Hay - There is, There are - e Learn Spanish Language

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Hay - there is, there are

Hay is a very common Spanish expression. It is equivalent to the English expression there is or there are:

Hay un libro en la mesa.	There's a book on the table.
Hay tres hombres en la clase.	There are three men in the class.
Hay muchas cosas a hacer.	There's a lot to do (There are lots of things to do).

Hay is the present tense impersonal form of the verb haber, and can be followed by a singular or plural noun.

In other tenses and moods, the impersonal verb haber has both singular and plural impersonal conjugations, but most Spanish speakers consider use of the plurals as incorrect. I've provided both forms here for reference.

conditional	habría	there would be
	habrían	there would be
future	habrá	there will be
	habrán	there will be
imperfect	había	there was
	habían	there were
present perfect	ha habido	there have been
	han habido	there have been
pretérito	hubo	there was
	hubieron	there were
subjunctive	que haya	that there is/are
	que hayan	that there are

When followed by an infinitive, hay que means it is necessary to or one has to:

Hay que estudiar cada día.	It's necessary to study every day.
Hay que trabajar para triunfar en la vida.	One has to work in order to succeed in life.

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