יש לנו כמה אורחים הערב.

there is

Breakdown of יש לנו כמה אורחים הערב.

• לנו: to us
• הערב: tonight
• כמה: a few

Questions & Answers about יש לנו כמה אורחים הערב.

Why does Hebrew use יש לנו for we have?

Hebrew does not usually use a normal verb meaning to have in the present tense. Instead, it often uses:

• יש = there is / there are
• לנו = to us

So יש לנו literally means there is to us, but in natural English that becomes we have.

So:

• יש לנו כמה אורחים הערב
  literally: There are to us several guests tonight
  natural English: We have a few guests tonight

What exactly does יש mean here?

יש is an existential word. It means there is or there are.

It does not change for singular or plural:

• יש אורח = There is a guest
• יש אורחים = There are guests

In your sentence, יש introduces the existence of something: the guests.

What is לנו, and how is it formed?