Hay in Spanish: hay vs está and están
Short answer
Hay says that something exists and never changes form: hay un problema, hay tres sillas. Está and están say where an already known thing is. Hay un banco en la plaza introduces it; el banco está en la plaza locates it.
Level A1 · verbs, ser estar
The rule in full
hay — there is / there are. One form only, for existence of something not yet identified.
- Hay un banco cerca. Hay tres libros. No hay leche.
está / están — where a known thing is.
- El banco está cerca. Los libros están en la mesa.
| Use hay with | Use está(n) with |
|---|---|
| un / una / unos | el / la / los / las |
| numbers, mucho, poco | names, possessives |
| nothing (no hay) | this / that (este, ese) |
Check yourself
4 questions, with the reason for each answer.
Question 1 of 40 correct
___ tres libros en la mesa.
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