Learn Hardcore Spanish (Spain): Hay un gran atasco en la autopista hoy. - There is a big traffic jam on the highway today.

hay comes from the verb haber and is used to say that something exists or is present:
- Hay un atasco. = There is a traffic jam.
- Hay muchos coches. = There are many cars.
You don’t use es/son or está/están for this meaning:
- es / son = is / are for identity or description:
  - La autopista es nueva. = The motorway is new.
- está / están = is / are for location of a specific thing:
  - El coche está en la autopista. = The car is on the motorway.

When you introduce the existence of something (a jam, a park, a shop, etc.), you use hay.

What exactly does atasco mean? Is it only a “traffic jam”?

In this context, atasco means traffic jam.

More details:

In traffic:
- un atasco (de tráfico) = a traffic jam, a backup.
- Very common in Spain in everyday speech.
Other meanings:
- It can also mean a blockage or clog in general:
  - un atasco en la tubería = a blockage in the pipe.
  - Tengo un atasco de trabajo. = I’m clogged up with work (metaphorical).
Synonyms in traffic:
- un embotellamiento (more formal/technical).
- una retención (often used in traffic reports).

In everyday speech in Spain, if you’re talking about traffic, atasco is the go-to word.

Why is it un gran atasco and not un grande atasco?

Gran is a shortened form (an apocopated form) of grande used before singular nouns.

Before a singular noun, grande usually becomes gran:
- un gran atasco
- una gran ciudad
- un gran problema
After the noun, you use the full form grande:
- un atasco grande
- una ciudad grande

Meaning and nuance:

un gran atasco often sounds a bit more emphatic or “notable”: a big / serious jam.
un atasco grande also means “big jam” but can feel a bit more neutral or descriptive.

Grammatically, both are fine; Spanish just prefers gran before singular nouns.

Why is autopista feminine (la autopista) and not masculine (el autopista)?

Because autopista is a feminine noun in Spanish, so it takes la, not el.

Article + noun:
- la autopista = the motorway / freeway
- una autopista = a motorway / freeway

Many nouns ending in -a are feminine (though not all), and autopista is one of them. You just have to learn its gender as part of the word’s dictionary form: la autopista.

What’s the difference between autopista, autovía and carretera in Spain?

In Spain:

autopista
- High-speed road, usually with tolls (though not always).
- Equivalent to motorway / freeway.
- Multiple lanes, controlled access.
autovía
- Very similar to autopista (dual carriageway, high-speed).
- Generally no tolls; often upgraded from older roads.
carretera
- General word for road or highway, including smaller, slower roads.
- carretera nacional = national road.
- carretera secundaria = secondary road.

In everyday speech, people often just say la autopista for the main big motorway they use.

Why is it en la autopista (in/on the motorway) and not por la autopista?

Both can appear with autopista, but they mean different things:

en la autopista = on the motorway, focusing on location:
- Hay un gran atasco en la autopista.
  There’s a big traffic jam on the motorway (that’s where the jam is).
por la autopista = along / via the motorway, focusing on movement / route:
- Vamos a Madrid por la autopista.
  We’re going to Madrid via the motorway.

In your sentence you’re describing where the jam is, so en la autopista is correct.

Why is it la autopista and not una autopista?

Spanish often uses the definite article (el / la) where English also would, but sometimes even more.

la autopista = the motorway, a specific one:
- Probably “the usual” motorway everyone knows (e.g., the one into the city).
- Context: people in the conversation know which motorway they’re talking about.
una autopista = a motorway, not specified which:
- Would sound like you don’t know / don’t care which motorway it is.

In a real-world situation (traffic report, talking about your commute), the motorway is usually specific, so la autopista fits better.

Can I change the word order, e.g. say Hoy hay un gran atasco en la autopista?

Yes. Spanish word order is flexible for adverbs of time like hoy.

All of these are grammatically correct:

Hay un gran atasco en la autopista hoy.
Hoy hay un gran atasco en la autopista.
En la autopista hay un gran atasco hoy. (more marked / emphatic)

Typical choices:

Hoy hay… is very common when you start by setting the time.
Ending with hoy (…en la autopista hoy) is also natural and common.

No meaning change, just different emphasis or rhythm.

Do I need a comma after hoy if I put it at the beginning: Hoy, hay un gran atasco…?

Normally, no comma is used here in everyday writing:

Hoy hay un gran atasco en la autopista. ✅ (most natural)
Hoy, hay un gran atasco en la autopista. ✅ but feels more marked or “dramatic”.

A comma can add a small pause or emphasis (like “Today, there’s a big jam…”), but it is not required and is often omitted in simple sentences like this.

Is hay used for both singular and plural? How would I say “There are big traffic jams on the motorway today”?

Yes, hay stays the same for singular and plural.

Singular:
- Hay un gran atasco. = There is a big traffic jam.
Plural:
- Hay muchos atascos. = There are many traffic jams.

For your sentence:

Hay grandes atascos en la autopista hoy.
Hay muchos atascos en la autopista hoy.

Note: hay never changes form; you don’t say hays.

How do I pronounce hay, atasco, and autopista?

Pronunciation (Spain):

hay
- Sounds like English “eye”.
- One syllable: [ai].
atasco
- Stress on the second syllable: a-TAS-co.
- a as in “father”; o as in “not”.
autopista
- Stress on the third syllable from the end: au-to-PIS-ta.
- au like “ow” in “cow” but smoother; i like “ee” in “see”.

All vowels are short and clear (no diphthong like English “ay” in day except in hay, which is a diphthong [ai]).