There are a lot of grammatical structures and phrases in the English language that have no analogues in the Russian language. But don't despair. The main thing is to delve into the essence of such grammatical phenomena, understand them, memorize them, and the language will be given to you easily and simply. One of the revolutions that we will talk about today is the design There is/are-its plural. You will learn why it is needed, how and where to use it. How does the there is construct work?
What is “There is” needed for?
There is translated as “there is, there is, there is.” With it, you can easily and quickly list what you want: objects in the room, furniture in the house, trees and flowers in the garden, food on the table, etc.
If the objects we are talking about are singular, then after there we use is. For example:
- There is a lamp on my writing table. — There is a lamp on my desk.
If the objects we mention are in the plural, then together with there we use are:
- There are some books on my bookshelf. — There are several books on my bookshelf.
This phrase is usually found at the beginning of a sentence. But this is not necessary; it can be in the middle of the phrase:
- In the classroom there is a map of Great Britain. — There is a map of Great Britain in the classroom.
We use the design easily and simply!
So, we already know the rule, now let's watch this turnover in action. Let's see how this turnover behaves in short descriptions.
Imagine that you need to talk about your room in English. Using our design, this can be done something like this:
My room is not very big, but it is light and very cozy. There is a big window in my room. There is a bed in my room. There is a table and a chair. In the corner there is a bookshelf with some books. I like my room very much. — My room is not big, but it is bright and very cozy. There is a large window in my room. There is a bed. There is a table and a chair. In the corner there is a bookshelf with several books. I like my room.
Of course, this description can be diluted with colors and sizes of objects, and their exact location. But the grammatical structure will help you name and list objects and the furnishings of your room. You just need to remember in what number you use nouns.
Let's move on to another description. Suppose you need to tell about your city, what it is like, what it has, what institutions, etc.
My town is very beautiful. There are a lot of buildings in my town. In the Main Street there is a school, a post-office, a bank. On our square there is a monument. Near the square there is a park. There is a museum in my town. We love our town very much. - My town is very beautiful. There are many buildings in my city. There is a school, post office and bank on the main street. There is a monument on our square. There is a park near the square. There is also a museum in my city. We love our city very much.
As you noticed, there is no analogue of such a construction in the Russian language, but it does not present any difficulties. Everything is quite simple. 
Description and listing of objects using the construction there is
Let's practice ourselves!
So, you have already become acquainted with the new English expression, now let's do the exercises. We offer you several tasks in which this grammatical phrase is present. These exercises will help you consolidate your acquired knowledge and become more familiar with this design.
Use the construction in singular or plural:
There _____ some milk in the bottle. There _____ an orange in the refrigerator. There _____ five chicks and a hen in the yard. There _____ a big window to the right of the door. There ______ a blue arm-chair at the door. _____ there three cups and three saucers on the coffee-table? ____ there is a carpet on the wall? There _____ two cups of coffee on the table.
Paste There is / There are:
Some fruits and vegetables in the refrigerator
A cake on the plate
Some jam in the fridge
Some spices in the cupboard
Some juice in the glass
Two cups of coffee on the coffee-table.
Translate the sentences into English:
- There is salt on the table
- There are some fruits in the refrigerator
- There are many flowers in our garden
- There is a TV in the living room
- There is a carpet on the floor in the bedroom
- There are curtains on the window.
We hope that these exercises will help you in learning this design. We wish you good luck and see you again!
The phrase there is/there are is a speech construction that begins to be studied at the initial stage of learning English. If you need to talk about the location of an object or person, then you will need to use this phrase. The phrase there is/there are in English means “there is, is located.” But for a correct translation into Russian, you need to study some rules for handling this construction.
General concept
So, the phrase there is/there are is used quite often in English, since we constantly need to indicate the position of this or that object. And this phrase helps to do this in the best possible way. For example, you need to say that there are three doctors in a certain room.
With the help of turnover we get the following sentence: There are three doctors in the room. In this case, we draw your attention to the order of words in the sentence.
There is (thr is) There are (thr are) | location |
We see that the phrase begins with a phrase, then an object is indicated, and only at the end the place where this object (or person) is located is noted.
