Por Vahid Alaghehband
There is y there are significan «hay». Se usa there is (o there's) con un nombre en singular o incontable y there are con un nombre en plural: There is a bank (hay un banco), There are two banks (hay dos bancos).
¿Cuándo se usa there is y cuándo there are?
Depende de lo que viene después: con un nombre singular o incontable (a car, some water, a lot of traffic) se usa there is; con un nombre plural (two cars, many people) se usa there are. Para preguntar se invierte el orden: Is there…? / Are there…?
| Forma | Singular o incontable | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Afirmativa | There is a bank. / There's some water. | There are two banks. |
| Negativa | There isn't a bank. / There isn't any water. | There aren't any banks. |
| Pregunta | Is there a bank near here? | Are there any banks near here? |
| Respuesta corta | Yes, there is. / No, there isn't. | Yes, there are. / No, there aren't. |
En las negativas y las preguntas con plural o incontable se suele usar any; en las afirmativas, some.
En pasado: there was y there were
Para decir «había» o «hubo», se usa there was con singular o incontable y there were con plural: There was a lot of traffic. There were many people. Más detalles en cuándo se usa was y were.
Errores típicos
- There is two cars ✗ → There are two cars ✓.
- Have a bank near here? ✗ → Is there a bank near here? ✓ (para «hay» no se usa have).
- There are a lot of traffic ✗ → There is a lot of traffic ✓ (traffic es incontable).
- There isn't some milk ✗ → There isn't any milk ✓.
Ejercicios con respuestas
- ___ a park near my house.
- ___ two banks on this street.
- ___ any milk in the fridge?
- There ___ (not) many people at the beach today.
- ___ there a pharmacy near here?
- There ___ some water on the floor.
Respuestas: 1. There's / There is · 2. There are · 3. Is there · 4. aren't · 5. Is · 6. is.
Practica there is y there are hablando
Con Vozi Grammar practicas la gramática por nivel, con explicación, ejemplos y conversación por voz o por texto, y al terminar recibes correcciones de tus errores de gramática.
Conocer Vozi Grammar →Siguiente lectura: el verbo to be con 30 oraciones e in, on, at para el lugar.
Siguiente paso: si no sabes tu nivel, haz el test de nivel de inglés (unos 15 minutos, con resultado al instante). Para seguir con este tema, conoce los ejercicios de gramática inglesa por nivel de Vozi Grammar.
Preguntas frecuentes
¿Cuándo se usa there is y there are?
There is con un nombre en singular o incontable (there is a car, there is some water) y there are con un nombre en plural (there are two cars).
¿Qué significa there is?
Significa «hay». There is a park near my house: hay un parque cerca de mi casa.
¿Cómo se pregunta «¿hay…?» en inglés?
Con Is there…? para singular o incontable y Are there…? para plural: Is there a pharmacy near here? Are there any buses?
¿Cuál es el pasado de there is y there are?
There was (singular o incontable) y there were (plural): there was a problem, there were many people.
¿Se usa some o any con there is y there are?
Some en las afirmativas (there are some apples) y any en las negativas y preguntas (there aren't any apples, are there any apples?).
