So, “en” is an adverbial pronoun which is used to replace “de + nom”. But what noun does it replace in the mentioned phrase?
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3 Answers
En, y and the reflexive pronouns are often used in a way which is not analyzable to modify the meaning of verbs (phrasal verbs in English are doing the same thing with prepositions). If the meaning of a sentence using these pronoun isn't clear it can be such use.
It is the case with être. There are several meanings associated with en être, in some of them en is still analyzable, it isn't the case here when en être means being at some step in an evolution or progression.
answered Jan 27, 2014 at 21:09
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1So, what you're saying is that in this case
endoesn't replacede + nomconstruction? If so, it might be the similar use, like with the phrases'en aller, for example, right? Jan 28, 2014 at 7:44 -
1Note that in Brittany (and maybe elsewhere, but with people around France from Paris or the South, it seems that's only there), we often use « se Rendre » instead of « être » in this sentence. Ex.: « On est rendu où ? » for « On en est où ? », using the same change of word/meaning for « aller/être à un endroit » and « se rendre à ».– LarmeJan 29, 2014 at 8:25
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@Larme Thanks for your comment! Maybe you could clarify my last doubts about this phrase. So, in this construction
en êtredoesn't replacede + nom, does it? Jan 29, 2014 at 15:16 -
1@jFrenetic, en doesn't replace anything (or at least current speakers aren't conscious of what it refer to, it probably started to refer to something) in this case. Jan 29, 2014 at 15:26
If it helps, you can think of en as standing for the thing that was in progress.
Où était-on dans notre conversation ?
Où en était-on ?
However, as Un francophone points out, this is pretty much a fixed phrase. I couldn't tell if the grammatical construction really originates in this.
The good news is, once you know it, French actually makes it clearer than the more versatile English where were we ? ;)
"On en était où" est familier et peu correct.
Il faudrait dire "Où en étions-nous".
Quant à "où en était-on" c'est tellement laid phonétiquement qu'il faut le bannir, sans parler du phonème grotesque de la fin de la locution.
