Lesson 2 · Stage 1: The basics
There is / there are
BeginnerForm & use
there is/are + noun — saying that something exists or is somewhere
1.What it is for
Use there is / there are to say that something exists or is somewhere — usually when you mention it for the first time.
There's a pharmacy near my house.
There are twelve students in my class.
There's some rice in the cooker.
Don't use have to say that something exists in a place: “My town has a big market” is fine, but “In my town has a big market” is wrong. Say There is a big market in my town.
2.Is or are?
The verb agrees with the noun that comes after it.
| Used with | Example | |
|---|---|---|
| there is (there's) | singular nouns, uncountable nouns | There's a problem. There's some milk. |
| there are | plural nouns | There are two problems. There are some eggs. |
In a list, everyday speech usually follows the first noun: There's a desk and two chairs in the room.
3.Negatives and questions
| Singular / uncountable | Plural | |
|---|---|---|
| Negative | There isn't a… / There isn't any… | There aren't any… |
| Negative with no | There's no… | There are no… |
| Question | Is there a… / any…? | Are there any…? |
| Short answer | Yes, there is. / No, there isn't. | Yes, there are. / No, there aren't. |
There isn't a lift in this building.
There's no sugar left.
Are there any good cafés around here?
How many people are there in your family?
4.In other tenses
Only the be part changes; “there” stays the same.
There was a storm last night.
past, singular
There were a lot of people at the concert.
past, plural
There will be a meeting on Friday.
There's going to be a test next week.
There has been an accident on the highway.
5.There or it / they?
Use there is / are to introduce something for the first time. When you talk about it again, use it (singular) or they (plural).
There's a new bakery on our street. It's really good.
There are two windows in my room, but they're very small.
6.Common mistakes
In my school has a big library.There is a big library in my school.
Something exists in a place → there is.
There is many shops.There are many shops.
Plural noun → there are.
There are some water.There is some water.
water is uncountable → there is.
Is there any eggs?Are there any eggs?
eggs is plural → are.
Examples
- There are two banks on this street.
- Look! There is a cat on the roof.
- There was no hot water in the shower this morning, so I had a cold one.
- There are three bedrooms in our new flat.
