English — Existential there is / there are
Use there is and there are to say that something exists or is present. The verb agrees with the noun that follows: there is a book, there are two books.
How it works
Choose the verb by the noun right after it: singular takes is (there is a car), plural takes are (there are cars). For the past use there was / there were, and for the future there will be. In questions the verb moves first: Is there a problem? Are there any seats? The negative is there isn't / there aren't. With uncountable nouns use singular: there is a lot of water.
Examples
| Sentence | Use |
|---|---|
| There is a cat in the garden. | Singular affirmative (is + one thing) |
| There are three books on the table. | Plural affirmative (are + more than one) |
| There isn't any milk. | Singular negative with uncountable noun |
| Are there any questions? | Plural question (verb first) |
| There was a party last night. | Past singular (there was) |
| There were many people at the show. | Past plural (there were) |
| There will be a meeting tomorrow. | Future (there will be) |
| There's a lot of noise here. | Large quantity, uncountable (a lot of) |
Good to know
Do not use it is for existence: say there is a shop near here, not it is a shop near here. In everyday speech people often say there's before a plural noun (there's two men outside), but in careful or written English use there are two men outside.