MyLeoNes™

There is and there are: saying what exists — Foreign languages, 7–10 years

There is and there are introduce things we can see or imagine in a place. Use there is for one thing and there are for two or more.

Putting something on the scene

There is and there are are like a spoken arrow pointing into a scene. There is a spider means one spider is present. There are three leaves means three leaves are present. The important number comes after the phrase.

Why start with there?

When you point out a new thing, the listener does not know it yet, so you start with the scene: There is a surprise in the box. English uses there to open that scene before naming the surprise. It is different from saying where the surprise is.

Count before you choose

Look at a table: one cup and four plates. First count each group. One cup needs there is: There is a cup on the table. Four plates need there are: There are four plates on the table. The phrase changes because the number of things changes.

Do not count the place

It is easy to choose there are because a room or a box feels like a large thing. But the choice depends on the thing being introduced, not on the place around it. Say There is a toy in the rooms, even though rooms may be big; say There are toys when the introduced things are several.

Describing a picture or a room

When you show someone a photo, a map or a room, there is and there are let you point out what appears in it. You might say There is a river and there are two bridges. This helps a listener build the same picture in their mind.

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