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Unit 08
There Is / There Are
Talking about existence and quantity
Existence vs. Location
Use "there is/are" when you're introducing something new or saying that something exists.
- The café is next to the office. (We know the café — we're telling you WHERE it is.)
- There is a café next to the office. (We're saying a café EXISTS there — introducing new information.)
Basic Forms
Key rule: Use there is for singular or uncountable nouns. Use there are for plural nouns.
Contraction: "There is" → "There's". There's no standard contraction for "there are".
| Number | Affirmative | Negative | Question |
|---|---|---|---|
| Singular | There is a book on the desk. | There isn't a book on the desk. | Is there a book on the desk? |
| Plural | There are two books on the desk. | There aren't any books on the desk. | Are there any books on the desk? |
Some / Any / No
Important: "There are no..." = "There aren't any..." — both mean the same thing. Don't combine them! ❌ There aren't no...
| Word | Use | Example |
|---|---|---|
| some | Positive sentences | There are some apples. / There is some milk. |
| any | Negatives & questions | There aren't any chairs. / Are there any messages? |
| no | Negative meaning + positive verb | There are no cars in the street. |
Quantity Expressions
Tip: "many/few" → countable plural · "much/little" → uncountable
| Quantity | Countable (plural) | Uncountable |
|---|---|---|
| Large amount | many / a lot of | much / a lot of |
| Small amount | few / a few | little / a little |
| Examples | There are many cars. | There isn't much traffic. |
| There are a few chairs. | There is a little milk left. |
Past Forms (Was / Were)
| Time | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Affirmative | There was a problem yesterday. | There were a lot of people. |
| Negative | There wasn't any noise. | There weren't many seats. |
| Question | Was there a delay? | Were there many guests? |
Future Form (Will Be)
To talk about future existence, use there will be:
- There will be a meeting tomorrow.
- There won't be enough time.
- Will there be food at the event?
- Note: "Will be" doesn't change for singular or plural — it's the same for both!
There Is or Have? There Is or It Is?
- Don't translate "Şehrimde bir park var" word by word. Don't say
In my city has a park. Say There is a park in my city — or make the city the subject: My city has a park. - There is introduces something new. It is describes something we already know: There's a new café on my street. It's very cosy.
- After "there is", the first noun in a list decides the verb in everyday English: There's a sofa and two chairs. In careful writing: There are two chairs and a sofa.
Examples
Subject
Verb
Auxiliary
Object
Adjective
Adverb
Preposition
Hover over any word to see its role.
subjectThereverbisobjecta caféprepositionnear here
↳ Singular existence — "is + a"
subjectThereverbareobjectmany booksprepositionon the shelf
↳ Plural existence — "are + many"
subjectThereverbwasobjecta problemadverbyesterday
↳ Past existence — "was"
verbAresubjectthereanyobjectquestions?
↳ Plural question — "Are there + any"
subjectThereverbwill beobjecta meetingadverbtomorrow
↳ Future existence — "will be"
Common Mistakes
There are a chair.
→
There is a chair.
"A chair" is singular → "There is".
There is many people.
→
There are many people.
"People" is plural → "There are".
There isn't any apples.
→
There aren't any apples.
"Apples" is plural → "aren't".
There have a problem.
→
There is a problem.
"Have" doesn't work like this — use "is/are" with "there".
Are there a restaurant near here?
→
Is there a restaurant near here?
"A restaurant" is singular → "Is there".
There weren't no people.
→
There were no people. / There weren't any people.
Avoid double negatives. Use "no" with positive verb OR "any" with negative.
Is there many flights today?
→
Are there many flights today?
"Flights" is plural → "Are there".
In my city has a big park.
→
There is a big park in my city. / My city has a big park.
Use "There is ... in my city", or make the city the subject. (Turkish "var" ≠ "has")
There is a new café. There is very nice.
→
There is a new café. It is very nice.
Use "it" to describe something already mentioned.