What is the difference between There is و There are?

There is و There are both talk about things that exist. The main difference is about quantity.

• نحن نستخدم There is for one thing (singular) or for uncountable things.
• نحن نستخدم There are for two or more things (plural).

How do we use There is for singular things?

Use There is when you talk about one item or person.

• Positive: There is + a/an + singular noun. There is a cat in the garden.
• Negative: There isn’t (أو There is not) + a/an + singular noun. There isn’t a pen on the desk.
• Question: Is there + a/an + singular noun? Is there a car outside?
• Short Answer: Yes, there is. / No, there isn’t.

How do we use There are for plural things?

Use There are when you talk about two or more items or people.

• Positive: There are + number/some/many + plural noun. There are three apples in the basket.
• Negative: There aren’t (أو There are not) + any + plural noun. There aren’t any students in the classroom.
• Question: Are there + any + plural noun? Are there any chairs in the room?
• Short Answer: Yes, there are. / No, there aren’t.

When do we use There is with uncountable nouns?

Uncountable nouns are things we cannot count, like water, information, or money. We always treat them as singular.

• نحن نستخدم There is with uncountable nouns. There is some water in the bottle.
• For negative, we use There isn’t any. There isn’t any milk in the fridge.
• For questions, we use Is there any. Is there any sugar?

أمثلة

• There is a big tree in the park.
• There are many birds in the sky.
• Is there a hospital near here?
• No, there isn’t.
• Are there any good restaurants in this town?
• Yes, there are.
• There isn’t any coffee left.
• There are five people waiting.

التدريب

الأخطاء الشائعة لدى المتحدثين باللغة الإسبانية

Spanish speakers sometimes make mistakes because of the word ‘hay’.

• Mistake 1: Using ‘it is’ or ‘they are’ instead of ‘there is/are’.
  خطأ: It is a book on the table.
  الصحيح: There is a book on the table.
  خطأ: They are two cars outside.
  الصحيح: There are two cars outside.
• Mistake 2: Using ‘is’ for plural or ‘are’ for singular.
  خطأ: There are a chair.
  الصحيح: There is a chair.
  خطأ: There is two tables.
  الصحيح: There are two tables.

الأسئلة الشائعة

What is the main use of There is و There are?

The main use is to say that something exists or is present in a specific place. For example, There is a dog in the park.

Can I use contractions like There’s و There aren’t?

Yes, you can use contractions. There’s is common for There is. There isn’t و There aren’t are used for negative forms.

Do we use There is أو There are with ‘some’ and ‘any’?

نحن نستخدم There is some with uncountable nouns and There are some with plural nouns in positive sentences. For negative sentences and questions, we use any: There isn’t any milk. Are there any questions?

Related lessons

• There is / there are