s’en aller, s’en faire, s’en vouloir

These three French expressions are frequently used. They combine a reflexive pronoun (“se”) with the adverbial pronoun “en,” which can mean a variety of things, including “of it,” “of them,” “some of them,” “any of them,” “any of it,” “some of it,” “from it,” “from them,” etc.

s’en aller

Meaning: to leave, to go away

  • “se” is the reflexive pronoun that changes to the appropriate person (me, te, se, nous, vous or se).
  • “en” means “from here.”
  • “aller” is “to go”

Examples:

  • je m’en vais – I’m leaving
  • tu t’en vas ? – you’re leaving?
  • va t’en ! – go away! (informal)
  • allez-vous en ! – go away! (formal or plural)

s’en faire

Meaning: to worry

  • “se” is the reflexive pronoun that changes to the appropriate person (me, te, se, nous, vous or se).
  • “en” means “of it.”
  • “faire” is “to make” or “to do”

Examples:

  • Ne t’en fais pas – Don’t worry
  • Ne t’en fais pas pour ton ami – Don’t worry about your friend
  • Ma mère s’en fait pour moi. My mother worries about me

s’en vouloir

Meaning: to be annoyed with, to be mad at, to be annoyed with yourself, to hold a grudge

  • “se” is the reflexive pronoun that changes to the appropriate person (me, te, se, nous, vous or se).
  • “en” means “of it.”
  • “vouloir” is “to want”
  • This expression is followed by the preposition “à” if you’re annoyed with a specific person.

Examples:

  • Alice s’en veut de son frère – Alice is annoyed with her brother
  • Tu m’en veux ? – You’re angry with me?
  • Julie s’en veut d’avoir oublié l’anniversaire de son père – Julie is annoyed with herself for having forgotten her father’s birthday

Don’t miss new articles!

Get 1 email a week with new articles about French

We don’t spam! Read more in our privacy policy

Similar Posts

  • mot vs parole

    Mot and parole can both be translated as word in English, but they refer to different things. Mot is a single word as a unit of language. Parole is speech, what someone says, or a promise. Mot is masculine: un mot.Parole is feminine: une parole. Etymology Mot comes from Latin mutum, first meaning a sound…

  • charger

    The French verb “charger” has a variety of different meanings. It can mean to load, to charge, to make responsible for, to bring evidence against, or to launch an attack. To load To charge To give someone the responsibility for To load (a weapon) To bring/give evidence against To launch an attack Etymology “Charger” comes…

  • exiger

    The French verb “exiger” means “to demand,” “to require,” or “to insist upon.” It comes from the Latin verb “exigere,” which means “to drive out” or “to demand.” Examples: Conjugation Présent j’exigetu exigesil exigenous exigeonsvous exigezils exigent Passé composé j’ai exigétu as exigéil a exigénous avons exigévous avez exigéils ont exigé

  • lors de

    Understanding the French Phrase “lors de” The phrase “lors de” is a formal preposition in French that translates to “during”, “at the time of”, or “on the occasion of” in English. It is often used in written or formal speech to refer to a specific event or moment in time. Unlike “pendant”, which can imply…

  • animal sounds

    French uses a distinct set of onomatopoeic forms to represent animal sounds. Many differ significantly from their English equivalents because French phonology shapes how sounds are imagined and expressed. These forms appear in children’s books, everyday conversation, idioms, and descriptive narrative. Several verbs of sound also derive from these onomatopoeias, and both forms often coexist….