There is / there are (il y a)

The City

Before describing what is in a city (une ville), here is how to talk about the city itself.

It is a big city.
C'est une grande ville.

There Is / There Are (Il y a)

To state that something exists in a place, French uses the phrase il y a. This single phrase translates to both "there is" and "there are." It never changes form, whether you are talking about one thing or multiple things.

There is a park in the city.
Il y a un parc dans la ville.

Because il y a doesn't change, simply follow it with a plural article (like des) and a plural noun to say "there are."

There are houses in the street.
Il y a des maisons dans la rue.

A Lot Of (Beaucoup de)

To express quantity, use beaucoup de ("a lot of" or "many"). When the next word starts with a vowel, de drops its "e" and becomes d'.

There is a big park with a lot of trees.
Il y a un grand parc avec beaucoup d'arbres.

Places in Town

Use il y a to point out local businesses and places in town, such as a bakery (une boulangerie), a movie theater (un cinéma), or a train station (une gare).

In the street, there is a small bakery.
Dans la rue, il y a une petite boulangerie.
There is a big movie theater for the children.
Il y a un grand cinéma pour les enfants.
There are always a lot of people in the train station.
Il y a toujours beaucoup de gens dans la gare.

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