French conjugation explanation
Imperative with 'y' and 'en'
<p>In the
<a class="conjugation_explanation_link_intext" href="/study/tenseGuideForTense/31/" target="_blank">Imperative mood</a>
, regular verbs ending in <span style="font-style: italic;">-er</span> as well as the verb<a class="conjugation_explanation_link_intext verb_link" href="/study/conjugations/fra/aller/" title="Click to see conjugations for aller" target="_blank">aller</a>
normally <strong>drop the final s</strong> in the <span style="font-style: italic;">tu</span> form (S/2).</p><div class="conjugation_explanation_example_sentence">Tu manges. → <strong>Mange</strong> tes légumes ! (<span style="font-style: italic;">Eat your vegetables!</span>)</div>
<div class="conjugation_explanation_example_sentence">Tu vas. → <strong>Va</strong> au lit ! (<span style="font-style: italic;">Go to bed!</span>)</div>
<div class="conjugation_explanation_title">The Rule for 'y' and 'en'</div>
<p>However, when these imperative forms are immediately followed by the pronouns <span class="brown_emphasis">y</span> or <span class="brown_emphasis">en</span>, <strong>the s is added back</strong>. This is done to make the pronunciation smoother (a liaison) and avoid the awkward sound of two vowels clashing (hiatus).</p>
<p>The added <span style="font-style: italic;">s</span> is pronounced like a <strong>/z/</strong>.</p>
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<a class="conjugation_explanation_link_intext verb_link" href="/study/conjugations/fra/aller/" title="Click to see conjugations for aller" target="_blank">aller</a>
(to go) + <span class="brown_emphasis">y</span></div><div class="conjugation_explanation_example_sentence">Va-y ! → <span class="green_emphasis">Vas</span>-<span class="brown_emphasis">y</span> ! (<span style="font-style: italic;">Go ahead! / Go there!</span>)</div>
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<a class="conjugation_explanation_link_intext verb_link" href="/study/conjugations/fra/manger/" title="Click to see conjugations for manger" target="_blank">manger</a>
(to eat) + <span class="brown_emphasis">en</span></div><div class="conjugation_explanation_example_sentence">Mange-en ! → <span class="green_emphasis">Manges</span>-<span class="brown_emphasis">en</span> ! (<span style="font-style: italic;">Eat some!</span>)</div>
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<a class="conjugation_explanation_link_intext verb_link" href="/study/conjugations/fra/penser/" title="Click to see conjugations for penser" target="_blank">penser</a>
(to think) + <span class="brown_emphasis">y</span></div><div class="conjugation_explanation_example_sentence">Pense-y ! → <span class="green_emphasis">Penses</span>-<span class="brown_emphasis">y</span> ! (<span style="font-style: italic;">Think about it!</span>)</div>
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<a class="conjugation_explanation_link_intext verb_link" href="/study/conjugations/fra/donner/" title="Click to see conjugations for donner" target="_blank">donner</a>
(to give) + <span class="brown_emphasis">en</span></div><div class="conjugation_explanation_example_sentence">Donne-en ! → <span class="green_emphasis">Donnes</span>-<span class="brown_emphasis">en</span> aux enfants. (<span style="font-style: italic;">Give some to the children.</span>)</div>
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<p>Note: This rule only applies when the verb is directly followed by <span style="font-style: italic;">y</span> or <span style="font-style: italic;">en</span> with a hyphen. If the pronoun does not immediately follow the verb (for example, in a negative command), the <span style="font-style: italic;">s</span> is not added.</p>
<div class="conjugation_explanation_example_sentence">N'<strong>y va</strong> pas ! (<span style="font-style: italic;">Don't go there!</span>)</div>
<div class="conjugation_explanation_example_sentence_note">(Standard S/2 imperative form "va" is used here because "pas" follows the verb, not "y".)</div>