LinguaOne word for "there is" and "there are"
Hay says that something exists or is present. It never changes: one thing or twenty, hay stays hay. En la mesa hay un libro. En la mesa hay tres libros. To deny it, put no in front: no hay leche.
| Pattern | Example | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| hay + un / una | Hay una farmacia en la esquina. | there is one (a) |
| hay + number | Hay dos bancos en la plaza. | there are (a number of) |
| hay + unos / unas | Hay unas sillas en el jardín. | there are some |
| hay + noun alone | Hay leche. Hay problemas. | there is / are (in general) |
| no hay | No hay agua caliente. | there is no / there are no |
Hay never takes el, la, los, las
Hay introduces something new to the listener, so it goes with un/una, a number, unos/unas or no article at all – never with el/la/los/las. Once the thing is known, you talk about where it is with está / están, and that is when the definite article appears: Hay un banco en la plaza. El banco está al lado de la farmacia.
| New or known? | Verb | Example |
|---|---|---|
| new: does it exist here? | hay | ¿Hay un hospital cerca? |
| known: where is it? | está / están | ¿Dónde está el hospital? |
Asking with hay
A question is the same sentence with the question marks and a rising voice: ¿Hay wifi? The answers are short: Sí, hay. / No, no hay. With ¿cuántos? / ¿cuántas? you ask how many: ¿Cuántas personas hay? – Hay diez.
En mi barrio hay un supermercado y dos cafés.In my neighbourhood there is a supermarket and two cafés.
¿Hay una farmacia por aquí? – No, no hay.Is there a pharmacy around here? – No, there is not.
Words in this lesson
| Word | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| hay | there is, there are | Hay mucha gente en la plaza. There are a lot of people in the square. |
| no hay | there is no, there are no | No hay pan en casa. There is no bread at home. |
| el banco | bank | El banco abre a las nueve. The bank opens at nine. |
| la farmacia | pharmacy | La farmacia está cerrada. The pharmacy is closed. |
| mucho | much, a lot of | Tengo mucho trabajo. I have a lot of work. |
| muchos | many (masculine plural) | Hay muchos coches en la calle. There are many cars in the street. |
| algo | something | ¿Quieres algo? Do you want something? |
| nada | nothing | No hay nada en la nevera. There is nothing in the fridge. |
| la gente | people | La gente aquí es amable. People here are friendly. |
| cerca | near, nearby | El hospital está cerca. The hospital is nearby. |
Exercises
This lesson has 10 exercises in the app:
- multiple choice: 3
- match the pairs: 1
- fill the gap: 2
- build the sentence: 1
- translate the sentence: 2
- listen and type: 1
Try the first one
Which sentence says that there are three books on the table?
The answer, the other exercises, the audio and your progress are in the app – free at A0 and A1.