Verbs · Beginner (A1)
There is / there are
Say that something exists or is in a place: There’s a bank. There are two parks.
The rules
There is (there’s) + singular or uncountable noun: There’s a problem. There’s some milk. There are + plural: There are three bedrooms.
Negative: There isn’t a lift. There aren’t any shops. Questions: Is there a bank near here? Are there any questions? Short answers: Yes, there is. / No, there aren’t.
Past: there was / there were. Future: there will be. Don’t confuse there (exists) with they’re (they are) or their (possessive).
Examples
- There’s a supermarket at the end of the street.
- There are 30 students in my class.
- Is there any sugar?
- There were a lot of people at the concert.
Common mistakes
✗ It has a park near my house.
✓ There is a park near my house.
Use there is for existence, not it has.
✗ There is two cars.
✓ There are two cars.
Plural → there are.
Practice
___ a good restaurant here?
Quiz
1.There ___ some bread on the table.
2.There ___ five people in my family.
3.Complete the sentence.
4.“It has a museum in my town” is correct English.