Hay un parque cerca de mi casa y hay muchos árboles.There is a park near my house and there are many trees.
hay is how Spanish says both "there is" and "there are". It is one word for singular and plural, and it has no subject: you don't add él, ellos or anything else. It comes from the verb haber, but for now it is simplest to treat hay as a fixed word.
Quick shortcut: hay = there is / there are, and it never changes: Hay un libro · Hay tres libros. To deny it, put no before it: No hay leche. To ask, use a rising intonation: ¿Hay un banco aquí? It usually goes with something new or not yet identified (un banco, tres libros, leche), not with el, la, mi or este.
Hay for one thing and for many
The same word is used for a single thing and for several:
- Hay un libro en la mesa. (There is a book on the table.)
- Hay tres libros en la mesa. (There are three books on the table.)
- Hay leche en casa. (There is milk at home.)
- Hay muchas personas en la fiesta. (There are many people at the party.)
The verb never becomes plural to match the noun: ✅ Hay dos gatos, never ❌ Hayn dos gatos. When you say where something is, the place usually comes with a small word such as en (in, on), cerca de (near) or aquí (here); these are covered in Prepositions of place (en, sobre, debajo de, delante de...). The place can also come first: En la mesa hay un libro.
What comes after hay
hay is normally followed by a noun phrase that introduces something: an indefinite article (un, una, unos, unas), a number, a word like muchos or algunos, or a noun with no article at all when it is plural or a mass (leche, libros):
- Hay una farmacia en esta calle. (There is a pharmacy on this street.)
- Hay unos estudiantes en la puerta. (There are some students at the door.)
- Hay muchos problemas. (There are many problems.)
- Hay tiempo. (There is time.)
A noun that is already identified, with el, la, mi or a name, usually doesn't go right after hay. For a known thing, Spanish uses estar instead, and then the verb does agree with the noun:
| You want to... | Use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| say that something exists or introduce it | hay | Hay un parque cerca de aquí. |
| say where something you already know is | estar | El parque está cerca de aquí. · Los libros están en la mesa. |
The difference: Hay un libro en la mesa (a book I'm mentioning for the first time) versus El libro está en la mesa (the book we were talking about). See estar for the forms. As a first rule, use hay with indefinite nouns and estar with known ones.
Negatives and questions
To make hay negative, put no before it. After no hay, the noun usually takes no article: No hay leche. (There is no milk.) · No hay problema. (No problem.) Negative words work as in the lesson on negation with no: No hay nadie. (There is nobody.) · No hay nada. (There is nothing.)
Questions use the same order as the statement, with a rising intonation: ¿Hay un banco por aquí? (Is there a bank around here?) · ¿Hay leche? (Is there any milk?) Short answers repeat the verb: Sí, hay. · No, no hay. To ask how many, the question word comes first (¿Cuántos libros hay?); question words have their own lesson, Question words (qué, quién, dónde, cuándo, cómo, por qué, cuánto), and the general question pattern is in Questions: intonation and word order.
The related expression hay que + infinitive ("one has to...") is covered in Tener que / hay que + infinitive.
Common mistakes
- ❌ Hayn dos gatos aquí. → ✅ Hay dos gatos aquí. (hay never takes a plural ending)
- ❌ Hay la mesa en la cocina. → ✅ Hay una mesa en la cocina. / ✅ La mesa está en la cocina. (hay introduces something new; a known thing uses estar)
- ❌ No hay la leche. → ✅ No hay leche. (after no hay, no article)
Quick check
Which word completes each sentence?
- ___ un parque cerca de aquí. (hay or está?)
- ___ dos gatos en el jardín. (you are introducing them for the first time: hay or están?)
- La mesa ___ en la cocina. (hay or está?)
- ¿___ una farmacia por aquí? (Hay or Está?)
- What is the negative of Hay leche?
- Which is more natural for a book you are mentioning for the first time: Hay un libro en la mesa or El libro está en la mesa?
Show answers
- Hay un parque cerca de aquí. 2. Hay dos gatos en el jardín. 3. La mesa está en la cocina. 4. ¿Hay una farmacia por aquí? 5. No hay leche. 6. Hay un libro en la mesa (a new, unidentified book).
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Key takeaways
- hay means "there is" and "there are", and it never changes: Hay un libro · Hay tres libros.
- It has no subject, and it usually goes with something new: un, una, a number, muchos, or a bare plural or mass noun.
- To locate something already known, use estar: El libro está en la mesa.
- Negative: no hay + noun without article: No hay leche.
- Questions keep the statement order with a rising intonation: ¿Hay un banco por aquí?
- Short answers: Sí, hay. · No, no hay.