Learn Spanish (Latin America): En todas partes hay problemas.

En todas partes hay problemas.

There are problems everywhere.

Breakdown of En todas partes hay problemas.

el problema

the problem

haber

to be (there is / there are)

en todas partes

everywhere

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Questions & Answers about En todas partes hay problemas.

Why is "en todas partes" used here to mean "everywhere"?

Literally, en todas partes translates to "in all parts." This is the most natural and standard way to say "everywhere" in Spanish. You might also hear por todas partes, which has a very similar meaning but feels a bit more like "all over the place."

Since "problemas" is plural, shouldn't "hay" be plural too?

No, hay is an impersonal verb that means both "there is" and "there are." In standard Spanish, it never changes to match the plural noun that follows it. You use it exactly the same way for one problem (hay un problema) as you do for many (hay problemas).

Wait, isn't "problema" a feminine word because it ends in "-a"?

Actually, problema is a masculine word (el problema, los problemas). It is one of several common Spanish words ending in -ma that come from Greek and are masculine. Other examples you've likely seen are el sistema (the system) and el idioma (the language).

Could I change the word order and say "Hay problemas en todas partes"?

Yes, absolutely. Both word orders are grammatically correct and perfectly natural. Putting en todas partes at the beginning of the sentence simply puts a little more emphasis on the location, much like saying "Everywhere, there are problems" in English.