The word hay has a number of uses. In this article, we will study how to express existence with hay or to simply state that something exists, and to express that something is in a particular place.

Hay is used in a very similar way to the English expressions there is and there are. Let’s see how you can indicate existence with hay and how to create negative sentences or questions with this verb.

Talking about Existence with Hay

Hay is the Present form of the verb haber. We say hay to express there is or there are. Notice that, in contrast to the English expression, this form is used when you are stating the existence of one or more objects.

Hay una oportunidad para ganar.

There is a chance to win.

Hay una botella con agua fría.

There is a bottle with cold water.

Hay dos camisas y tres camisetas.

There are two shirts and three t-shirts.

Hay cinco chicos y dos chicas.

There are five boys and two girls.

If you want to specify where those objects are located, you need to mention the place.

Hay una escuela en esta calle.

There is a school in this street.

Hay una tienda nueva enfrente de mi casa.

There is a new store in front of my house.

Hay muchos turistas en el pueblo.

There are lot of tourists in the town.

Hay mosquitos cerca de los ríos.

There are mosquitoes near rivers.

Negative Sentences with Hay

For negative sentences, we just add no before hay.

No, no hay una librería allí. Ahora hay una farmacia.

No, there’s no a bookstore there. Now there’s a drugstore.

No hay asientos libres en el cine esta noche.

There are no free seats at the movie theater tonight.

No hay vacas en la granja.

There aren’t any cows in the farm.

En mi universidad no hay clubes de teatro.

At my university there aren’t any drama clubs.

Questions with Hay

If you wanted to ask a question (is there…?, are there…?), hay goes at the beginning. Please don’t forget to write two question marks (¿…?): one at the beginning and one at the end.

¿Hay mucha gente aquí los martes por la mañana?

Are there a lot of people here on Tuesday mornings?

¿Hay alguna heladería abierta a esta hora?

Is there any open ice-cream parlor at this time?

¿Hay muchos animales en la granja de Lucía?

Are there many animals in Lucía’s farm?

¿Hay tigres en la isla de Sumatra?

Are there any tigers in the island of Sumatra?

Conversation: Talking about Existence with Hay

Now let’s read the conversation between David and Carmen. David has just moved into his new house and he is asking Carmen about the places there are in the town.

David: Hola, Carmen. Necesito comprar manzanas y peras. ¿Hay alguna frutería cerca?

Carmen: Sí, en esta calle hay dos fruterías. Por ejemplo, hay una en la esquina.

David: Y ¿hay farmacias en este barrio?

Carmen: No, solo hay dos farmacias en el pueblo. Hay una en el centro y otra al lado de la escuela. Aquí cerca no hay farmacias.

David: ¿Cómo puedo ir al centro? ¿Hay autobuses?

Carmen: Sí, hay una parada de autobús al final de la calle. No hay metro, pero hay una estación de tren cerca de la iglesia.

David: Muchas gracias por la información, Carmen. Eres muy amable. ¡Hasta luego!

Exercises

Now let’s practice what we have seen in this article with the following exercises.

Categorized in:

Communication