There are three ways to express “there is” in Spanish: “Hay“, “Está” or “Hace“. Let’s see in which contexts we use the different forms.

Use of « Hay »

« Hay » est la forme impersonnelle du verbe « haber ». On l’emploie pour traduire « il y a » lorsque l’on veut désigner l’existence de quelque chose ou de quelqu’un.

Singular affirmative form

When referring to a generalization, the noun is placed directly after “hay“.

Hay + singular noun :

• Hay gente mala en el mundo. (There are bad people in the world.)

When referring to something specific, an article, pronoun or determiner is used before the noun.

Hay + indefinite article un/una + singular noun :

• Hay un perro en el jardin. (There is a dog in the garden.)

Hay + indefinite pronoun otro/otra + singular noun :

• Hay otro camino para ir a casa. (There is another way to go to the house.)

Hay + determiner algun/alguno/alguna + singular noun :

• Hay alguna semejanza entre tu y yo. (There is a similarity between you and me.)

“Hay” is the impersonal form of the verb “haber”. It is used to translate “there is” when one wants to designate the existence of something or someone.

Negative singular form

Here again, if we are talking about something general, we place the noun directly after « No hay ».

No hay + singular noun :

• No hay mal que por bien no venga. (To every misfortune, something good.)

As for the affirmative form, to evoke something specific, an article, adjective or pronoun is used before the noun.

No hay + indefinite adjective un/una + singular noun :

• No hay un lugar màs alto en esta ciudad. (There is no higher place in this town.)

No hay + indefinite adjective ningun/ninguno/ninguna + singular noun :

• No hay ningún problema. (There are no problems.)

No hay + indefinite adjective otra/otro :

• No hay otra opción. (There is no other option.)

No hay + por qué/de qué + infinitive verb:

• No hay por qué enfadarse. (There is nothing to get angry about.)
• No hay de qué preocuparse. (There is nothing to worry about.)

No hay + nadie / quien :

• No hay nadie màs. (There is no one else.)
• No hay quien pueda reemplazarme. (There is no one to replace me.)

Affirmative plural form

The rule is the same as for the singular, to evoke a generalization we place the noun directly after “Hay“.

Hay + plural noun :

• Hay estrellas en el cielo. (There are stars in the sky.)

On the other hand, to designate something specific, an article, pronoun or adjective is placed after “Hay“.

Hay + indefinite article unos/unas + plural noun :

• Hay unas cosas que no te he dicho aun. (There are things I haven’t told you yet.).

Hay + indefinite pronoun otros/otras + plural noun :

• Hay otras galaxias. (There are other galaxies.)

Hay + determiner algunos/algunas + plural noun :

• Hay algunos gases que contribuyen al fenómeno del efecto invernadero. (There are certain gases that contribute to the phenomenon of global warming.)

Negative plural form

No hay + plural noun :

• No hay motivos para estar triste. (There is no reason to be sad.)

No hay + indefinite pronoun otros/otras + plural noun:

• No hay otras formas de resolver este problema. (There is no other way to solve this problem.)

Interrogative form

Que hay + Circumstantial Complement of Place:

• Que hay en esta caja ? (What’s in this box?)

Que hay + para/que + infinitive verb :

• Que hay para comer hoy? (What is there to eat today?)
• Que hay que ver en Paris? (What is there to see in Paris?)

Hay to express a quantity

• Hay 20 alumnos en esta clase. (There are 20 students in this class.)
• Hay 2 porcientos de alcohol en esta bebida. (There is 2% alcohol in this drink.)

Hay to talk about the weather

• Hoy hay nieve. (Today there is snow.)

Use of « Está »

Está is used to translate “there is” when you want to locate an object or someone in space.

Singular form

Está + Direct Object Complement.

• En esta calle, està la panadería de la que te hablé. (In this street, there is the bakery I told you about.)

Plural form

Están + Direct Object Complement

• En este museo, estàn las obras màs famosas de Picasso. (In this museum, there are Picasso’s most famous works.)

👉 Next lesson: Apocope / Apocopation

👈 Previous lesson: To have: Tener vs Haber

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