Hay (haber)
The word hay is a special conjugated form of the verb haber, an irregular verb which has some special uses.
Here we're looking at hay, meaning there is or there are. It can also mean is there? or are there? So you see it can be used with statements and questions without changing form. Neither does it change for singular or plural.
Hay is used to express or question the existence of something.
¿Hay un mercado por aquí?
Is there a market around here?
Sí, hay.
Yes, there is.
¿Hay algo que hacer?
Is there something to do?
No hay nadie en el restaurante. (note the use of no to make it negative)
There’s no one in the restaurant.
*Don't forget the silent h in hay – it sounds a bit like ai, as in the word shy (and pronounced with a short sound, less drawn out). A bit like Ay ay ay!
Está/están (estar)
Estar can be used in similar situations to haber, but has a totally different meaning. As opposed to haber, which addresses the existence of something, estar is used when you are talking about the location of something specific – something which already has an established or assumed existence.
Here are the conjugations of estar in the present tense:
| Estoy | I am |
| Estás | You are |
| Está | He/she/it is |
| Estamos | We are |
| Estáis | You are |
| Están | They/you (all) are |
Basically estar in a sentence means is or are (ie: without the word there).
El mercado está en la esquina
The market is (located) on the corner
El camarero está en el restaurant.
The waiter is in the restaurant.
¿Dónde estás?
Where are you?
Estamos en Melbourne.
We are in Melbourne / We're in Melbourne..
How do you differentiate?
Haber is used when the existence of the ‘thing’ about which you are talking is unknown. Because of this, we use an indefinite determiner (or an indefinite word) alongside the noun you're talking about. Indefinite determiners (a, an, some, many) are, well, indefinite!
Here they are in Spanish: un(os), una(s), algún(os), alguna(s), mucho(s), mucha(s).
¿Hay algún museo de arte en esta ciudad?
Is there an art museum in this city?
Estar is used when we know that the thing we’re talking about exists. Therefore, definite articles, demonstratives and possessives accompany the noun we're talking about. These include el, los, la(s), mi(s), tu(s), este, esta, etc,as well as proper names.
¿Dónde está el museo de arte?
Where is the art museum?
Melbourne está en Australia.
Melbourne is in Australia.
Then we can use the two forms:
¿Hay unos ajos en la cocina? – Are there any garlic cloves in the kitchen?
Sí, los ajos están encima de la mesa – Yes, the garlic cloves are on the table.
Note the use of unos with hay and los with están in the example above.
Illustration by Ana Ruiz
Practice exercise! Circle hay or está/n (Solutions below)
Helen is talking about her life in an exercise she has to do for her Spanish class, but she's not sure which verb she has to use – can you help her?
Helen nos habla sobre su vida en un ejercicio que tiene que hacer para su clase de español, pero no está segura del verbo que tiene que usar, ¿la podéis ayudar?
¡Hola! Me llamo Helen y os quiero hablar un poco de mi vida y de mi ciudad.
Soy australiana, de Melbourne y trabajo de enfermera en un hospital. El hospital se llama St Vincents y hay/está bastante cerca de mi casa. Normalmente tomo el tranvía para ir al trabajo.
Yo vivo en el norte de la ciudad, a unos 6 kilómetros del hospital. Vivo en un apartamento con una compañera de trabajo.
En mi calle hay/están unos bancos, una farmacia, un cine muy popular, una oficina de correos, muchos cafés y un supermercado. La calle es muy grande y hay/está mucho ruido durante los fines de semana.
En el centro de Melbourne hay/están muchos cafés y restaurantes, también hay/están la estación de trenes de Flinders, el río Yarra, el jardín Botánico, la plaza de la Federación….y muchos, muchos otros sitios.
Yo estudio español en una escuela que se llama El Patio. El Patio hay/está en el centro de la ciudad y hay/está otra escuela en Northcote. En mi escuela hay/están muchas estudiantes y profesoras.
Normalmente trabajo desde las ocho de la mañana hasta las cuatro de la tarde. Me gusta mucho mi trabajo. Los sábados y domingos ceno con mis amigas en restaurantes o vamos al cine. Cerca de mi casa hay/está el “El chile picante” un restaurante mexicano que me gusta mucho.
Me encanta mi ciudad.
Soluciones
| 1) está | 6) está |
| 2) hay | 7) hay |
| 3) hay | 8) hay |
| 4) hay | 9) está |
| 5) están |
When do you learn about Hay and Está/Están?
Elementary 2 is where these two concepts are first introduced (which also means Rápido Elementary 2, the second part of Express 1&2 and Elementary 2 Summer Intensive).
We study hay and está/están in the context of talking about where things are in a city. This naturally leads on to asking and giving directions, how to get around.
Hay and está/están are very handy for this, and therefore it's great to get a good understanding of how they are used. Once you do, you'll never forget!
Remember the tip about looking for what word is used with the noun that hay and está/están are talking about. Is it el banco or un banco? That will generally be the clue to which you use:
El banco está en la esquina – the bank is on the corner.
Hay un banco en la esquina – there is a bank on the corner.
Download a Printable Version
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Download a Printable Version
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By Matt van Run, exercise and images by Ana Ruiz
August 26, 2016
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