If you stand at a French café and listen for an hour, you will hear en in idioms more often than in its dictionary use. Je m'en vais, j'en ai marre, je n'en peux plus, t'inquiète, ne t'en fais pas, je m'en moque, il m'en veut — these expressions are part of the daily currency of French. The en in them does not refer to anything specific. It has become a phonetic ingredient of the verb.
This page collects the idioms with fossilized en that you must internalize to sound like a fluent speaker. As with the y idioms, the strategy is not to translate the en word-by-word — there is no antecedent to translate. The strategy is to memorize the whole expression as a single lexical unit and let it come out automatically.
Why these idioms exist
Many of these phrases originated centuries ago with a real en (referring to a thing, a place, or a partitive). Over time, the en has lost its independent meaning and stuck to the verb, the way English particles like up, off, out have fused into phrasal verbs (give up, put off, figure out). What remains is a fixed expression where the en is no longer parseable but is structurally indispensable: removing it produces ungrammatical or wrong-meaning French.
Idioms of leaving and motion
S'en aller — to leave, to go away
The most frequent idiom in this set, used as a slightly more emphatic or more colloquial alternative to partir. Conjugates as a regular pronominal verb: je m'en vais, tu t'en vas, il/elle s'en va, nous nous en allons, vous vous en allez, ils/elles s'en vont.
Bon, je m'en vais, j'ai un train à prendre.
Right, I'm off — I have a train to catch.
Tu t'en vas déjà ? Reste encore un peu.
Are you leaving already? Stay a bit longer.
Mes parents s'en sont allés à la retraite en Provence.
My parents went off to retire in Provence.
The compound past is built with être, with agreement on the past participle: je m'en suis allé(e), nous nous en sommes allés, ils s'en sont allés. Note that en sits before the auxiliary, in its normal clitic slot — the reflexive pronoun (me, te, se, nous, vous) precedes en.
A nuance of register: je m'en vais feels a touch more deliberate or final than je pars. It carries a sense of I'm taking off, I'm out of here.
S'en venir — to come along (regional / archaic)
A counterpart to s'en aller, used much less in modern French. You might encounter it in literature or in some regional dialects (Quebec, parts of southern France).
Allez, viens-t'en, on va manger.
Come on, come along, we're going to eat.
In modern Hexagonal French, prefer viens alone.
Idioms of worry and weariness
S'en faire — to worry
A very high-frequency idiom. Used in the negative as a reassurance (don't worry) or in the positive to mean be anxious about.
Ne t'en fais pas, tout va bien se passer.
Don't worry, everything is going to be fine.
Il s'en fait beaucoup pour ses enfants.
He worries a lot about his children.
On s'en fait toujours pour rien dans cette famille.
We always worry over nothing in this family.
The imperative negative ne t'en fais pas (or its cousin t'inquiète pas, ultra-colloquial) is one of the most-heard French phrases in everyday consolation.
Ne plus en pouvoir — to be exhausted, at the end of one's rope
This idiom always appears in the negative — there is no affirmative en pouvoir. Its meaning is I can't take it any more, I'm worn out.
Je n'en peux plus de cette chaleur, il faut absolument que je rentre.
I can't take this heat any more — I really have to go home.
Elle n'en pouvait plus à la fin du marathon.
She was completely spent by the end of the marathon.
Mon père n'en peut plus de ses voisins bruyants.
My father is at his wits' end with his noisy neighbours.
In casual speech you will often hear the contracted j'en peux plus (with the ne dropped), which is informal but very common.
En avoir assez / en avoir marre / en avoir ras-le-bol — to be fed up
A graded series of idioms expressing irritation. En avoir assez is neutral; en avoir marre is informal but extremely common; en avoir ras-le-bol is more emphatic and colloquial.
J'en ai assez de ce travail, je vais démissionner.
I've had enough of this job — I'm going to quit.
J'en ai marre, je sors me promener.
I've had it — I'm going out for a walk.
Elle en a vraiment ras-le-bol des transports parisiens.
She is completely fed up with Paris public transport.
Even more informal: j'en ai ras la casquette, j'en ai plein le dos, j'en ai par-dessus la tête. All mean roughly the same.
C'en est trop ! — That's too much!
A formal-sounding exclamation of indignation. Less common in everyday speech than the marre-family idioms, but worth recognizing.
C'en est trop, je vais lui dire ma façon de penser !
This is too much — I'm going to give him a piece of my mind!
Toujours en retard, jamais un mot d'excuse — c'en est trop !
Always late, never an apology — this is too much!
Idioms of indifference and dismissal
Je m'en moque — I don't care
A standard, register-neutral way to express indifference. The verb is se moquer de, and the en takes the place of de + the matter.
Tu peux dire ce que tu veux, je m'en moque.
You can say whatever you want, I don't care.
Elle se moque complètement de ce que pensent les voisins.
She doesn't care at all what the neighbours think.
Je m'en fiche — I don't care (informal)
A more casual version of je m'en moque. The verb se ficher de is everyday spoken French.