Why does the turnover look this way? What is the difference between thr is and thr are? The answer is simple. The first option is used to describe one object or person, and the second to describe two or more objects.
- Thr is a dog on the bed. - A dog is sitting on the bed.
- Thr are dogs on the bed. - There are dogs sitting on the bed.
There is/there are: translation into Russian
It is important to understand that the sentence in which this phrase is used cannot be translated literally. The correct way to do this is to start at the end of the sentence. This will make you sound beautiful in your native language.
- Thr is a book on the table. - A book is on the table.
- Thr are dogs in the yard. - There are dogs running in the yard.
I would like to note that the phrase there is/there are has several translation options. It all depends on the specific object and situation. When translating, the main thing is to maintain correctness and plausibility, and not to deviate from the norms of the literary language.
Temporal features
The next thing that needs to be said when discussing the phrase there is/there are is the different forms of the verb “to be” when the phrase is used in different tenses. As you know, the strong verb to be has many forms, and in our case, a different form is used in each time period.
Present tense | |
Past tense | |
Future |
All of these forms can be part of this construction, since the phrase there is/there are can be used both in the present tense and in the past or future.
- Thr is a kitten in the corner. - There is a kitten sitting in the corner.
- Thr are students in the hall. - There are students in the hall.
- Thr was a car near the shop. - There was a car near the store.
- Thr were green trees in the center of the square. - There were green trees in the center of the square.
- Thr will be a lot of pupils in the bus. - There will be many students on the bus.
We see from examples how the form of the verb changes and how the phrase changes. The translation style is also clearly visible: we change the meaning of the verb depending on the specific situation.
Questions, answers and denials
The phrase there is/there are, the rules of formation of which we discuss here, can be used not only in declarative sentences. We can also use it to pose questions, answer them and use it in negative constructions. Let's look at all these options in turn.
The construction of the question occurs by simple rearrangement of words. Depending on the type of question, the verb is placed in first or second place:
- General question: Is thr a dog in the park? - Is there a dog in the park?
- Special question: What is thr in the river? - What is there in the river?
- Alternative question: Is thr a book or a pen in the bag? - Is there a book or pen in the bag?
- Dividing question: Thr is a boy on the bench, is not there? - It's the boy on the bench, isn't it?
The answer to general or disjunctive questions using this phrase will be the option Yes, there is or No, there isn't (depending on the speaker's intention) or Yes, there are / No, there aren't, if the plural form was used in the sentence numbers.
Negative sentences can be constructed in two ways:
- use of the negative particle not,
- use of the pronoun no.
If we choose the first option, then in addition to the negative particle, we must use the pronoun any, which means the absence of something or someone.
- Thr is not any dress in my room. - There is not a single dress in my room.
- Thr are not any houses in this place. - There are no houses in this place.
By using the second option, we can do without unnecessary additional words, and the negative pronoun itself will relate more to the noun than to the verb:
- Thr is no phone in my pocket. - There is no phone in my pocket.
- Thr are no birds in this forest. - There are no birds in this forest.
Important points in using there is/there are
Translation into Russian of such a phrase is not the only feature that should be taken into account. There are a few more points that should not be forgotten when using this phrase. There are variants of proposals when we need to indicate the location of not one object, but several, that is, apply an enumeration. In this case, the following rule will apply: when listing several objects or people, you need to take into account the word that is located immediately after the phrase itself. The choice of verb form will depend on it:
- Thr is a book, 2 pens and a bag on the sofa. - On the sofa there is a book, two pens and a bag.
- Thr are 2 pens, a book and a bag on the sofa. - There are two pens, a book and a bag on the sofa.
This is easy to understand and remember, since in Russian this construction also looks different (lie, lie).
It is also worth remembering about nouns that can be countable and uncountable. If a word cannot have a plural form, then only the form suitable for the singular should be placed in front of it, regardless of the accompanying words:
- Thr is a lot of water in this glass. - There is a lot of water in this glass (water does not have a plural).
- Thr are a lot of glasses on the table. - There are many glasses on the table (glasses can be used in the plural).
Training
In order to always write and speak correctly, you need to practice using the phrase there is/there are. The exercises for this topic are simple and aimed at developing automatic memorization, as well as training to quickly select the correct form. For example:
- Put the correct form of the verb. Thr...a kite in the sky. - A kite is flying in the sky.
