There is a book on the table.
- Language
- English
- Level
- A2
- Unit
- Existence and location
- Practice types
- 0
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
There are three chairs in the room.
Is there a bus stop near here?
There isn’t any milk in the fridge.
Are there any questions?
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.