what if both a and de are there in the sentence what am i supposed to use en or y ?

Question

Aurélie Drouard · Accepted Answer

Bonjour Kalonde!
The sentence you hear is "Il y en a" = there are some.
This would indeed be the only case where both are present in the same sentence, but only because "y" is part of the fixed expression "il y a" (there is/are).
Bonne journée!

Aurélie Drouard · Answer

Bonjour Susan !

You will never use both "y" and "en" together in the same sentence.
In such a case, you will use either "en" or "y" to replace one of the groups, and keep the original other group.

"Je veux des bonbons à la plage." (I want sweets at the beach.)
-> "J'y veux des bonbons."  (Not my favourite option, it doesn't sound great to my French ears!)
-> "J'en veux à la plage."

I hope that's helpful!
À bientôt !

Kalonde Malama · Answer

"You will never use both "y" and "en" together in the same sentence."
- I often hear the phrase "Y en a." in response to a question like "Il y a des pommes dans ce magasin?", for example.
Is it then wrong to use "y" and "en" together in the above sentence?

Márcio Arduin Saraiva · Answer

Hi Kalonde! It's more likely that you are hearing "Il en a" rather than "Y en a". They sound similar to our non-french ears when spoken fast, so it get us puzzled sometimes!