There is, there are: hay
To say that something exists somewhere, Spanish uses one short word: hay. It means both there is and there are, so it never changes, whatever follows it.
| There is a sofa in the house. | Hay un sofá en la casa. |
| There are some books on the shelves. | Hay unos libros en la estantería. |
After hay you use un, una, unos, unas, or no article at all — never el or la.
Questions and negatives
Ask with ¿Hay…? and answer with no hay. In the negative the article usually disappears.
| Is there a wardrobe in the room? | ¿Hay un armario en la habitación? |
| No, there is no wardrobe. | No, no hay armario. |
| What is there in the wardrobe? | ¿Qué hay en el armario? |
Hay or estar?
Both translate as there is or is in English, but they answer different questions.
| verb | it answers | article | example |
|---|---|---|---|
| hay | Is there one? What is there? | un / una / none | Hay una ducha en el piso. |
| estar | Where is it? (you know which one) | el / la | ¿Dónde está la ducha? |
| There is a shower in the flat. | Hay una ducha en el piso. |
| Where is the shower? | ¿Dónde está la ducha? |
| The sofa is here and the armchair is there. | El sofá está aquí y el sillón está allí. |
Things at home
La habitación is any room of the house. El sofá is the sofa and el sillón an armchair for one person. Clothes go in el armario (the wardrobe) and books on la estantería (the shelves). In the bathroom you find la ducha (the shower) and el lavabo (the washbasin). And when you don't know the word, la cosa — the thing — always works.
| There is a small washbasin in the room. | Hay un lavabo pequeño en la habitación. |
| There is a thing on the table. | Hay una cosa en la mesa. |
Sobre means on (on top of) and also about (a topic):
| There is a book on the table. | Hay un libro sobre la mesa. |
| The book about animals is new. | El libro sobre los animales es nuevo. |
