Je veux en parler avec Marie.

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Breakdown of Je veux en parler avec Marie.

• Marie: Marie
• avec: with
• vouloir: to want
• en parler: to talk about

Questions & Answers about Je veux en parler avec Marie.

What is the role of en in the sentence?

en is a pronoun used to replace a noun phrase introduced by de. In this sentence, it stands in for an idea or topic previously mentioned or understood from context—essentially meaning “about it” or “of it.” This substitution helps avoid repetition.

Why is en placed immediately before the infinitive parler?

In French, object pronouns are generally positioned right before the verb they relate to. Even when there is a modal construction (like veux + infinitive parler), the pronoun that belongs to the infinitive comes immediately before it. Thus, en appears before parler to clearly indicate its connection to that verb.

What does en specifically replace in this context, and how do I know what it refers to?

en replaces a noun or noun phrase that would normally follow the preposition de. While the full context isn’t repeated in the sentence, the listener or reader is expected to know what “it” is from earlier conversation or context. For example, if the discussion had been about a particular subject, en would then refer to that subject.

Why don’t we use a direct object pronoun like le instead of en here?

The verb parler when used in the sense “to talk about” always pairs with the preposition de (i.e., parler de quelque chose). Direct object pronouns such as le replace objects without a preposition. Since the object in this case is introduced by de, the correct pronoun to use is en.

Is there an alternative way to express this sentence without using en?

Yes, you could say Je veux parler de cela avec Marie. This version prints out the preposition de and uses cela as a demonstrative pronoun to explicitly indicate what is being discussed. However, using en is often preferred for its conciseness and natural flow in spoken French when the referent is clear from context.