- Put a question to the sentence. Thr are a lot of girls at the party. - There are a lot of girls at the party.
- Translate the sentence. On the table there is a computer, many books and notebooks.
Turnover thereis/thereare in English it is used when you need to indicate the presence of a person or phenomenon in a certain place. After turnover there is/there are the subject is put.
There is a lamp on the table. There (is) a lamp on the table.
Therewas a storm last night. There was a storm last night.
Translation of sentences with this phrase usually begins with the adverbial adverbial place.
If the subject is expressed by a plural noun, then the verb to be after there is also plural.
There are two lamps on the table. There are lamps at the bottom of the table.
If there is/there are several subjects in a sentence with the phrase there is/there are, then the verb to be usually agrees in number with the subject that immediately follows it.
There is a pen and six pencils on the table.
There are six pencils and one pen on the table. There are six pencils and one pen on the table.
There is a tendency, however, to use this phrase with the plural verb to be (there are) in cases where the second subject is plural.
There are a pen and six pencils on the table. There is a pen and six pencils on the table.
When the tense changes, the form of the verb to be changes:
After a formal subject there the verb to be can be used with modal verbs or with the verbs to seem, to appear in the meaning “to seem”.
There must be somebody in the room. It seems there is someone in the room.
There seemedtobe a way out. It seemed that there was a way out (of the situation).
The negative form is formed using negation no, which is placed after the verb to be before the noun.
There is no lamp on the table. There is no lamp on the table.
If a noun is preceded by a definition expressed by the pronouns any, much, etc., then after the verb to be a particle is placed not.
There is not any lamp on the table. There is (no) lamp on the table.
There is not much snow in the street. There is not much snow outside.
The interrogative form when using the verb to be in the Present Simple or Past Simple (or Present and Past Indefinite) is formed by placing the verb to be in first place - before there.
Is there a lamp on the table? Is there a lamp on the table?
When there is a complex form of the verb (i.e., when there are auxiliary or modal verbs), the auxiliary or modal verb is placed before there, and the verb to be is placed after there.
Will there be an English lesson at 3 o’clock? Will there be an English lesson at three o'clock?
When asking a question to a subject with the phrase there is/there are, the interrogative word what is used, which is the subject of the sentence. The verb to be in these cases is always used in the singular, even if the question is posed in relation to the presence of several objects or phenomena.
What is there on the table? What is on the table?
BUT: In answer to such a question, the verb to be is used in the plural if the fact of the presence of several objects or phenomena is stated (or, for example, in the case of listing them - as noted earlier).
What is there on the table? What is on the table?
There are some books. Some books.
Questions to other members of a sentence with this construction are constructed according to the general rule.
Brief answers to questions containing the phrase there is/there are are also constructed according to the general rule.
Are there any books on the table? — Are there any books on the table? —
Yes, there are (some). Yes, I have.(No, there aren’t.) (No.)
The particle there in the phrase there is/there are has no meaning, i.e. meanings of the adverb there - there, there. Therefore, if in a sentence with this phrase it is necessary to convey the meaning “there” (i.e., use the adverb there in its semantic meaning), then this second there is placed at the end of the sentence as an adverb of place.
But there are no lemons there. But there are no lemons there.
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Preparation for English language exams:
Every person learning English encounters the phrase there is/there are. And already at the very basic level. Often this phrase causes difficulty, since there is no analogue in the Russian language. It is worth understanding that the structure of sentence construction in English differs from the grammar of the Russian language. To use the there is/are construction correctly, you don’t need to try to construct an English sentence “in Russian.” You need to start thinking in English. If you change your thinking, this turnaround will not be difficult.
Why is this turnover needed?
The construction is used if you need to indicate the presence or absence of a person or object in a certain place. In other words, if you need to say that something or someone is located, exists in a place you know, or happens at some time, you use there is or there are. For example:
There is a dog in the doghouse.
There (is) a dog in the kennel.
There are some trees near the house.
There (are) several trees near the house.
Please note that turnover is used when we are talking about some new (unknown) object that is located in a place already known to us.
