dr_gray_

[lime lintel]

Please be patient

Our volunteers look into many questions every day; sometimes it takes them a little while to answer.

Pro tip: you can rename the thread title with `.tr <thread name>`

Make it descriptive, including relevant context, but also to the point. This way you improve your chances of getting a more relevant and specific answer.

[twin onyx]

"y" does not exactly refers to a place. It might have been first explained to you that way but something else happens under the hood

"y" is what is called an object pronoun. You are using object pronouns when you don't want to repeat the object in your sentence (the object being what is being acted on by the verb)
Specifically, "y" replaces objects introduced with the preposition "à"
Je joue de la guitare (I play guitar) => J'en joue (I play it)
Je joue à Minecraft (I'm playing Minecraft) => J'y joue (I'm playing it)
As you can see, it's not really about places or not.
That said, places are often introduced using "à". So the object pronoun is often "y" (but not always, learn more about prepositions for that matter)
Je vais à Lyon (I'm going to Lyon) => J'y vais (I'm going there)
-# note: "y" is also part of the idiomatic construction "il y a", which is another use for it

[tidal barn]

So instead of “après l’école je ne pense qu’à la nourriture”

I could say “ après l’école, je n’y pense que”

[twin onyx]

good thinking, but "que" needs to be followed by something
"je ne pense pas à la nourriture" could indeed be shortened to "je n'y pense pas"
with "ne... que", you can't use an object pronoun, instead you can use ça or cela to avoid repetition => je ne pense qu'à ça

[tidal barn]

is that the same with other negations like : ne .... jamais or ne .... plus

[halcyon harness]

« ne … que » is unique because it's not describing negation in a sense but restriction. In this case, the negative adverb « que » attaches to the object and so you can't really do that replacement thing

With « ne … jamais, ne … plus, ne … pas », they all describe negation so the adverb attaches to the verb, so you can do that replacement