Learn French: Je regarde le chronomètre et la serrure, et je m'y intéresse. - I look at the timer and the lock, and I am interested in them.

Je regarde le chronomètre et la serrure, et je m'y intéresse.

I look at the timer and the lock, and I am interested in them.

Breakdown of Je regarde le chronomètre et la serrure, et je m'y intéresse.

and

regarder

to watch

there (pronoun) / to it

Questions & Answers about Je regarde le chronomètre et la serrure, et je m'y intéresse.

Why do we use y in this sentence instead of a direct translation for "them"?

The verb here is s'intéresser à (to be interested in). When you want to say you are interested in inanimate objects (like a timer and a lock), you replace à + the objects with the pronoun y. You usually only use pronouns like eux or elles after à when talking about people.

Where exactly does y go when there are multiple pronouns?

Pronouns almost always go directly before the conjugated verb. When you have a reflexive pronoun (like me) and y together, the reflexive pronoun always comes first. So me + y + intéresse becomes je m'y intéresse.

Why is it m'y instead of me y?

In French, the pronoun y acts like a vowel. When short pronouns ending in e (like me, te, or se) come right before it, they drop their vowel and combine with an apostrophe. This is called elision.

Why isn't there a word for "at" after regarde?

In French, the verb regarder means "to look at" all by itself. It connects straight to the noun without needing a preposition. Translating "look at" word-for-word by adding à would be incorrect.