| en être à | to be at a certain point, be part of | |
|---|---|---|
| en faire tout un fromage | (inf) | to make a big fuss about it |
| en pincer pour | (inf) | to have a big crush (on) |
| en rester là | to let the matter rest | |
| en revenir à | to return to (previous topic) | |
| en tenir pour | to have a crush on, fancy | |
| en venir à | to (finally) be in a position to | |
| en vouloir | (inf) | to really want to win / succeed |
| en vouloir à qqun | to be mad at someone | |
| n’en finir jamais de faire | to never stop doing | |
| ne pas en revenir | to not be able to get over something |
| s’en aller | to go away | |
|---|---|---|
| s’en faire | to worry | |
| s’en prendre à qqun | to lay into, attack someone | |
| s’en rapporter à | to rely on | |
| s’en retourner | (archaic) | to journey back, return |
| s’en revenir | (archaic) | to come back |
| s’en tenir à | to limit oneself to | |
| s’en venir | (archaic) | to come, approach |
| ce qu’il en coûte | what it costs | |
| … et j’en passe. | … and so on. | |
| J’en ai ras le bol ! | I’m sick of it! | |
| J’en peux plus. | I can’t take any more. | |
| Je vous en prie. | You’re welcome. (Literally, I beg you about it.) | |
| Je n’en reviens pas | I can’t get over it, I can’t believe it | |
| Quand on parle du loup on en voit la queue | Speak of the devil and he appears | |
Though it seems redundant, the following expressions can include en as well as de + noun.
| c’en est fait de | that’s the end of | |
|---|---|---|
| en avoir assez (de) | to have had enough (of) | |
| en avoir marre (de) | (familiar) | to be fed up (with) |
| en avoir ras le bol (de) | (informal) | to have had it up to here (with) |
| qu’en est il de | what of, what about |
| Il n’y a pas de fumée sans feu. | There’s no smoke without a fire. |
|---|---|
| Il n’y a pas de roses sans épines. | There’s no rose without a thorn. |
| Il n’y a pas de sot métier (il n’y a que de sottes gens). | Every trade has its value. |
| Il n’y a que les montagnes qui ne se rencontrent pas. | There are none so distant that fate cannot bring them together. |
| Il y a loin de la coupe aux lèvres. | There’s many a slip ‘twixt cup and lip. |
| Il y a un commencement à tout. | There’s a first time for everything. |
| Il y a un temps pour tout. | There’s a right time for everything. |
| Où il y a de la gêne, il n’y a pas de plaisir. | Comfort comes first, There’s no point in being uncomfortable. |
| Où il y a un écu, il y a un diable. Où il n’y en a pas, il y en a deux. | Money is the root of all evil. |
| allons-y | let’s go | |
|---|---|---|
| ça y est | that’s it, it’s done | |
| comme il fallait s’y attendre | as expected, predictably enough | |
| Honi soit qui mal y pense. | Shame on anyone who thinks this evil. | |
| Il fallait s’y attendre. | It was to be expected. | |
| Il faut t’y faire. | You have to get used to it. | |
| il y a | there is, there are | |
| Il y a quelque chose qui cloche | There’s something amiss. | |
| je n’y peux rien | I can’t do anything about it | |
| je n’y suis pour personne | I’m not here, I don’t want to see anyone | |
| je n’y suis pour rien | It has nothing to do with me | |
| j’y suis | I understand; I remember | |
| j’y suis, j’y reste | Here I am and here I stay | |
| j’y vais | I’m going (there) | |
| n’y comptez pas | don’t count on it | |
| n’y pensez plus | don’t worry about it, forget it | |
| on y va | let’s go | |
| On pouvait s’y attendre. | It was to be expected. | |
| Personne ne s’y attendait. | No one was expecting it. | |
| Qui s’y frotte s’y pique. | If you cross swords with him, you do so at your peril. | |
| restez-y | stay there | |
| Souvent femme varie (bien fol est qui s’y fie). | Woman is fickle. | |
| s’y connaître | to know all about it, be an expert | |
| Tant qu’il y a de la vie, il y a de l’espoir | Where there’s life, there’s hope. | |
| Va voir ailleurs si j’y suis ! | (inf) | Get lost! |
| y compris | including |