There Is vs There Are: How to Say What Exists
Use 'there is' before a singular noun and 'there are' before a plural noun to say that something exists or is present: "There is a problem" but "There are two beds." Here 'there' is a dummy subject and has no meaning of place at all; the real subject comes after the verb, so the verb must agree with that noun. To ask a question, simply invert the verb and 'there': "Is there a bank near here?" The most common mistake is using 'there is' with a plural, as in "There is three chairs" instead of the correct "There are three chairs."
Examples
- There is a problem. a problem exists
- There are two beds. two beds exist in the room
- Is there a bank near here? asking if a bank exists nearby
The full lesson
Everything in the video, in text.
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There is three chairs? It sounds fine — but it's wrong.
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To say that something exists, English uses a fixed phrase: there is, or there are. Which one you pick depends on what comes next.
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The rule is simple. There is goes with a singular noun — one thing. There are goes with a plural noun — more than one.
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Start simple. One thing exists, so we use there is. There is a problem.
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Two things? The noun becomes plural, so we switch to there are. There are two beds.
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In everyday speech, there is almost always shrinks to there's. There's a café on the corner.
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To say something is missing, go negative — there isn't for one, there aren't for many. There isn't any milk.
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For a question, flip the order so the verb comes first — is there, or are there. Is there a bank near here?
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Here's the key idea. In these sentences, there isn't a place — it's an empty placeholder. The real subject is the noun that comes after the verb.
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So the verb must match the noun that follows — not the word there. Three chairs is plural, so it has to be there are.
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And there can even appear twice — first the placeholder, then the real place, meaning over there. There are some people there.
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One more nuance. With uncountable things like water or milk, treat them as singular — there is. There is some water in the bottle.
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Remember: there is for one thing, there are for more — and match the verb to the noun, not to there.