To say "there was," "there were," or "there will be," Spanish uses the past and future forms of the verb haber.
When talking about existence, haber is an impersonal verb without a true subject. This means it always stays singular, even when talking about multiple things.
The past: Había
Use había for "there was" or "there were." Notice how it remains singular even before plural nouns like libélulas (dragonflies) or avispas (wasps). Do not use the plural form (habían).
| Yesterday there were many dragonflies near the river. | Ayer había muchas libélulas cerca del río. |
| The thing is, there were three wasps in my room. | Es que había tres avispas en mi cuarto. |
| There were so many crickets that the noise was terrible. | Había tantos grillos que el ruido era terrible. |
The future: Habrá
Use habrá for "there will be." Just like in the past tense, it remains strictly singular. Resist the urge to use the plural form (habrán), no matter how many insects you expect to see!
| Tomorrow there will be more dragonflies if it doesn't rain. | Mañana habrá más libélulas si no llueve. |
| However, tomorrow there will be more wasps here. | Sin embargo, mañana habrá más avispas aquí. |
| Will there be many crickets in the countryside tonight? | ¿Habrá muchos grillos en el campo esta noche? |
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