What is “There is / There are”?

There is and there are are two of the most essential structures in English. They are used to state that something exists, is present, or can be found in a particular place, time, or situation. Rather than starting a sentence with the actual subject, English uses the word there as a kind of “introductory subject” to announce what exists before describing where or when it exists.

For example, instead of saying “A cat is in the garden,” English speakers naturally say “There is a cat in the garden.” The word there in this structure does not refer to a location — it simply introduces the noun that follows. This is why it is sometimes called the existential “there.”

The choice between there is and there are depends on whether the noun that follows is singular or plural. Mastering this distinction is essential for building correct, natural-sounding English sentences at every level.

💡 Two Different “There”s

Do not confuse the existential “there” (there is / there are) with the adverb of place “there” (meaning “in that place”).

Existential: There is a bank on this street. (announces existence)
Place adverb: The bank is there, on the corner. (points to a location)

In the existential use, there carries no meaning of place — it is purely a grammatical tool.

When Do We Use “There is / There are”?

The there is / there are structure is used in a wide range of everyday situations. It is one of the first structures taught to beginners because of its high frequency and usefulness in describing the world around us.

Purpose Example
Stating that something exists There is a new restaurant on Park Avenue.
Describing what is in a place There are three bedrooms in this apartment.
Talking about quantity or number There are over two hundred students in this school.
Mentioning events or occurrences There is a meeting at three o’clock today.
Describing weather or conditions There is a lot of fog this morning.
Introducing new information There are some important things I need to tell you.
Describing problems or situations There is a problem with the heating system.
⚠️ Do Not Use “There is / There are” with Definite Nouns

This structure is used to introduce new or indefinite information. Do not use it with the, this, my, or other definite determiners.

✘ There is the book on the table.
✔ The book is on the table.

✘ There are my keys in the drawer.
✔ My keys are in the drawer.

Use a, an, some, any, many, much, a lot of, several, a few, no etc. after there is/are.

Affirmative Sentences

The affirmative form uses there is for singular and uncountable nouns, and there are for plural nouns. The verb be agrees with the noun that comes after it, not with the word “there.”

📐 Formula — Singular / Uncountable

There is + a/an / uncountable noun + place/time

There is a park near my house.
There is some milk in the fridge.

📐 Formula — Plural

There are + plural noun + place/time

There are two banks on this street.
There are many tourists in the city centre.

Type Structure Example
Singular There is + a/an + noun There is a hospital on Baker Street.
Plural There are + number/quantifier + noun There are five chairs in the room.
Uncountable There is + some/a lot of + noun There is some water on the floor.
Contraction (singular) There’s + noun There’s a message for you.
💡 Contractions in Spoken English

There is is commonly contracted to there’s in both spoken and informal written English.
There’s a great café near the station.

There are does not have a standard written contraction. However, in casual speech, many native speakers say “there’s” even with plural nouns. This is considered informal and should be avoided in writing and exams.
✘ There’s three people waiting. (informal speech only)
✔ There are three people waiting. (correct)

Negative Sentences

To make there is / there are negative, add not after the verb be, or use no directly before the noun. Both forms are correct, but they produce slightly different structures.

📐 Formula — Negative with “Not”

There is not (isn’t) + a/an / any + noun

There are not (aren’t) + any + plural noun

📐 Formula — Negative with “No”

There is + no + singular/uncountable noun

There are + no + plural noun

Form With “not + any” With “no”
Singular There isn’t a gym in this building. There is no gym in this building.
Plural There aren’t any shops nearby. There are no shops nearby.
Uncountable There isn’t any sugar left. There is no sugar left.
⚠️ Do Not Use Double Negatives

When using no, do not also use not. This creates a double negative, which is incorrect in standard English.

✘ There isn’t no milk in the fridge. (double negative)
✔ There isn’t any milk in the fridge.
✔ There is no milk in the fridge.

Rule: Use not + any OR no, but never both together.

Questions

To form questions with there is / there are, simply invert the word order: move is or are before there.

📐 Formula — Yes/No Questions

Is there + a/an / any + singular/uncountable noun ...?

Are there + any + plural noun ...?