Il pleut ? Je m'en fiche, j'ai mon parapluie.
It's raining? I don't care, I've got my umbrella.
Tu n'aimes pas mes chaussures ? Je m'en fiche.
You don't like my shoes? I don't care.
Je m'en fous — I don't give a damn (vulgar)
The vulgar / impolite version. Useful to recognize, dangerous to deploy.
Franchement, je m'en fous complètement.
Honestly, I don't give a damn.
The full series — je m'en moque (neutral) → je m'en fiche (informal) → je m'en fous (vulgar) — is graded by register. Pick the right one for the situation.
Idioms of resentment and grievance
En vouloir à quelqu'un — to be angry at someone, to hold a grudge
A subtle and very useful idiom. The construction is en vouloir à + person. Note the structure: the en is fossilized; the à + person introduces who you are angry at.
Je lui en veux d'avoir oublié mon anniversaire.
I'm mad at him for forgetting my birthday.
Tu m'en veux encore pour ce que j'ai dit ?
Are you still angry with me about what I said?
Elle leur en veut beaucoup, et elle a ses raisons.
She has a real grudge against them, and she has her reasons.
The reflexive variant s'en vouloir means to blame oneself or to feel bad about oneself.
Je m'en veux d'avoir parlé trop fort hier soir.
I feel bad for having spoken so loudly last night.
The negative imperative ne m'en veux pas is a polite way to soften an apology or a refusal.
Ne m'en veux pas, mais je ne pourrai pas venir samedi.
Don't be cross with me, but I won't be able to come on Saturday.
Idioms of finishing and progressing
En finir avec — to be done with, put an end to
Used when you want to express enough already; let's wrap this up. Stronger and more decisive than finir.
Il faut en finir avec ces réunions interminables.
We need to put an end to these endless meetings.
J'en ai fini avec lui, on ne se parle plus.
I'm done with him — we don't speak any more.
Quand est-ce qu'on en finit avec ce projet ?
When are we going to be done with this project?
En venir à — to come to (the point of)
Used to mark a logical or emotional progression toward a conclusion or extreme.
J'en viens à penser qu'il avait raison depuis le début.
I've come to think he was right from the start.
On en est venus à se demander si le projet était viable.
We came to wonder whether the project was even viable.
Il en est venu à crier — c'est dire à quel point il était énervé.
He got to the point of shouting — that's how upset he was.
The fixed phrase en venir aux mains means to come to blows.
Heureusement, ils n'en sont pas venus aux mains.
Fortunately, they didn't come to blows.
En revenir à — to come back to (a topic)
A useful idiom for steering a conversation back to its main subject.
Bon, pour en revenir à notre sujet, qu'est-ce qu'on décide ?
Right, to get back to our topic — what are we going to decide?
J'en reviens toujours à la même question : qui a payé ?
I keep coming back to the same question: who paid?
The related ne pas en revenir means to be unable to get over it, to not believe one's senses.
Tu as gagné le concours ? Je n'en reviens pas !
You won the contest? I can't get over it!
Idioms of taking advantage and adding
En profiter pour — to take the opportunity to
A useful construction to express while we're at it / since we're here, let's do X.
Tu vas au supermarché ? Profites-en pour acheter du lait.
You're going to the supermarket? Take the opportunity to buy some milk.
J'en ai profité pour ranger un peu pendant que tu n'étais pas là.
I took the chance to tidy up a bit while you were away.
On part en vacances la semaine prochaine — on en profite pour visiter Rome.
We're going on holiday next week — we'll take the chance to visit Rome.
The structure is en profiter + pour + infinitive. The en is fossilized; the pour introduces the purpose.
En mettre — to put in (more)
Used in cooking, painting, packing — anywhere that involves quantity.
Il manque du sucre — mets-en un peu plus.
It needs more sugar — put a bit more in.
Tu n'en as pas mis assez, le café est trop léger.
You didn't put enough in — the coffee is too weak.
The colloquial expression en mettre un coup means to put in some real effort.
Si on veut finir ce soir, il va falloir en mettre un coup.
If we want to finish tonight, we're going to have to put in some real effort.
En croire ses oreilles / ses yeux — to believe one's ears / eyes
Almost always in the negative. Expresses astonishment.
Je n'en croyais pas mes oreilles quand il a annoncé sa démission.
I couldn't believe my ears when he announced his resignation.
Tu vas voir le spectacle, tu n'en croiras pas tes yeux.
You're going to see the show — you won't believe your eyes.
Idioms of going through and managing
S'en sortir — to manage, to cope, to get by
Indispensable in everyday French. Means to handle a difficult situation successfully.
Tu t'en sors avec ton nouveau logiciel ?
Are you managing OK with your new software?
Elle s'en sort très bien malgré les difficultés.
She's getting on very well despite the difficulties.
On va s'en sortir, ne t'inquiète pas.
We'll manage — don't worry.
En passer par — to have to go through
Used when there is no avoiding a difficult or unpleasant step.
