Learn Hardcore Spanish (Latin America): En la esquina del banco hay un semáforo muy viejo. - At the corner of the bank there is a very old traffic light.

In Spanish, the preposition de and the masculine singular article el contract into del. So de el banco must become del banco. This is a fixed grammar rule for de + el.

What does hay mean, and why is it used here instead of está or es?

Hay expresses existence: “there is” or “there are.”

Use hay when you want to say that something exists or that something is located somewhere.
Está describes a specific location or state of a known subject (e.g., El semáforo está roto = “The traffic light is broken”).
Es describes identity or essential qualities (e.g., El semáforo es rojo = “The traffic light is red”).

In this sentence, you’re simply stating that a very old traffic light exists at that corner, so use hay.

Why is the sentence structured as En la esquina del banco hay un semáforo muy viejo and not in a different word order?

Spanish allows flexible word order, but putting the place phrase (En la esquina del banco) at the beginning emphasizes location. The basic pattern is:

Location phrase
hay (existence verb)
Object introduced with an indefinite article (un semáforo)
Descriptive adjective (muy viejo)

You could say Hay un semáforo muy viejo en la esquina del banco, but starting with En la esquina… focuses the listener’s attention on the location first.

Can we use el semáforo instead of un semáforo?

Yes, but the meaning changes slightly:

un semáforo introduces “a traffic light” for the first time (indefinite).
el semáforo refers to a specific, known traffic light (definite).

If the listener already knows which traffic light you’re talking about, you could say En la esquina del banco está el semáforo muy viejo or En la esquina del banco hay el semáforo muy viejo, but most descriptions use un to introduce it.

Why is the adjective muy viejo placed after semáforo?

In Spanish, descriptive adjectives normally follow the noun. So semáforo muy viejo literally reads “traffic light very old.” Placing the adjective after the noun is the default for descriptive details. Putting it before (e.g., viejo semáforo) would sound poetic or emphatic, not neutral.

Why does la esquina have a definite article before it?

La esquina is a known, specific corner: the corner of the bank. Whenever you speak of a particular, identifiable place or thing, you use the definite article (el, la, los, las). Here, both speaker and listener know which corner – it’s the one by the bank – so you say la esquina.

Could we say al lado del banco instead of en la esquina del banco? What’s the difference?

Yes, you could say al lado del banco (“next to the bank”), but that indicates a spot directly beside the bank. En la esquina del banco (“at the bank’s corner”) specifies the exact corner where two streets meet, one of which has the bank on that corner. They’re close in meaning but not identical.

Why is semáforo masculine?

In Spanish, nouns ending in -o are typically masculine. Semáforo ends in -o, so it takes masculine articles and adjectives: el semáforo, un semáforo viejo, muy viejo (masculine form).

What is the accent on semáforo for, and where is the stress?

The written accent on semáforo marks the stressed syllable. The word breaks into syllables as se-má-fo-ro, and the stress falls on the second syllable (má). The accent ensures correct pronunciation: [se-MA-fo-ro].

Can I rearrange the sentence to say Hay un semáforo viejo en la esquina del banco?

Absolutely! That rearrangement is perfectly fine. It still means “There’s an old traffic light at the corner of the bank.” The difference is simply additional emphasis on the existence first, then the location.

Is there any nuance between viejo and antiguo for describing the traffic light?

Both mean “old,” but:

viejo generally refers to age (worn, used, aged).
antiguo suggests something from a past era or with historical value.

For a battered or worn object, semáforo muy viejo is more natural. If it were a rare, classic-model traffic light preserved for history, you might call it antiguo.

Could we use cerca del banco instead of en la esquina del banco?

You can say cerca del banco (“near the bank”), but it’s less precise. En la esquina del banco tells you exactly on which corner the traffic light stands. Cerca just means “in the vicinity,” without specifying the exact spot.