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Lesson 6 The Verb Form HAY

Yo soy ____________________________ Hoy es _______________________________________

The verb form HAY means there is or there are and the interrogatives is there? or are there?
in Spanish. It is used to express the existence of something or someone. Hay is not a complicated
word to use, but we must keep a few things in mind.

1. After the word hay, the definite article (el, la, los, las) are never used.

2. The types of words that may come after hay are:

(a) Indefinite articles (un, una, unos, unas)

Hay una fresa en el frigorfico. There is a strawberry in the fridge.
Hay unos nios en el parque. There are some children in the park.
Hay un armario en la cocina? Is there a cupboard in the kitchen?
Hay unas gomas en la mesa? Are there some erasers on the table?

*Note: Indefinite adjectives may also be used. For example:
Algn, alguna, algunos, algunas Some
Otro, otra, otros, otras Other
Varios, varias Various
Mucho, mucha, muchos, muchas Many


(b) Numbers
*Note: For the quantity of 1, we will use un for a m,sg. noun and una for a f,sg. noun.

Hay un bolgrafo en mi lapicera. There is one pen in my pencil case.
(There is a pen in my pencil case.)
Hay una flor en mi jardn. There is one flower in my garden.
(There is a flower in my garden.)
Hay tres perros en mi casa. There are three dogs in my house.
Hay 230 pginas en el diccionario. There are 230 pages in the dictionary.

(c) Nouns (most often in plural form)
*Note: Nouns in singular form may be used only for those that are uncountable (electricity, water,
sugar, etc.)

Hay papeles en la carpeta. There are papers in the file.
Hay tigres en el bosque. There are tigers in the forest.
Hay azcar en mi caf. There is sugar in my coffee.
Hay agua en tu casa? Is there wter in your house?

*To say there isnt or there arent, we use NO HAY.

No hay tomates en el mercado. There are no tomatoes in the market.
No hay elefantes en el zoolgico. There are no elephants in the zoo.

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Prctica 1 / Practice 1
Traduce las siguientes oraciones al ingls. / Translate the following sentences into English.

1. There are 365 days in a year.

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2. There are 60 minutes in an hour.

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3. There are 7 days in a week.

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4. There is a bank on this street.

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5. There are some beautiful beaches in Malaysia.

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6. Is there a cinema in your city?

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7. Are there laboratories in the university?

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8. There is no money in my wallet.

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9. There arent any cars on the highway.

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10. There is one cockroach in the toilet.

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Answering Questions with HAY

1. When a question is asked with regards to whether or not something/someone is or isnt there, the
reply should be:
(a) S, hay. - Yes, there is. / Yes, there are.
(b) No, no hay. - No, there isnt. / No, there arent.

Hay un armario en la cocina?
- S, hay (un armario en la cocina).
Is there a cupboard in the kitchen?
- Yes, there is.
Hay un armario en la cocina?
- No, no hay (un armario en la cocina).
Is there a cupboard in the kitchen?
- No, there isnt.

2. A question can also be asked about the quantity of something/someone, using the question word
(interrogative) cuntos/as, which means how many.

Cuntos alumnos hay en la clase de Juan?
- Hay 17 alumnos en su clase.
How many students are there in Juans class?
- There are 17 students in his class.
Cuntas habitaciones hay en tu casa?
- Hay tres habitaciones en mi casa.
How many rooms are there in your house?
- There are three rooms in my house.

Prctica 2 / Practice 2
Contesta las siguientes preguntas. / Answer the following questions.

1. Hay un piano en tu casa?

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2. Hay electricidad en la escuela?

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3. Hay un lpiz en tu lapicera?

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4. Cuntos libros hay en tu mochila?

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5. Cuntas universidades hay en Kuala Lumpur?

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6. Cuntos gramos de chocolate hay en el pastel?

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7. Cuntas personas hay en el avin?

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