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There Is / There Are

1 min
A1

Use there is with a singular noun and there are with a plural noun to say that something exists or is present in a place — never use "it is" for this.

CEFR A1·other

Formula

There is
(There is a cat.)
There are
(There are two cats.)
There isn't / There aren't
Is there…? / Are there…?

Examples

Positive
There is a problem.
Negative
There isn't any milk. There aren't any chairs.
Question
Is there a bank near here? Are there any questions?

Usage

  • •Say that something exists or is present
  • •Describe what is in a place
  • •Talk about quantity (there are five…)

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When do we use there is / there are?

There is / there are says that something exists or is present in a place: "There is a beautiful park in my city." "There are 24 hours in a day." Use them to describe what is somewhere, or to talk about quantity.

There is or there are — how do you choose?

Match the verb to the noun right after it: there is with a singular noun, there are with a plural noun. If two nouns follow, match the first one: "There is a book and pens" (singular first) vs "There are pens and a book" (plural first).

There is vs to be — what's the difference?

There is / there are introduces something new that exists in a place: "There is a dog in the park." To be (am/is/are) describes the subject itself, once you already know what it is: "The dog is friendly."

Conjugation Table

There Is / There Are — positive, negative, and question forms
PronounPositiveNegativeQuestion
Singular nounthere isthere isn't (there is not)Is there a bank?
Plural nounthere arethere aren't (there are not)Are there any questions?
Save this conjugation chart
There Is / There Are conjugation table: There Is / There Are — positive, negative, and question formsDownload PNG

More Examples

  • There is a beautiful park in my city.

    Something is in a place

  • There are 24 hours in a day.

    Fact about quantity

  • Is there time for a coffee?

    Asking about availability

  • There aren't enough chairs for everyone.

    Negative quantity

  • There's someone at the door.

    Contraction "there's" common in speech

Common Mistakes

  • ✗Using "it is" instead of "there is": "It is a cat in the garden" should be "There is a cat in the garden".
  • ✗Wrong agreement: "There is many people" should be "There are many people".

Tips

  • ✓Agreement with NEXT noun: "There is a book and pens" (singular first) vs "There are pens and a book" (plural first).
  • ✓Common contractions: there's (= there is), there're (= there are, less common).

Advanced Notes

"There is/are" is an existential construction — it introduces something new into the conversation without implying the speaker owns or is near it. The common learner error of using "It is" (Italian "è", Spanish "hay" confusion) stems from transferring L1 patterns. In informal speech "there's" is used with plurals too ("There's loads of people here"), which is nonstandard but extremely common. The construction also appears in past ("there was/were") and future ("there will be") forms.

FAQ

Is it "it is a cat" or "there is a cat"?

There is a cat in the garden — use there is/are to say something exists somewhere, not it is.

Is it "there is many people" or "there are many people"?

There are many people — people is plural, so it needs are, not is.

What is the difference between there is/are and to be?

There is/are says something exists in a place: "There is a dog in the park." To be describes the subject itself, like its identity or feeling: "The dog is friendly."

What does "there's" mean?

There's is the short form of there is, very common in speech: "There's someone at the door."

Which noun decides is or are when there are two nouns?

The noun right after there is/are decides it: "There is a book and pens" (singular first) vs "There are pens and a book" (plural first).

Practice

  1. 1. a park near my house.
  2. 2. 24 hours in a day.
  3. 3. any milk left?
  4. 4. enough chairs for everyone.
  5. 5. someone at the door.
Quiz loads as you scroll…

Compare With

Verb "To Be"(A1)