Pour avoir le permis, il faut en passer par l'examen pratique.
To get your driving licence, you have to go through the practical test.
On en est passés par là tous les deux, ne t'inquiète pas.
We've both been through it — don't worry.
C'en est fait de... — it's all over for...
A literary, slightly archaic expression for that's the end of, it's all over with. Worth recognizing in older texts and elevated registers.
C'en est fait de notre tranquillité — les voisins ont des enfants.
So much for our peace and quiet — the neighbours have children.
C'en est fait de moi, je ne survivrai jamais à cette journée.
I'm done for — I'll never survive this day.
Comparison with English
These idioms cluster around emotional and pragmatic notions — leaving, worrying, being fed up, holding grudges, taking advantage — that English handles with a different verb each time. French uses a single skeleton (verb + en) and varies the verb.
| French idiom | English equivalent | What English does |
|---|---|---|
| S'en aller | To leave / go away | Different verb |
| S'en faire | To worry | Different verb |
| N'en plus pouvoir | To be exhausted, at the end of one's rope | Phrase / idiom |
| En vouloir à | To be angry at, to hold a grudge against | Phrasal preposition |
| En avoir marre | To be fed up | Idiom with fed up |
| S'en sortir | To manage, get by, cope | Three different verbs |
| En profiter pour | To take advantage of (the opportunity) to | Multi-word |
Because each French idiom maps to a different English construction, English-speaking learners reach for paraphrases (je suis fatigué, je veux partir, je suis énervé) rather than the right idiom. The fix is exposure plus drilling: hearing je n'en peux plus, j'en ai marre, il m'en veut in dozens of contexts and forcing oneself to use them rather than paraphrases.
Frequency in spoken French
These idioms together account for an enormous share of everyday French emotional vocabulary. J'en ai marre alone is heard hundreds of times a day across the country. Ne t'en fais pas, je m'en vais, je m'en moque, il m'en veut are routine. If you can deploy them naturally, your French will sound several CEFR levels more advanced than someone who knows only the dictionary verbs (je m'inquiète, je pars, je suis indifférent, il est en colère).
Common Mistakes
Mistake 1: Trying to translate the en literally.
❌ Je vais de cela. / Je suis cela parti.
Incorrect — there is no transparent way to translate 's'en aller' from English.
✅ Je m'en vais.
I'm leaving.
Inventing French from English glosses produces ungrammatical strings. Memorize the idiom whole.
Mistake 2: Forgetting the reflexive pronoun.
❌ Je en vais. / En allons !
Incorrect — s'en aller is reflexive, requires me/te/se/nous/vous/se.
✅ Je m'en vais. / Allons-nous-en !
I'm leaving. / Let's go!
The reflexive pronoun is non-optional. Same logic for s'en faire, s'en sortir, s'en moquer, s'en aller.
Mistake 3: Using en vouloir à without the à.
❌ Je lui en veux mon retard.
Incorrect — 'en vouloir à quelqu'un' takes 'à' before the person.
✅ Je lui en veux d'être en retard.
I'm angry at him for being late.
The construction is en vouloir à + person, de + reason. The indirect object pronoun (lui) replaces à + person in the usual way.
Mistake 4: Confusing je m'en vais with je vais.
❌ Je m'en vais à l'école.
Awkward — 's'en aller' clashes with a destination phrase.
✅ Je vais à l'école.
I'm going to school.
S'en aller means to leave / go away, not to go to a destination. If you have a destination, use aller. If you mean I'm off, use s'en aller.
Mistake 5: Dropping en in je n'en peux plus.
❌ Je ne peux plus.
Incorrect — drops the 'en' that the idiom requires.
✅ Je n'en peux plus.
I can't take any more.
Without en, you have a fragmentary I can't any more that does not mean what the idiom means. The en is structurally required.
Mistake 6: Using je m'en fous in formal contexts.
❌ Je m'en fous de cette proposition, monsieur le directeur.
Inappropriate — vulgar register in a formal setting.
✅ Cette proposition ne m'intéresse pas, monsieur le directeur.
This proposal does not interest me, sir.
Je m'en fous is vulgar. Match register to context: je m'en moque is the safe neutral choice.
Key Takeaways
- The idioms on this page contain a fossilized en that has lost its referential meaning. Memorize them as units.
- The most frequent — je m'en vais, ne t'en fais pas, j'en ai marre, je n'en peux plus, il m'en veut, je m'en moque, je m'en sors, j'en profite pour, on en finit avec, j'en viens à — should be drilled until they come automatically.
- Many are reflexive (s'en aller, s'en faire, s'en sortir, s'en moquer); the reflexive pronoun is mandatory.
- En vouloir à is followed by à
- person and optionally de
- reason; the structure is rigid.
- person and optionally de
- The register of je m'en moque / fiche / fous is graded — neutral, informal, vulgar respectively. Choose the right one.
- These idioms account for a large share of everyday French emotional vocabulary. Mastering them is among the fastest ways to sound natural.
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