Learning how to explain where things are is a basic thing to do in a foreign language. Think of expressions like there is and there are, which we use every day: There is a dwarf in my garden.
How would you translate that into Spanish? Very easy. In this post you will learn how to say there is in Spanish, as well as other ways to locate things or people when talking in Spanish. First, we suggest that you download our PDF, which you may fill in in order to find out the rule. Or you can also take a look at this table:
Easy, isn’t it? Did you understand the difference between there is in spanish (hay) and está/n? Click here to get the answers.
So basically we use hay + noun (singular or plural) to say there is or there are:
There is a sofa on the beach = hay un sofá en la playa.
There are some flowers in the vase = hay una flores en el jarrón.
But we use está or están when we want to locate:
The car is in the garage = el coche está en el garaje.
The fowers are in the vase = las flores están en el jarrón.
Remember that, as in English, if we say hay, we always use a non definite article: un/una/unos/unas. But if we say está/están, it means we are locating and we already know what we’re talking about, so we need to use a definite article: el/la/los/las.
So why don’t you try to do the following exercise? You just need to fill in the blanks with HAY/ESTÁ/ESTÁN. You will find the solutions at the end.
We use estar to talk about space (among other things). If you have trouble with verbo estar in present, check this box:
Want more exercises like this? Remember you may find a lot of free Spanish exercises and downloadable PDFs in our blog. And to get more, don’t hesitate to try one of our online Spanish lessons. Get your trial class now!