The pronoun en
Key points
- The word en refers to something already mentioned and can have the meaning of of it or of them.
- It is also used to replace the article du, de la and des and often has the meaning of some or any.
The pronoun en refers to something already mentioned and can have the meaning of of it or of them (although it is often not translated in English).
Tu en veux plus? J'en ai beaucoup
Do you want some more? I’ve got a lot (of it)
Est-ce que vous avez un chien? Oui, nous en avons deux
Do you have a dog? - Yes, we’ve got two (of them)
It is also used to replace the words du, de la and des and in this case often has the meaning of some or any:
Je voudrais du chocolat. → J'en voudrais
I'd like some chocolate / I'd like some
Est-ce que vous avez de la limonade? → Est-ce que vous en avez?
Do you have any lemonade? – Do you have any?
Je cherche des chemises blanches. → En avez-vous?
I’m looking for white shirts. Do you have any?