| Preposition of means | by, in | en voiture, en avion — by car, by plane |
| Preposition of material | made of | en bois, en coton — wooden, cotton |
| Preposition of state | in | en colère, en vacances — angry, on holiday |
| Pronoun | of it, about it, some, any | J'en veux — I want some |
| Gerund marker | while, by, on doing | en partant — as you leave |
Common En (Pronoun and Preposition) Examples in French
Each en in circulation:
En as a Preposition of Place and Time
- Elle habite en Espagne depuis trois ans.
- She's lived in Spain for three years.
- Nous partons en Normandie en juillet.
- We're going to Normandy in July.
- Je l'ai fini en deux heures.
- I finished it in two hours.
- Il est né en 1998.
- He was born in 1998.
En is used for feminine countries and for masculine ones starting with a vowel: en France, en Iran. Masculine consonant countries take au: au Portugal.
En for Means, Material and State
- On y va en bus ou en taxi ?
- Shall we go by bus or by taxi?
- C'est une table en verre.
- It's a glass table.
- Elle est en colère contre moi.
- She's angry with me.
- Ils écrivent en anglais.
- They write in English.
For transport you sit inside, use en; for anything you sit on top of, use à: à vélo, à pied, à cheval.
En as a Pronoun
- Du sucre ? J'en ai mis deux morceaux.
- Sugar? I put in two lumps.
- Elle en parle sans arrêt.
- She talks about it non-stop.
- Des voitures, il en a trois.
- Cars? He's got three of them.
- J'en viens à l'instant.
- I've just come from there.
The pronoun replaces anything introduced by de, including partitive du, de la and des. That's why it also translates as some or any.
En Building the Gerund
- Il chante en travaillant.
- He sings while working.
- En arrivant, j'ai vu la lumière allumée.
- On arriving, I saw the light was on.
- On apprend en faisant des erreurs.
- You learn by making mistakes.
- En attendant, installez-vous.
- In the meantime, make yourselves comfortable.
The gerund always refers to the subject of the main verb, so en sortant, j'ai croisé Paul means I was the one leaving.
Telling the Three Ens Apart
Position does almost all the work, and a couple of secondary clues settle the rest.
The Preposition Is Followed by a Bare Noun
En normally drops the article completely: en France, en train, en été, en colère. That missing article is the clearest signal that you're looking at the preposition rather than the pronoun.
Nous voyageons en train et nous dormons en tente.
We travel by train and sleep in a tent.
en + bare noun = preposition.
The Pronoun Sits in the Object Slot
As a pronoun, en goes in front of the verb along with the other object pronouns, and it comes last in any cluster. It replaces de plus a noun, so the de disappears with it.
Il m'en a parlé hier soir.
He talked to me about it last night.
pronoun en → last before the verb.
The Pronoun Also Covers Quantities
Because du, de la and des all contain de, en replaces them too. When a number or a quantity word remains, it stays in the sentence and en still has to be there.
Des enfants ? Elle en a quatre.
Children? She has four.
Number stays, en is still required.
The Gerund Needs a Present Participle
En plus a form in -ant gives the gerund, which expresses simultaneity, means or manner. It's the only structure in French where en is followed by a verb form.
Elle s'est blessée en coupant du pain.
She hurt herself cutting bread.
en + -ant = while or by doing.
The Preposition Keeps the Article in a Few Cases
A handful of set phrases keep an article after en, and en l' plus a noun survives in fixed expressions. These are exceptions to memorise, not a pattern to extend.
En l'absence du directeur, adressez-vous à moi.
In the director's absence, come to me.
en l'absence de, en la matière.
Common Mistakes with En (Pronoun and Preposition)
Incorrect: J'ai trois. — I have three.
Correct: J'en ai trois. — I have three.
When a number stands in for a noun, French still needs en to show what the number counts. English drops the pronoun entirely, which is why this is the most frequent en error of all.
Incorrect: Je vais en le supermarché. — I'm going to the supermarket.
Correct: Je vais au supermarché. — I'm going to the supermarket.
The preposition en normally refuses an article, so it can't be used with le supermarché. For a specific place with an article, French uses à, which contracts to au.
Incorrect: Il parle de en son travail. — He talks about it.
Correct: Il en parle. — He talks about it.
En already contains the de, so the preposition disappears when the pronoun takes over. Keeping both duplicates the same information.
Incorrect: En je sortant, j'ai vu Paul. — As I was leaving, I saw Paul.
Correct: En sortant, j'ai vu Paul. — As I was leaving, I saw Paul.
The gerund has no subject of its own: it borrows the subject of the main clause. So nothing goes between en and the participle.
Three Areas That Repay Attention
The gerund, quantity expressions, and a set of very common idioms built on the pronoun.
The gerund: en plus -ant
The gerund describes something happening at the same time as the main verb, or the means by which it happens. Its subject is always the subject of the main clause.
- Il s'est endormi en lisant.
- He fell asleep reading.
- En insistant un peu, tu obtiendras une réponse.
- If you push a little, you'll get an answer.
- Tout en souriant, elle a refusé.
- While smiling, she refused.
- Elle est tombée en descendant l'escalier.
- She fell coming down the stairs.
Tout en adds a note of contrast, roughly even while. The participle itself never agrees: en descendant stays put whoever the subject is.
En with numbers and quantities
Whenever you keep a number or a quantity word, en is compulsory even though English drops it. The number goes after the verb and en goes before it.
- Combien de frères as-tu ? J'en ai deux.
- How many brothers do you have? I have two.
- Des questions ? J'en ai plusieurs.
- Questions? I have several.
- Du vin ? Prends-en un peu.
- Wine? Have a little.
- Elle en a acheté beaucoup.
- She bought a lot of them.
Note the hyphen and the s in prends-en: the tu imperative of an -er verb takes an s back before en and y, for pronunciation.
Idioms built on the pronoun
A cluster of frequent expressions contains a fossilised en that no longer refers to anything identifiable. They're used as fixed units.
- Ne t'en fais pas.
- Don't worry.
- J'en ai marre.
- I'm fed up.
- Il s'en va déjà.
- He's leaving already.
- Où en êtes-vous ?
- How far have you got?
S'en aller means to leave, and its imperative is va-t'en, allez-vous-en. The apostrophe in va-t'en is the pronoun te, not a linking t.
En (Pronoun and Preposition) FAQs
- What does en mean in French?
- It depends which en you've met. As a preposition it means in, to, by or made of: en France, en train, en bois. As a pronoun it means of it, about it or some: j'en ai deux. With a present participle it forms the gerund: en marchant, while walking.
- How do I know if en is a pronoun or a preposition?
- Look at the next word. A noun with no article after it means the preposition: en voiture. A verb after it means the pronoun, because pronouns sit in the object slot: j'en veux. A form ending in -ant means the gerund.
- When do I use en instead of dans for in?
- En takes a bare noun and expresses a general framework: en France, en été, en une heure. Dans takes an article and points at a container or a specific place: dans la maison, dans le train. For time, en une heure means it took an hour, dans une heure means an hour from now.
- Why is en needed in J'en ai trois?
- Because the number has to count something, and en carries the noun that's been left out. English says I have three with nothing else, but French requires the pronoun: des livres ? J'en ai trois.
- What's the difference between en and y?
- En replaces a phrase beginning with de, y replaces a phrase beginning with à or a place you're heading for. So j'en parle is I'm talking about it, and j'y pense is I'm thinking about it. When both appear, y comes first: il y en a.