What’s the difference between There Is and There Are?

Hey there, English learners! 👋 Today, we’re going to tackle two super common and super useful phrases: “There is” and “There are.” These little guys help us talk about what exists or what can be found in a place. Let’s dive in!

What Do There Is and There Are Mean?

Think of “there is” and “there are” as ways to say, “You can find…” or “Something exists…” We use them to introduce a new item or person.

When to Use “There Is”

We use “There is” when we’re talking about one (singular) thing.

Examples:

• There is a cat on the mat. (Just one cat 🐈)
• There is an apple in the basket. (Just one apple 🍎)
• There is a book on the table. (Just one book 📚)
• There is a student in the classroom. (Just one student 🧑‍🎓)

Chart: “There Is” (Singular)

When to Use “There Are”

We use “There are” when we’re talking about two or more (plural) things.

Examples:

• There are two cats on the mat. (More than one cat 🐈🐈)
• There are many apples in the basket. (Many apples 🍎🍎🍎)
• There are some books on the table. (Some books 📚📚)
• There are five students in the classroom. (Five students 🧑‍🎓🧑‍🎓🧑‍🎓🧑‍🎓🧑‍🎓)

Chart: “There Are” (Plural)

Asking Questions with There Is and There Are

To ask a question, we simply swap the order of “there” and “is” or “are.”

Questions with “Is there…?” (Singular/Uncountable)

• Is there a bathroom nearby?
• Is there any coffee left? (Coffee is uncountable, so we use “is.”)
• Is there a temple in this area? (Yes, in Cambodia, there are many beautiful temples! 🇰🇭)
• Is there a market today?

Questions with “Are there…?” (Plural)

• Are there any good restaurants around here?
• Are there many tourists in Siem Reap?
• Are there two books on the shelf?
• Are there any children playing outside?

Chart: Questions

Making Negative Statements with There is and There are

To say something doesn’t exist, we add “not” after “is” or “are.”

Negative with “There isn’t…” (Singular/Uncountable)

• There isn’t a pen on the desk.
• There isn’t any milk in the fridge.
• There isn’t a cloud in the sky today.
• There isn’t much traffic right now.

Negative with “There aren’t…” (Plural)

• There aren’t any pens on the desk.
• There aren’t many people here.
• There aren’t any shops open late.
• There aren’t many opportunities like this.

Chart: Negative Statements

There Is vs. It Is

This is a common point of confusion for beginners!

• “There is” introduces something new. (e.g., There is a dog.)
• “It is” refers to something already mentioned or understood. (e.g., There is a dog. It is brown.)

Example:

• “Look! There is a beautiful flower.” (Introducing the flower)
• “Yes, it is a rose.” (Talking about the specific flower we just mentioned)

Additional Helpful Content: Contractions!

Native speakers often use contractions to make speaking faster and more natural.

• “There is” becomes “There’s”
• “There are” does not have a common contraction (we usually just say “there are”).
• “There is not” becomes “There isn’t”
• “There are not” becomes “There aren’t”

Examples:

• There’s a problem.
• There isn’t a good movie playing.
• There aren’t any seats left.

Practice Time!

Let’s test your understanding. Fill in the blank with “there is” or “there are”:

1. __________ a bird in the tree.
2. __________ many students in the library.
3. __________ one book on my bed.
4. __________ five temples in this town.
5. __________ some water in the glass.
6. __________ a lot of history in California

Answers:

1. There is a bird in the tree.
2. There are many students in the library.
3. There is one book on my bed.
4. There are five temples in this town.
5. There is some water in the glass.
6. There is a lot of history in California.

How did you do? Give yourself a pat on the back! 🙌

Here is a PDF worksheet you can download with several questions and sentences about There is and There are. The answers are on a separate page.

Additional Helpful Links

• Study more about countable and uncountable nouns – Quantifiers: A Guide to Countable and Uncountable Nouns

External Links for More Learning:

Ready to learn more from authoritative sources? Check these out:

• British Council LearnEnglish: https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/grammar/beginner-to-pre-intermediate/there-is-there-are
• Cambridge Dictionary – There is / There are: https://dictionary.cambridge.org/grammar/british-grammar/there-is-there-are

Keep practicing, and you’ll master “there is” and “there are” in no time! Good luck with your English journey! ✨

Related posts:

Quantifiers: A Guide to Countable and Uncountable Nouns Third Person Singular – Add S ES IES to verbs Have/Has, Do/Does, Don’t/Doesn’t – 3rd Person Singular Do and Does: Simple English Questions for Beginners