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No hay ascensor, pero hay una escalera.

No hay ascensor, pero hay una escalera.
There is no lift, but there are stairs.
From Lesson 20:My building (la escalera, el ascensor)·Spanish (Spain)

Questions & Answers about No hay ascensor, pero hay una escalera.

Why is hay used twice when the English translation says "there is no" and "there are"?
In Spanish, the word hay means both "there is" and "there are". It does not change whether you are talking about one thing or multiple things. So no hay covers "there is no" or "there isn't", while the second hay translates to "there is" (or "there are" in the English translation).
Why does the Spanish say una escalera (singular) when the English says "stairs" (plural)?
In Spanish, una escalera literally means "a staircase" or "a ladder". While English speakers usually use the plural word "stairs" to describe how you get from one floor to another, Spanish speakers typically use the singular una escalera to talk about the staircase as a single structure.
Why is it No hay ascensor instead of No hay un ascensor?
When you are stating that something does not exist in a place, Spanish usually drops the indefinite article (un or una). Saying No hay ascensor is the most natural way to say "There is no lift", because you are talking about the lift as a general category rather than one specific lift.

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