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'en' is a replacement for "of that/those" or 'de ca'. Rather than saying 'Je veux de ca' (I want some of that) you say "J'en veux". So "J'en veux un" would translate as "I want one of that/those"
And I just put this: "i want one of those not two" and it was rejected :) Je suis triste maintenant :( But at least I knew what it meant ;) Merci DancingGeek!
'en' is the pronoun that replaces the indefinite articles (de, des, etc.)
Il a des baguettes. J'en veux deux. (He has some baguettes. I want two of them.)
My understanding is that en in this context as a pronoun, is used to mean some of or a bit of. J'en ai / veux. = I have / want some. En as-tu? = Have you got a bit? Je n'en veux pas. = I don't want some. It can be confusing as they also say J'en ai deux. = I have two. but this seems to use in the context of when there are a group of items and you take two of them. Let's say you have bought a bag of apples and you ask some someone if they have taken one, they could answer Non, j'en ai deux.
Absolutely. I used "of them" in this whole exercise with "en" (being worried that Duo would say I skipped translating "en") and it was accepted right along until now. These are the kinds of inconsistencies that are so prevalent and so discouraging. And so unacknowledged. I can't even report it; the option isn't available for this question, not sure why.
Should this not be 'I want one of them, not two!' Why is it that the 'en' is not being translated, since it means 'of those/them'.
Would "I want one of it/them, not two" work? I tried it and duo didn't accept it.
"En" -is used as a replacement for an object (to avoid repetition) -And usually used for sentences which speaks of quantity.
For example: Vous avez un pomme? Oui, j'en ai beaucoup. J'en veux un kilo, sil vous plait.
That's based on what i learned in school. Please feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.
French is getting complicating day by day, the more I personally learn, the more hidden parts seems to be existing as any other things!
I don't think that this is correctly pronounced. I'm expecting a pronunciation of the "x" at the end of "veux". It also seems to pause between "veux" and "un". Am I wrong? Should I still report this?
If "en" replaces indefinite articles like "de, des", the correct translation given does not include "of them", why J'en veux instead of Je veux?
Bonjour,
The word 'en' can simply mean 'some' but it also refers to a previously discussed object.
For example, if I were to pose the question, "Tu veux du sucre?" (Do you want some sugar) You could reply, "Oui, j'en veux" (Yes, I want some). As you can see the 'en' functions as a reference to the sugar which is our previously discussed object.
I hope this helps!
- Marie-Claire
