Question 1

Why does Il y a mean "there is"?

Accepted Answer

Il y a is a fixed phrase in French that means "there is" or "there are". If you look at it word-for-word, il means "it", y means "there", and a means "has" (from the verb avoir). So literally it translates to "it there has", but French speakers use it exactly how we use "there is" or "there are" in English.

Question 2

Does Il y a change if I am talking about more than one bank?

Accepted Answer

No, it never changes! Unlike English, which switches between "there is" and "there are", French keeps it simple. You use il y a for both singular things (like one bank) and plural things (like several banks).

Question 3

Why is the adjective grande placed before the noun banque?

Accepted Answer

While most French adjectives go after the noun, a few common ones go before it. A helpful trick to remember them is the acronym BANGS: Beauty, Age, Number, Goodness, and Size. Because grande describes size, it goes in front of the noun it describes.

Question 4

Why does grande have an "e" at the end?

Accepted Answer

In French, adjectives must match the gender of the noun they describe. Because banque is a feminine noun (which we can also tell by the feminine article une), the adjective takes the feminine form by adding an "e" to the masculine word grand.

Question 5

Both y and là can mean "there". Why are they both in this sentence?

Accepted Answer

In the phrase il y a, the y is just a fixed part of the expression "there is" and does not point to an actual location here. The word là at the end of the sentence is the one doing the real work of pointing out a physical location, meaning "in that place" or "over there".

Il y a une grande banque là.

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