English grammar: There is/there are

What this grammar point covers

‘There is’ and ‘there are’ are used in English to say that something exists or is present in a place.

When to use it

Use ‘there is’ and ‘there are’ to talk about the existence or presence of people, animals, or things in a place.

Key forms

• There is + singular noun (There is a cat.)
• There are + plural noun (There are cats.)
• Negative: There isn’t / There aren’t
• Question: Is there...? / Are there...?

Examples

Tips

• Use ‘there is’ with one thing, and ‘there are’ with more than one.
• Don’t forget to use ‘any’ in questions and negatives: ‘Are there any...?’, ‘There aren’t any...’
• Remember: ‘There’s’ is the short form of ‘There is’.

Exceptions and edge cases

• In informal speech, ‘there’s’ is sometimes used with plural nouns, but this is not correct in formal English.