There Is / There Are (Saying What Exists)

Level: A1. When you want to say that something exists or is in a place, English uses there is and there are. The only choice you make is singular or plural — and that choice follows the noun, not the word there.

The rule

There is and there are are the normal way to introduce something new: to say that it exists or that it is somewhere. The word there here is just a starter word; it does not mean “in that place” (that is a different there).

Use there is with a singular noun (one thing) or an uncountable noun — a thing you can’t count one-by-one, like water, milk or time: There is a book on the table. / There is milk in the fridge.

Use there are with a plural noun (more than one thing): There are two books on the table. / There are many people here.

The key point: the verb agrees with the noun that comes after it, never with there. Say there is a problem and there are problems — look at problem / problems to decide.

The forms

Example sentences

Common mistakes

• ❌ There are a book on the table. → ✅ There is a book on the table. One book is singular, so use there is.
• ❌ It has a problem with the car. → ✅ There is a problem with the car. To say something exists, use there is/are, not it has.
• ❌ Have many people here. → ✅ There are many people here. English needs the starter word there; don’t drop it.
• ❌ There is two chairs. → ✅ There are two chairs. Two chairs is plural, so use there are.
• ❌ There are a lot of traffic. → ✅ There is a lot of traffic. Traffic is uncountable, so it takes there is.
• ❌ Is there some seats? → ✅ Are there any seats? Use are there for plural questions, usually with any.

A short conversation

A: Is there a supermarket near the hotel? B: Yes, there is. And there are two cafés on the same street. A: Great. Is there anything open late? B: There’s a small shop, but there aren’t any restaurants after ten.

Usage notes

• Countable vs uncountable. Uncountable nouns (water, bread, money, information) always take there is, even though they feel like “a lot”: There is a lot of information.
• Contractions. There’s (= there is) is very common in speech. The plural there’re is rarely written — say and write there are in full.
• any / some. In negatives and questions, plurals and uncountables usually take any: There aren’t any eggs. / Are there any eggs? In positives, use some: There are some eggs.
• Past tense. The same pattern works in the past with was (singular) and were (plural): There was a storm. / There were two storms.

Compared with…

• have got. There is/are says that something exists or is in a place; have got says that a person or thing possesses something. Compare There is a garden (it exists) with The house has got a garden (the house owns it). Use there is/are to introduce; use have got to say who owns it. See Have Got.
• The verb to be. There is/are is built on the present of to be (is, are), so the negatives and questions follow the same rules you learned in Verb ‘To Be’ in the Present.

Quick recap before you practise.

Practice

Quiz

Recap cheat-sheet

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