Ils y ont pensé depuis longtemps, et ils vont en parler à leurs amis.

They have been thinking about it for a long time, and they are going to talk about it to their friends.

Breakdown of Ils y ont pensé depuis longtemps, et ils vont en parler à leurs amis.

• l'ami: the friend
• et: and
• ils: they
• aller: to go
• à: to
• penser: to think
• depuis: for
• longtemps: a long time
• en parler: to talk about
• leurs: their

Questions & Answers about Ils y ont pensé depuis longtemps, et ils vont en parler à leurs amis.

What is the function of the pronoun y in the sentence "Ils y ont pensé depuis longtemps"?

In this context, y replaces a noun or idea introduced by the preposition à in the expression penser à (to think about). It stands in for the thing or topic they have been thinking about, meaning roughly “about it” in English.

What role does the pronoun en play in "ils vont en parler à leurs amis"?

The pronoun en replaces an element introduced by de—in this case from the expression parler de (to talk about). It prevents the repetition of the subject matter and means “about it.” Essentially, it refers back to the idea or topic previously mentioned.

Why do we use y for “penser à” and en for “parler de”? How do we decide which pronoun to use?

The choice depends on the prepositions that the verbs require. Penser is used with à (penser à), so you replace the phrase with y. Conversely, parler is used with de (parler de), so you replace it with en. Thus, each pronoun is chosen to match the original preposition in the verb phrase.

Where should these pronouns be placed within the sentence, particularly in compound tenses and with infinitives?

In French, object pronouns are placed before the conjugated verb in simple and compound tenses. For example, in "Ils y ont pensé," y comes right before the auxiliary verb ont. In constructions involving an infinitive, such as "ils vont en parler," the pronoun is placed before the infinitive parler. This placement complies with French word order rules for object pronouns.

What does the overall structure of the sentence indicate about the timeline of events?

The sentence is divided into two parts: the first part "Ils y ont pensé depuis longtemps" tells us that they have been considering the matter for a long time, while the second part "et ils vont en parler à leurs amis" uses the near-future construction (aller + infinitive) to indicate that they are going to discuss the topic with their friends. This structure reflects a progression from having thought about something for a long time to planning to talk about it.