📐 Formula — How many / How much Questions

How many + plural noun + are there ...?

How much + uncountable noun + is there ...?

Question Type Question Short Answer
Singular yes/no Is there a swimming pool in the hotel? Yes, there is. / No, there isn’t.
Plural yes/no Are there any tickets left? Yes, there are. / No, there aren’t.
Uncountable yes/no Is there any coffee in the kitchen? Yes, there is. / No, there isn’t.
How many How many students are there in your class? There are twenty-five.
How much How much time is there before the exam? There is about an hour.
What What is there to do in this town? There are museums and parks.
💡 “Any” in Questions and Negatives

Use any in questions and negative sentences. Use some in affirmative sentences.

✔ There are some eggs in the box. (affirmative)
✔ Are there any eggs in the box? (question)
✔ There aren’t any eggs in the box. (negative)

Exception: Use some in questions when offering or requesting:
Is there some cake I could have? (polite offer/request)

Special Rules and Important Details

The there is / there are structure has several important rules that students must learn, especially for exams. These rules cover subject-verb agreement, tense changes, and the use of this structure with different quantifiers.

Rule Explanation Example
Agreement with the first noun When a list follows, the verb agrees with the first noun in the list. There is a table and four chairs.
There are four chairs and a table.
Past tense Use there was (singular) and there were (plural) for past. There was a park here ten years ago.
There were many trees along the road.
Future tense Use there will be for future. The form is the same for both singular and plural. There will be a concert tomorrow.
There will be fifty guests at the party.
Present perfect Use there has been (singular) and there have been (plural). There has been an accident on the highway.
There have been several complaints.
With modals Use there + modal + be. No singular/plural change. There must be a reason for this.
There might be some delays.
With “a lot of” Use there is with uncountable nouns and there are with countable plurals. There is a lot of traffic today.
There are a lot of cars on the road.
“There” is NOT the subject The real subject is the noun after the verb. “There” is a dummy subject (placeholder). There are thirty students in the class. (students = real subject)
⚠️ “There is” vs. “It is” — A Common Confusion

Students often confuse there is with it is. They have very different functions:

There is/are = says that something exists:
There is a cinema near my house. (a cinema exists near my house)

It is = gives more information about something already known:
It is a very modern cinema. (describing the cinema)

✘ It is a problem with the system. (introducing a new fact → use there is)
✔ There is a problem with the system.

💡 “There” in All Tenses — Quick Reference

Present: There is / There are
Past: There was / There were
Future: There will be
Present Perfect: There has been / There have been
Past Perfect: There had been
Going to: There is going to be / There are going to be
Modal: There must be / There might be / There could be / There should be

❖

“Before you describe what something is, you must first announce that it exists. That is the power of ‘there is’ and ‘there are.’”

— The Grammar Gazette
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Examples in Context

Study these example sentences carefully. Each group demonstrates there is / there are in affirmative, negative, and question forms across different situations.

✔ Affirmative Sentences
✔ There is a beautiful cathedral in the centre of Barcelona.
✔ There are several museums worth visiting in Amsterdam.
✔ There is some fresh bread on the kitchen counter.
✔ There are over thirty languages spoken in London.
✔ There was a power cut in the neighbourhood last night.
✔ There will be a welcome ceremony for new students next Monday.
✘ Negative Sentences
✘ There isn’t a direct flight from Oslo to Sydney.
✘ There aren’t any cheap hotels near the airport.
✘ There is no reason to worry about the exam.
✘ There wasn’t enough time to finish the project.
✘ There weren’t any questions after the presentation.
✘ There won’t be a test this Friday.
❔ Questions
❔ Is there a pharmacy near here? — Yes, there is one on Maple Street.
❔ Are there any vegetarian options on the menu? — Yes, there are several.
❔ How many floors are there in this building? — There are twelve.
❔ Was there a lot of traffic this morning? — Yes, there was.
❔ How much sugar is there in this recipe? — There is about fifty grams.
❔ Will there be enough chairs for everyone? — Yes, there will.

There is / There are with Quantifiers

Quantifiers are words that express how much or how many of something exists. Since there is / there are sentences almost always involve quantity, knowing which quantifiers go with is and which go with are is essential for accuracy.

