Breakdown of Alguien escucha el grito, pero no hay nadie en la sombra.
pero
but
no
no, not
en
in / on / at
haber
to be (there is / there are)
escuchar
to listen
alguien
someone
nadie
no one
la sombra
the shadow
el grito
the scream
Questions & Answers about Alguien escucha el grito, pero no hay nadie en la sombra.
Why does alguien use the él/ella form of the verb (escucha)?
Why is it no hay nadie (literally "there is not nobody") instead of just hay nadie?
Could we move nadie to the front and say nadie hay to avoid the double negative?
Why do we use hay here instead of está?
We use hay (there is / there are) to talk about the general existence of someone or something, especially when they are unidentified. Since nadie is indefinite, we use hay. You would use está (is located) for a specific, known subject, like El hombre no está en la sombra (The man is not in the shadow).
Learn Alguien escucha el grito, pero no hay nadie en la sombra and more in Spanish
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.
- ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
- ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
- ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free