There is, there are: hay
One little word for “there is” and “there are”. It never changes, and it sounds like English “eye”.
PART01
Theory
Use hay to say something exists; use estar to say where a specific thing is.
hay = there is / there are
| Spanish | English |
|---|---|
| Hay un banco. | There’s a bank. |
| Hay dos bancos. | There are two banks. |
| No hay leche. | There’s no milk. |
| ¿Hay un baño? | Is there a bathroom? |
| ¿Qué hay en la nevera? | What’s in the fridge? |
hay or estar?
| Verb | Comes with | Example |
|---|---|---|
| hay | un, una, unos, unas, numbers, muchos, no article | Hay una farmacia cerca. |
| está / están | el, la, los, las, mi, tu, names | La farmacia está en la plaza. |
Never changes
Hay un libro. = There’s a book.
Hay diez libros. = There are ten books.
No el / la after hay
Hay un banco. = There’s a bank.
Not hay el banco.
Exists vs where it is
Hay un museo en el centro. = There’s a museum in the centre.
El museo está en el centro. = The museum is in the centre.
Questions
¿Hay wifi? = Is there wifi?
¿Qué hay para comer? = What is there to eat?
Bonus: hay que
Hay que estudiar.
= You have to / one must study.
Sounds like “eye”
The h is silent:
hay sounds just like English “eye”.