Hi could you explain what's the difference between using pronoms y vs. lui/leur since they can both follow Ă ? Thank you!
my grasp on the concept is that lui/leur are for people, whereas y is for places or situations. also, lui/leur aren't technically preceded by an Ă .
Je lui parle -- I talk to him/her.Je leur parle -- I talk to them.
what's happening is that lui/leur is kind of absorbing the à that's in the expression "parler à " (to talk to).Je dois parler à quelqu'un -- I have to talk to someone.Je dois parler à elle => Je dois lui parler -- I have to talk to her.
(note that if it's very important what gender the person in question is, it can be emphasized after using lui: Je dois lui parler, Ă elle.)what's special about lui and leur are that they can only be used for indirect objects, while me, te, nous and vous are also used for direct objects. if the object were direct instead, we'd use le/la:
Je le touche -- I touch him.Je la connais -- I know her.
it's worth saying that not all verbs that take an indirect object in english take an indirect object in french, and vice versa! here are some that trip me up sometimes:
Il faut que je lui téléphone -- It's necessary that I call him/her [on the phone].Je veux lui dire quelque chose -- I want to tell him/her something, vs.Je veux le lui dire! -- I want to tell him/her it!/I want to tell it to him/her!
this can also come into play when using y, which is most often used to mean "there":
Je veux aller Ă la plage => Je veux y aller.I want to go to the beach => I want to go there.while it often refers to physical places, it is sometimes part of idiomatic verbs:
Je veux participer Ă la fĂȘte => Je veux y participer.I want to participate in the party => I want to participate [in it].
you'll gain a feeling over time for which verbs take + Ă in their applications (participer Ă qqch, commencer Ă qqch, etc.), but as a bottom line, use lui/leur when you're referring to a person and y when you're talking about a place, literal or figurative!
(if anyone knows different, feel free to add on or correct!)
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