Quantifier There is (singular/uncountable) There are (plural)
a / an There is a letter for you. —
some There is some juice in the bottle. There are some cookies on the plate.
any Is there any milk left? Are there any seats available?
no There is no parking here. There are no buses after midnight.
a lot of / lots of There is a lot of noise outside. There are a lot of people in the queue.
much There isn’t much time left. —
many — There are many reasons to be optimistic.
a few — There are a few mistakes in your essay.
a little There is a little butter in the fridge. —
enough There is enough space for everyone. There are enough books for the whole class.
plenty of There is plenty of food. There are plenty of options.
💡 Much and Many — Mostly for Negatives and Questions

In modern English, much and many are most commonly used in negative and question forms. In affirmative sentences, prefer a lot of:

✔ There are a lot of students in the hall. (natural)
✘ There are many students in the hall. (grammatically correct but sounds formal/stiff)

✔ Are there many students in the hall? (natural in questions)
✔ There aren’t many students in the hall. (natural in negatives)

Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

The there is / there are structure is simple in theory but produces many errors in practice, especially in exams. This section covers the most frequently made mistakes.

Error Type Incorrect Correct
Using “have” instead of “there is” It has a bank on this street. There is a bank on this street.
Wrong verb agreement (plural) There is many people in the park. There are many people in the park.
Wrong verb agreement (singular) There are a problem with the computer. There is a problem with the computer.
Using “the” after there is/are There is the book on the desk. The book is on the desk.
Double negative There isn’t no milk. There isn’t any milk. / There is no milk.
Omitting “there” Is a supermarket near here? Is there a supermarket near here?
Confusing “there” with “their/they’re” Their is a cat on the roof. There is a cat on the roof.
Using “exist” awkwardly It exists many problems. There are many problems.
❌ Common Exam Traps
✘ There is twenty students in the classroom. → ✔ There are twenty students in the classroom.
✘ There aren’t no buses on Sunday. → ✔ There aren’t any buses on Sunday.
✘ There are a big park in the city. → ✔ There is a big park in the city.
✘ It has a lot of traffic today. → ✔ There is a lot of traffic today.
✘ There were a beautiful sunset yesterday. → ✔ There was a beautiful sunset yesterday.
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There is / There are vs. “It is” vs. “They are”

Students often mix up there is / there are, it is, and they are. This final section compares these structures clearly so you can choose the right one every time.

Feature There is / There are It is They are
Function Introduces existence of something new Describes or identifies something already known Refers to specific known plural things
Subject type Indefinite (a, some, any, many) Definite (the, this, that) or pronoun Definite (the, these, those) or pronoun
Example There is a library in the town. It is a modern library. They are open on Saturdays.
Meaning A library exists in the town. The library is modern. The libraries are open on Saturdays.
Used for weather? No Yes — It is cold today. No
Used for time? No Yes — It is five o’clock. No
Used for existence? Yes — primary use No No
🔄 Choosing the Right Structure
There is a new café on Oxford Street. (announcing its existence)
It is very popular with students. (describing the café)
There are many different drinks on the menu. (listing what exists)
They are all organic and locally sourced. (describing the drinks)
There will be a grand opening event next Saturday. (announcing a future event)
It will be a great opportunity to try everything. (commenting on the event)
💡 Quick Decision Guide for Exams

Step 1: Are you saying something exists or is present somewhere?
→ Yes: Use there is / there are
→ No: Use it is or a normal subject

Step 2: Is the noun singular/uncountable or plural?
→ Singular/Uncountable: there is
→ Plural: there are

Step 3: Is the sentence affirmative, negative, or a question?
→ Affirmative: use some, a, a lot of
→ Negative: use not any or no
→ Question: use any (or some for offers)

⚠️ Final Reminder — The Four Most Tested Rules

1. Verb agreement: There is (singular/uncountable) vs. There are (plural)

2. No definite articles: Do not use the, this, my after there is/are

3. No double negatives: Use not + any OR no, never both

4. There ≠ It: There is announces existence. It is describes something already known.