Log inSign up

Hay una tienda en la esquina.

Hay una tienda en la esquina.
There is a store on the corner.
FromLesson 17inHardcore Spanish (Latin America)

Questions & Answers about Hay una tienda en la esquina.

Why do we use hay in this sentence?
Hay is the impersonal form of the verb haber, used to express “there is” or “there are.” It doesn’t refer to a specific subject but simply states that something exists.
Is there a subject pronoun for hay?
No. Hay is always impersonal and never takes a subject. You won’t say “él hay” or “ella hay.” It stands alone to show existence.
Why do we say una tienda and not un tienda?
The noun tienda is feminine (it ends in “-a”), so it requires the feminine indefinite article una. You’d use un only with masculine nouns (e.g., un libro, un coche).
Can we make the sentence plural if there’s more than one store?

Yes. Change hay una tienda to hay tiendas and match the article:

  • Hay tiendas en la esquina – “There are stores on the corner.”
    If you want “the stores,” you’d say Las tiendas están en la esquina.
Why do we use en la esquina? Couldn’t we say a la esquina?
  • En la esquina = “at/on the corner.” It describes location.
  • A la esquina = “to the corner” or “up to the corner,” implying movement.
    So when you mean “the store is located at the corner,” use en.
How would you ask “Is there a store on the corner?” in Spanish?

Invert the statement into a question and add question marks:
¿Hay una tienda en la esquina?

How do you pronounce esquina correctly?
Es-cu-í-na (four syllables). The stress falls on the “í”: es-quí-na.
Could we use está instead of hay?

You use está to locate a specific, known entity:

  • La tienda está en la esquina = “The store is on the corner.”
    But you don’t say Hay la tienda; that’s ungrammatical.
How can I specify the store on the corner instead of a store?

Use the definite article and estar:
La tienda está en la esquina – “The store is on the corner.”

What if I want to say “around the corner” instead of “on the corner”?

You’d say a la vuelta de la esquina:

  • Hay una tienda a la vuelta de la esquina – “There’s a store around the corner.”
What other words can we replace tienda with?

Any place or thing indicating existence:

  • Hay un banco en la esquina (a bank)
  • Hay una cafetería en la esquina (a café)
  • Hay un parque en la esquina (a park)
    Just adjust gender/number and articles accordingly.
AI Language TutorTry it ↗
“How does verb conjugation work in Spanish?”
Spanish verbs change form based on the subject, tense, and mood. Regular verbs follow predictable patterns depending on whether they end in ‑ar, ‑er, or ‑ir. For example, "hablar" (to speak) becomes "hablo" (I speak), "hablas" (you speak), and "habla" (he/she speaks) in the present tense.

Sign up free — start using our AI language tutor

Start learning Spanish

Master Spanish — from Hay una tienda en la esquina to fluency

All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods.

  • ✓ Infinitely deep — unlimited vocabulary and grammar
  • ✓ Fast-paced — build complex sentences from the start
  • ✓ Unforgettable — efficient spaced repetition system
  • ✓ AI tutor to answer your grammar questions
Start learning Spanish freeBrowse the full course