Here are two similar proposals:
1. There is a map on the wall.
2. Map on the wall.
In the first sentence, in a place known to us (on the wall) there is an object unknown to us (a map). Therefore in English it will sound like this:
There is a map on the wall.
In the second case, we report where (in what place) an object known to us (map) is located. In English we will say:
The map is on the wall.
If you understand this difference, then using there is/there are will no longer be a problem.
Construction of a sentence
You, most likely, have already noticed that the construction there is/there are at the beginning of the sentence, contrary to the rules for constructing an English sentence. The subject in this case is placed after this phrase. Schematically, this can be depicted as follows:
The order of words in such a sentence cannot be changed.
It is worth noting that the circumstance may be missing in the sentence:
There are two armchairs.
Here (here) are two chairs.
There is some milk.
Here (here) is milk.
If the subject is a countable noun in the singular, then the article is placed before it - a.
The pronouns some, any, a lot, many (with countable nouns), much (with uncountable nouns) are used with uncountable nouns and plural nouns. And also cardinal numbers.
How to translate a sentence
The meaning of the phrase there is/there are corresponds to the Russian “there is”, “is located”, “lies”, “is available”. It is better to translate the sentence from the end, that is, from the circumstances of revenge or time. The word there is most often not translated into Russian. For example:
There is a plant near the window.
We begin to translate from the circumstances: where? - by the window. Then we translate the subject: what? - plant. We get the following translation:
There (is, is) a plant near the window.
Is orare
Let's take a closer look at when to use there is and when there are. If the subject is singular and uncountable, we put – is. If the subject is plural, then you need to use – are. Everything is simple here.
But what if after the turn there are several subjects, that is, objects are being listed? In this case, the verb to be usually agrees with the subject that immediately follows it.
There is a cat and three kittens on the couch.
There is a cat and three kittens on the sofa.
There are three kittens and a cat on the couch.
There are three kittens and a cat on the sofa.
Various temporary forms
The phrase there is/there are can be used in the tense forms Indefinite and Perfect. The verb to be will always take the third person form:
Present Indefinite: there is/there are
Past Indefinite: there was/there were
Future Indefinite: there will be
Present Perfect: there has been/there have been
Past Perfect: there had been
Future Perfect: there will have been
For example:
There was a letter here. Where is it?
There was a letter here. Where is it?
There will be snow tomorrow.
It will snow tomorrow.
Formation of the question
To form a general question, the verb to be in the appropriate form must be placed before the word there:
Is there a movie theater in this town?
Is there a cinema in this city?
Were there many visitors in the café yesterday?
Were there a lot of people in the cafe yesterday?
A short answer can be given to these questions:
Yes, there is/are. - Yes.
Yes, there was/were. - Yes.
No, there isn’t/aren’t. - No.
No, there wasn’t/weren’t. - No.
With the phrase there is/there are, you can construct special questions. In this case, the question word is placed first in the sentence, and then the word order is the same as in a general question.
When posing a question to the subject, interrogative pronouns are used: What? or Who?
What is there for dinner today?
What's for dinner today?
A question to determine the subject can begin with question words: How many? How much? What? Which?
How many apple trees are there in your garden?
How many apple trees are in your garden?
Negative form
A negative sentence with the phrase there is/there are can be formed in two ways.
Firstly, using the negative particle not, which must be placed after the verb to be. In colloquial speech, the shortened negative form is usually used:
in the present tense there isn’t or there aren’t.
in the past tense there wasn’t or there weren’t.
In a negative sentence, the indefinite article is placed before singular countable nouns, and the pronoun any is placed before plural and uncountable nouns.
There isn’t an air bag in my car.
My car doesn't have (any) airbag.
There weren’t any messages for me yesterday.
There were (no) messages for me yesterday.
Secondly, negation can be expressed using the pronoun no. It is placed before the noun and is its definition:
There's no milk in this store.
There is no milk in this store.
There are no trains to Moscow today.
There are no trains to Moscow today.
The phrase there is/there are is used quite often in English. To make your speech competent, lively and interesting, it is important to learn how to use this turn of phrase in colloquial speech. To practice English, the channel “English – Speak Freely!” has been created. in a programme . On this channel you will meet like-minded people learning English and will be able to put your knowledge into practice.
