A1 · Ser, estar and hay
hay — there is, there are
One form for everything, and never an article after it.
hay is «there is» and «there are», and it says that something exists. It is a single form for singular and plural: Hay un problema and Hay dos problemas — hay does not change.
The difference from estar is the difference between that something exists and where something is. hay brings something new in, estar says something about what is already known: Hay una farmacia en la esquina mentions it for the first time, La farmacia está en la esquina takes it for granted that you know about it.
From that follows a rule with no exceptions: hay is never followed by the definite article. What you name with el or la is already known — and what is known does not need introducing.
Die Form
| present | hay |
| past (imperfect) | había |
| past (preterite) | hubo |
| future | habrá |
| question | ¿Hay …? |
| negative | No hay … |
Die Regeln im Einzelnen
hay stays the same whether it is one thing or many.
Hay un banco y hay tres cajeros.There is a bank and there are three cash machines.
hay is never followed by el, la, los or las.
Hay una carta para ti.There is a letter for you.
What is new comes with hay, what is known with estar.
Hay un gato en el jardín. El gato está debajo del banco.There is a cat in the garden. The cat is under the bench.
no hay denies that something is there.
No hay leche en la nevera.There is no milk in the fridge.
Woran man es erkennt
- un
- una
- algún
- mucho
- nada
- alguien
Beispielsätze
¿Hay una parada de autobús por aquí?Is there a bus stop near here?
Hay mucha gente en la plaza.There are a lot of people in the square.
No hay nadie en la oficina.There is nobody in the office.
Había dos coches delante de la puerta.There were two cars in front of the door.
Die typisch deutsche Falle
Aufgepasst
Two mistakes at once, both out of English. The first is making hay plural, because English does change: «there is» against «there are». Hayn does not exist, and han is a different form of haber. The second is the definite article after hay, because English allows «there is the station».
hay introduces, estar finds again — and hay stays hay.
Jetzt selbst
5 Aufgaben zu diesem Thema. Die Antworten werden im Browser geprüft; nichts davon verlässt Ihr Gerät.