There is / There are

There is / There are

There is / There are

In the English language we use two phrases to express the existence of something or someone in a place.

Look at these examples:

  • There is / There are
    There is a computer in the bedroom.
    There is / There are
    There is a washing machine in the laundry room.
    There is / There are
    There is a cat in the living room.
    There is / There are
    There is an orchid in the flower pot.

    Pay attention that in the singular form, we use a or an before the singular element.

  • There is / There are
    There are two sofas in the living room.
    There is / There are
    There are three cushions in the sofa.
    There is / There are
    There are four flowers in the vase.

    Pay attention that in the plural form it is necessary to mention the number of the elements and the elements are in the plural form.

  • What happens if we don't have one or more than two elements in a place or area?

    There is / There are
    There isn't a TV in the bedroom.
    There is / There are
    There isn't a microwave in the kitchen.
    There is / There are
    There isn't a painting in the living room.
    There is / There are
    There isn't an eraser in my pencil case.
  • There is / There are
    There aren't any windows in the bedroom.
    There is / There are
    There aren't any students in the classroom.
    There is / There are
    There aren't any books in the bookshelf.

    Pay attention that in the previous examples the word any is used to express the absence of elements in the plural form.

Writing exercise

Look at the following pictures and complete de sentences. Use a/an for singular nouns or the number for plural nouns.

Observa las imágenes y completa las oraciones. Utiliza a/an para sustantivos en singular o el número exacto para los sustantivos en plural.

There is / There are

Follow the example:

There are four chairs in the classroom (chair).

There is / There are

1. There are in the bedroom (bed).

There is / There are

2. There is in the laundry room (washing machine).

There is / There are

3. There is in the living room (armchair).

There is / There are

4. There is in the bathroom (rug).

There is / There are

5. There are in the dining room (curtain).

There is / There are

6. There are in the bathroom (mirror).

There is / There are

7. There are in a living room (person).

There is / There are

8. There are in the studio (boy).

True or false exercise

Click on the best option. Are these sentences True or False?

Da clic en la opción correcta. Son estas oraciones ¿ciertas o falsas?

There is / There are
1. There is a sink in the kitchen.
2. There is a blender.
3. There isn’t a rug.
4. There is a fridge.
5. There aren’t any cupboards.
6. There isn’t a coffee table.
7. There is a microwave.
8. There is a TV.
9. There are two stoves.
10. There aren’t any windows.
Writing exercise

Look at this picture and write a description by using there is/there are (affirmative or negative) and the words given. Don’t forget to use a, an, any or the number of the elements where necessary.

Observa la imagen y describe lo que hay usando there is/there are (afirmativo o negativo) usa las palabras que se te proporcionan. No olvides usar a, an, any o el número de los elementos donde sea necesario.

What is there in this living room?

Follow the example:

0. (book)

There aren’t any books in the living room.
There is / There are
1. (coffee table)
2. (sofa)
3. (bed)

4. (armchair)

5. (lamp)

6. (cat)

7. (cushion)

8. (flower pot)

9. (painting)