There is/There are
Grammar

In English, "There is" and "There are" are used to describe the existance of things (singular and plural).

Singular and plural

"There is" is used to describe the existance of a singular object:

There is a book.

"There are" is used to describe the existance of a plural objects:

There are books.

Note:

"There is" can be contracted to "There's."
A contraction does not exist for "There are."

Negative Form

To form the negative, simply add the word "not" or its contraction.

There is not → Contraction: There isn't
There are not → Contraction: There aren't

examples:

There is not a book. → There isn't a book.
There are not books. → There aren't books.

Interrogative Form

To ask a question, we simply reverse the order of the words.

examples:

Is there a book?
Yes, there is. (Affirmative answer)
No, there isn't. (Negative answer)

Are there books?
Yes, there are. (Affirmative answer)
No, there aren't. (Negative answer)

Video

Watch a video from "The English Minute" that teaches how to use "There is" and "There are." The English Minute (www.theenglishminute.com) is a website with short lessons that you can study on your mobile phone.

Exercise - There is / There are

Select the correct answers to describe the rooms.

Comedor

Sala

Exercise - Sentences with There is and There are

Write sentences using There is or There are, or their negative forms, to describe what is and is not in each room. Write the affirmative sentences without contractions and the negative sentences with contractions, as in the example below. Make sure you use correct capitalization and include a period at the end.

Example

comedor

table

Sala

Cocina

Dormitorio

Find the Mistake

Instructions
Identify the error in the following sentences and write the corrected version.

example
He are a student. → He is a student.

Writing

Write a paragraph describing your house. What is in the house? Make sentences with "There is..." and "There are..." to describe what is in the house.

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