Un "hay" con dos formas
Para decir que algo existe o está en un lugar, el inglés usa there is con singulares e incontables, y there are con plurales. El español tiene una sola forma ("hay"); el inglés concuerda con lo que viene detrás.
| Español | Inglés |
|---|---|
| Hay un problema. | There is a problem. / There's a problem. |
| Hay dos habitaciones. | There are two bedrooms. |
| Hay leche en el refrigerador. | There is some milk in the fridge. |
| Hay mucho tráfico. | There is a lot of traffic. |
| Hay muchas personas. | There are a lot of people. |
En una enumeración, el verbo suele concordar con el primer elemento: There is a sofa and two chairs. (Hay un sofá y dos sillas.)
Negación y preguntas
- There isn't any milk. / There is no milk. — No hay leche.
- There aren't any free seats. — No hay asientos libres.
- Is there a pharmacy near here? — ¿Hay una farmacia cerca de aquí?
- Are there any questions? — ¿Hay alguna pregunta?
- How many people are there? — ¿Cuántas personas hay?
Respuestas cortas: Yes, there is. / No, there isn't. / Yes, there are. / No, there aren't.
Pasado y futuro
| Tiempo | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| pasado ("había", "hubo") | There was a party. | There were many people. |
| futuro ("habrá") | There will be a meeting. | There will be changes. |
- There were a lot of tourists in the city. — Había muchos turistas en la ciudad.
- There will be a test on Friday. — El viernes habrá un examen.
there is o it is
There is presenta algo nuevo; it is habla de algo que ya se ha mencionado:
- There is a letter for you. It's from the bank. — Hay una carta para ti. Es del banco.
Ojo si hablas español
- "Hay" y "había" invariables. ✗ There is many problems. / ✓ There are many problems. ✗ There was a lot of people. / ✓ There were a lot of people.
- Frase sin there. ✗ Is a bank near here. / ✓ There is a bank near here. ✗ In my city are many parks. / ✓ In my city there are many parks.
- "Hay que" + infinitivo. No se traduce con there, sino con un sujeto y have to: ✗ There is to wait. / ✓ We have to wait.
Diálogo de ejemplo
Is there a bank near here? — ¿Hay un banco cerca de aquí?
Yes, there are two on this street. — Sí, hay dos en esta calle.
Is there an ATM too? — ¿Hay también un cajero automático?
Yes, there's one next to the pharmacy, but there's always a long line. — Sí, hay uno al lado de la farmacia, pero siempre hay una fila larga.