How to Use There is / There are in English (A1 Grammar) — A1 English grammar lesson by Langcom

Cómo usar «There is» y «There are» en inglés (gramática de nivel A1)

Raúl Maguiña

Fundador de Langcom | Examinador de Cambridge y del SIELE

julio 13, 2026

A1✏️ Gramática⏱️ 4 minutos de lectura
There is y There are are essential English phrases we use to say that something exists or is present in a place. Think of them like the Spanish ‘hay’. We use There is for one thing (singular nouns) or for things we cannot count (uncountable nouns). For example, There is a cat on the roof. o There is some water in the glass. On the other hand, we use There are when we talk about two or more things (plural nouns). For instance, There are two books on the table. These phrases always come at the beginning of the sentence. They help us describe what we can find in a room, a city, or any location. Mastering them is a key step for A1 English learners to talk about their surroundings clearly.

What Do ‘There is’ and ‘There are’ Mean?

There is y 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’?

Utilizamos 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’?

Utilizamos 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 o There isn’t.
  • For plural: There are not o There aren’t.
  • You can also use There is no o There are no.
Summary of 'There is' / 'There are' Forms
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?

Ejemplos

  • 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.

Práctica

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Errores habituales de los hispanohablantes

Spanish speakers sometimes make a common mistake by directly translating ‘hay’ without ‘there’.

  • Incorrecto: Is a dog in the garden? (Direct translation of ‘¿Hay un perro en el jardín?’)
  • Correcto: Is there a dog in the garden?
  • Incorrecto: There is two cats. (Using ‘is’ with a plural noun)
  • Correcto: There are two cats.

Always remember to use there at the beginning of these phrases.

Preguntas más frecuentes

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 o 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… o There is no…
  • For plural: There aren’t any… o 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.

Sobre el autor: Raúl Maguiña

Raúl Maguiña es el director de la Asociación Educativa Langcom, un centro autorizado de preparación para el examen Cambridge English en EE.UU.. Con más de una década de experiencia en la enseñanza de idiomas y la certificación internacional, ha ayudado a miles de estudiantes, profesores e instituciones educativas de 25 países a conseguir las certificaciones de inglés de Cambridge, IELTS, TOEFL y Michigan.

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