Learn French: Elles n'y sont pas allées seules.

Elles n'y sont pas allées seules.

They did not go there alone.

Breakdown of Elles n'y sont pas allées seules.

not (used before the verb)

pas

not (used after the verb)

Questions & Answers about Elles n'y sont pas allées seules.

Why does allées have an extra -es at the end?

In the passé composé, verbs that use être as their helper verb (like aller) must make their past participle agree with the subject. Since the subject Elles is feminine plural, you add an -e for feminine and an -s for plural to the base participle allé, making it allées.

What does the y mean in this sentence, and why is it placed there?

The word y means "there" and refers to a place that was already mentioned. In French, pronouns like y go directly in front of the conjugated verb. Since this is the passé composé, the conjugated verb is the helper verb sont, so y goes right before it.

How does the negation (ne ... pas) work with the pronoun y in the passé composé?

The negation ne ... pas acts like a sandwich around the pronoun and the helper verb together. The ne (which shortens to n' before the vowel sound in y) comes first, then the pronoun y, then the helper verb sont, and finally pas. The past participle allées stays completely outside this sandwich.

Why is seules plural and feminine?