French Existence Statements: Using 'il y a' for 'There Is' and 'There Are'
Learn to say that something exists or is present in French with the fixed expression 'il y a', and use it in everyday sentences.
By TheaFirst conversations · Yapr Learn
In French, to say that something exists or is present, you do not use a verb that changes with the subject. Instead, you use a fixed expression: 'il y a'. This lesson teaches you to form simple existence statements such as 'There is a park near my house' and 'There are two cafés on this street'. You will learn the pattern, when to use it, and how to avoid common errors.
By the end, you can…
- say that one thing exists or is present using 'il y a'.
- say that several things exist or are present using 'il y a'.
- ask whether something exists using 'Est-ce qu'il y a...?'.
- make a negative existence statement using 'il n'y a pas'.
Listen once. Try it slowly. Then say it without looking.
Checking available voices…
Il y a un parc près de chez moi.
There is a park near my house.
eel ee ah uhn pahrk preh duh shuh mwah
Use for one singular thing. 'Un parc' is masculine singular.
Il y a deux cafés dans ma rue.
There are two cafés on my street.
eel ee ah duh kah-fay dahn mah roo
The same 'il y a' is used for plural things. 'Deux cafés' is plural.
Est-ce qu'il y a une boulangerie ici ?
Is there a bakery here?
ess kuh eel ee ah ewn boo-lahn-zhree ee-see
Yes/no question. 'Est-ce que' is placed before 'il y a'.
Il n'y a pas de métro dans ce quartier.
There is no metro in this neighborhood.
eel nee ah pah duh may-troh dahn suh kar-tyay
Negative: 'ne...pas' surrounds 'y a'. After 'pas', 'de' replaces 'un/une/des'.
Il y a beaucoup de monde au marché.
There are a lot of people at the market.
eel ee ah boh-koo duh mohnd oh mar-shay
Use 'beaucoup de' to talk about a large quantity. 'Monde' means 'people' here.
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Make it make sense
Useful pattern
The expression 'il y a' is fixed. It does not change for singular or plural: 'Il y a un livre' (There is a book) and 'Il y a trois livres' (There are three books). To make a question, use 'Est-ce qu'il y a...?' or rising intonation: 'Il y a un bus ?'. To make a negative, use 'Il n'y a pas de...': 'Il n'y a pas de bus.' The 'de' replaces 'un/une/des' after 'pas'.
When to use it
Use 'il y a' to state that something exists or is present in a place, without focusing on who or what does an action. For example, 'Il y a une pharmacie en face.' (There is a pharmacy opposite.) Compare with 'La pharmacie est en face.' (The pharmacy is opposite.) The second sentence assumes you already know which pharmacy. Use 'il y a' when you introduce new information or mention something for the first time.
Listen to each line, then take one part and reply out loud.
Excusez-moi, est-ce qu'il y a une station de métro près d'ici ?
Excuse me, is there a metro station near here?eks-kew-zay mwah, ess kuh eel ee ah ewn stah-syon duh may-troh preh dee-seeOui, il y a une station à deux cents mètres.
Yes, there is a station two hundred meters away.wee, eel ee ah ewn stah-syon ah duh sahn met-ruhEst-ce qu'il y a aussi un café dans le coin ?
Is there also a café around here?ess kuh eel ee ah oh-see uhn kah-fay dahn luh kwanNon, il n'y a pas de café, mais il y a une boulangerie.
No, there is no café, but there is a bakery.nohn, eel nee ah pah duh kah-fay, meh eel ee ah ewn boo-lahn-zhreeA little context goes a long way
In everyday spoken French, 'il y a' is often pronounced 'ya' in informal contexts, especially in France. For example, 'Y a un problème' means 'There's a problem.' In more formal or written French, keep the full 'il y a'. In Quebec and other Francophone regions, the full form is also standard, but the informal 'ya' is common in casual speech. Use the full form in this lesson to be clearly understood everywhere.
One thing to watch for
Using 'avoir' (to have) to say 'there is', as in 'A un parc près de chez moi.'
Try this instead: French uses the fixed expression 'il y a', not a form of 'avoir'. Say 'Il y a un parc près de chez moi.' The 'il' in 'il y a' is not a real subject; it is a dummy subject required by the structure.
Your turn
Try answering out loud before checking a possible answer.
1How do you say 'There is a bakery on my street' in French?
Show a sample answer
Il y a une boulangerie dans ma rue.
'Il y a' introduces the existence of one bakery. 'Une boulangerie' is feminine singular. 'Dans ma rue' means 'on my street'.
2Make this sentence negative: 'Il y a un métro ici.'
Show a sample answer
Il n'y a pas de métro ici.
In negative sentences, 'un' changes to 'de' after 'pas'. The full negative form is 'ne...pas'. 'Il n'y a pas de métro ici' is correct.
3Ask 'Is there a park near here?' using 'Est-ce que'.
Show a sample answer
Est-ce qu'il y a un parc près d'ici ?
'Est-ce que' is placed before 'il y a'. 'Près d'ici' means 'near here'. Rising intonation is also possible: 'Il y a un parc près d'ici ?'
Use 'il y a' for both 'there is' and 'there are'. It never changes with number. For questions, add 'Est-ce que'. For negatives, use 'Il n'y a pas de...'.
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