What Do ‘There is’ and ‘There are’ Mean?
There is and There are are special phrases in English. We use them to say that something exists in a specific place.
- They are similar to ‘hay’ in Spanish.
- They tell us ‘what’ is somewhere.
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When Do We Use ‘There is’?
We use There is for singular nouns. This means when we talk about only one thing.
- Use There is with ‘a’ or ‘an’ for singular countable nouns.
- Use There is with ‘some’ or no article for uncountable nouns (things you cannot count, like water or information).
When Do We Use ‘There are’?
We use There are for plural nouns. This means when we talk about two or more things.
- Use There are with numbers (like ‘two’, ‘three’) or words like ‘some’ for plural countable nouns.
How Do We Make Questions with ‘There is’ / ‘There are’?
To ask a question, we change the order of the words. We put ‘is’ or ‘are’ before ‘there’.
- For singular: Is there…?
- For plural: Are there…?
How Do We Make Negative Sentences with ‘There is’ / ‘There are’?
To say that something does not exist, we add ‘not’ after ‘is’ or ‘are’.
- For singular: There is not or There isn’t.
- For plural: There are not or There aren’t.
- You can also use There is no or There are no.
| Form | Singular (One Thing) | Plural (Two or More Things) |
|---|---|---|
| Positive | There is a cat. | There are two cats. |
| Negative | There isn’t a cat. There is no cat. |
There aren’t any cats. There are no cats. |
| Question | Is there a cat? | Are there any cats? |
Examples
- There is a book on the desk.
- There is some milk in the fridge.
- There are two chairs in the kitchen.
- There are many students in the class.
- Is there a pen in your bag?
- Are there any apples in the basket?
- There isn’t a car outside.
- There aren’t any problems.
Practice
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Chat with an Advisor on WhatsAppCommon mistakes for Spanish speakers
Spanish speakers sometimes make a common mistake by directly translating ‘hay’ without ‘there’.
- Incorrect: Is a dog in the garden? (Direct translation of ‘¿Hay un perro en el jardín?’)
- Correct: Is there a dog in the garden?
- Incorrect: There is two cats. (Using ‘is’ with a plural noun)
- Correct: There are two cats.
Always remember to use there at the beginning of these phrases.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between ‘There is’ and ‘It is’?
There is introduces something new or talks about its existence. It is refers to something specific that is already known or mentioned.
- There is a new restaurant in town. (Introducing something)
- It is very popular. (Talking about the specific restaurant)
Can I use contractions with ‘There is’ and ‘There are’?
Yes, you can use contractions in informal English.
- There is becomes There’s.
- There are does not have a common contraction like There’s. We usually say There are or There aren’t (for negative).
How do I say ‘no hay’ in English?
You can say ‘no hay’ in English using negative forms of There is / There are.
- For singular: There isn’t a… or There is no…
- For plural: There aren’t any… or There are no…
Is ‘There is’ / ‘There are’ used for people too?
Yes, you can use There is / There are to talk about the existence of people.
- There is a new student in my class.
- There are many people at the park today.
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