Breakdown of Je ne peux pas ouvrir le coffre, j'y renonce.
je
I
ne
not (used before the verb)
pas
not (used after the verb)
ouvrir
to open
pouvoir
to be able to / can
y
there (pronoun) / to it
le coffre
the safe
renoncer à
to give up on
Questions & Answers about Je ne peux pas ouvrir le coffre, j'y renonce.
Why is y used here to mean "on it"? Why not just use le?
The verb renoncer (to give up) requires the preposition à when you are giving up on something (renoncer à quelque chose). Whenever you replace a non-human noun or an idea that is introduced by à, you must use the pronoun y instead of a direct object pronoun like le.
Does le coffre always mean "the safe", or could it be a car trunk?
Why does the pronoun y go before renonce instead of at the end of the sentence?
In French, object pronouns like y are placed immediately before the conjugated verb they are connected to. Since the pronoun belongs to the action of giving up, it goes right in front of renonce, merging with je to form j'y.
If I were giving up on a person instead of the safe, would I still say j'y renonce?
No, the pronoun y is almost exclusively used to replace things, ideas, or places. If you wanted to say "I give up on him" or "I give up on her", you would keep the preposition à and add a stressed pronoun after the verb: Je renonce à lui or Je renonce à elle.
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