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uses
y expressing place
Y replaces a preposition indicating location plus its object: 'à UT' (at UT), 'devant la Tour' (in front of the Tower).
It is usually translated as there. Prepositions which indicate location include à, en, dans, devant, derrière, sous, sur.
The noun objects of these prepositions are places and things which indicate a place.
The exception is the preposition chez which is used with a person, as in 'chez Bette' (Bette's place).
Note that à + person is replaced by an indirect object pronoun except with certain verbs.
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| Bette: Tammy, tu vas à Waco? |
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Bette: Tammy, are you going to Waco? |
| Tammy: Oui, j'y vais ce week-end pour un bal à Baylor. |
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Tammy: Yes, I'm going there this weekend for a dance at Baylor. |
| Bette: Mais on ne peut pas y danser. |
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Bette: But you can't dance there. |
| Tammy: Mais si, les étudiants à Baylor ont maintenant le droit de danser. |
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Tammy: But yes, Baylor students now have the right to dance. |
| Bette: Super, on y va! |
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Bette: Super, let's go there! |
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y with certain verbs
With certain verbs y replaces the preposition à when its object is an idea or thing,
but not a person. Some of these verbs are penser à, réfléchir à (to think about),
s'intéresser à (to be interested in), répondre à (to answer to),
participer à (to participate in). In these expressions, the preposition à is idiomatic.
It does not indicate location in or movement toward.
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| Tex s'intéresse à la philo. Il s'y intéresse énormément. |
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Tex is interested in philosophy. He's terribly interested in it. |
| Tex pense toujours à l'existentialisme. Il y pense jour et nuit. |
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Tex always thinks about existentialism. He thinks about it night and day. |
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When these verbs are followed by a person, the disjunctive pronoun will be used, for example,
'Bette pense souvent à Tex. Elle pense souvent à lui.' (Bette often thinks of Tex. She often thinks of him.)
placement
Placement of y is the same as that of direct and indirect pronoun objects:
y precedes the verb it refers to, except in the affirmative imperative.
In compound tenses, like the passé composé, it precedes the auxiliary.
Note that there is no agreement between y and the past participle, since y does not replace a direct object.
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| Edouard: Où allez-vous? |
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Edouard: Where are you going? |
| Bette: A Waco. Tu veux y aller avec nous? |
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Bette: To Waco. Do you want to go there with us? |
| Edouard: Je n'y suis jamais allé. On m'a dit que Waco était une expérience anthropologique, le musée Dr. Pepper, le musée Texas Rangers, Baylor ... |
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Edouard: I've never been there. I've been told that Waco was an anthropological experience: the Dr. Pepper museum, the Texas Rangers museum, Baylor ... |
| Bette: Nous y allons tout de suite. |
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Bette: We're going there right away. |
| Edouard: Bon, attendez-moi, j'y vais aussi. Allons-y! |
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Edouard: Good, wait for me I'm going there, too. Let's go (there)! |
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