In English, the phrase there is/are is very common. This construction has no analogue in the Russian language, which makes it difficult to understand and use. What makes it special?
How and when to use there is/ there are? You can be sure that you have asked yourself this question more than once. Let's figure out what the difficulties of using this phrase are.
Semantic side
Construction there is (there are) reports the location of a particular object or person, information about which is still unknown. The rule of phonetics says that the phrase must be pronounced together, the main emphasis in the sentence should be on the subject.
There is a man in the window. There (is) a person in the window.
There are flowers in the garden. There (are) flowers in the garden.
Let’s give two sentences that are identical in meaning at first glance and look at what the main difference is:
The cup is on the table. The cup (is) on the table. – This proposal emphasizes place, where the object is already known to the interlocutor.
There is a cup on the table. There (is) a cup on the table. – This proposal emphasizes precisely item, located in a certain place already known to the interlocutor (on the table).
Thus, turnover there is/there are used to convey new information about an object located in a known location.
Translation
Sentences according to the rule with the construction there is/there are are translated from the end, that is, from the adverbial place or time. Moreover, the word there is omitted, but in some cases it can be used twice if it makes sense to indicate the meaning “there”.
There are some mistakes in the test. – There are several errors in the work.
There are nobody there. - There is nobody there.
Subject
1. Before a countable noun in singular. The article a is used in number.
2. Before an uncountable noun or noun. in plural number is used some, any, many, a lot, much, few, little, two, three.
There are some roses in the garden.
There isn't any juice in the box.
There were many pupils in the camp.
Constructing a sentence with turnover
There + to be + subject + adverbial of time or place.
There + is + a book + on the table.
There + are + many happy days + in summer.
Are or Is?
Are used if the subject - noun is in the plural:
Is used if the subject - noun is singular:
There are chairs at the table. - There are chairs near the table.
There is a chair at the table. - There is a chair near the table.
Tense forms of the verb to be in there is/there are!!!:
Present Indefinite: there is/there are – there is, located;
Past Indefinite: there was/there were – was, was;
Future Indefinite: there will be (one form for plural and singular) – will be located;
Present Perfect: there has been/there have been – was, was;
Past Perfect: there had been (one form for plural and singular) - was, was;
There were many people in the meeting. — There were a lot of people at the meeting.
There have been a lot of pears in the garden this year. – There were a lot of pears in the garden this year.
Different types of sentences with the construction there are/there is.
The turnover we are studying is often used in interrogative phrases of various types. The construction of a negative sentence with this construction also has a special feature. Let’s consider each separately.
General question:
To be + there + subject + adverbial of time or place?
Is + there + a phone + in mother’s room? – Is there a telephone in mom’s room?
Short answers with there is/there are
a) Yes/No, there + is/isn’t.
Is + there + a phone + in mother’s room? – No, there isn’t
b) Yes/No, there + auxiliary verb (was, were, will, has, have, had)/ auxiliary. verb+ not
Were there many people in the class? – Yes, there were.
Special question:
Special question word (what) + to be + there + circumstance of time or place?
What are there on the bed? -What's on the bed?
Separated question:
To be + there + subject + or + alternative subject + adverbial of time or place?
Is there tea or milk in the cup? Is there tea or milk in the cup?
Negative sentence:
1. There + to be + not + subject + adverbial of time or place.
There aren’t any photos in the box. – There are no photographs in the box.
There isn’t a pen in the pencil-case. - There is no pen in the pencil case.
2. There + to be + no + subject + adverbial of time or place (this is a more common option).
There are no people in the street. - There are no people on the street.
There was no juice in the bottle. - There is no juice in the bottle.
Substitutes to be
Instead of to be, other verbs can be used that do not change the meaning of the construction, but give a different meaning to the entire sentence. Substitutes can be modal or intransitive verbs close in meaning to to be (live, exist, stand, lie, come):
There mustn’t be any mistakes in your work. – There should be no mistakes in your work.
There lived a model in the village. — A model lived in the village.
If you use this element of English grammar correctly, your speech will be more lively and interesting. Follow the rule there is (there are) and you will easily master all the features of this design.