 | 1. | uses |
| 2. | placement |
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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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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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.)
placementPlacement 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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