Grammar book · Words and sentences
There is and there are
There is እና there are
Use there is / there are to say that something exists or is in a place. Amharic says አለ at the end; English starts with there + be.
Positive, negative and question
Amharic: ቤቱ ውስጥ ሦስት ክፍል አለ. English: There are three rooms in the house. there is the empty subject; the real subject comes after be, and be agrees with it: there is + singular or uncountable, there are + plural. Don't use have for this (In the house have three rooms is wrong), and don't use it is (It is a bank near here is wrong).
In Amharic
አማርኛ፦ ቤቱ ውስጥ ሦስት ክፍል አለ። እንግሊዝኛ፦ There are three rooms in the house። there ባዶ ባለቤት ነው፤ እውነተኛው ባለቤት ከ be በኋላ ይመጣል፣ be ደግሞ ከእሱ ጋር ይስማማል፦ there is + ነጠላ ወይም የማይቆጠር፣ there are + ብዙ። ለዚህ have አይጠቀሙ (In the house have three rooms ስህተት ነው)፣ it is ም አይጠቀሙ (It is a bank near here ስህተት ነው)።
| Singular / uncountable | Plural | |
|---|---|---|
| + | There is (There's) a park near my house. | There are two schools on our street. |
| − | There isn't a pharmacy here. | There aren't any jobs in that area. |
| ? | Is there a bus to the airport? | Are there any apartments for rent? |
| short answers | Yes, there is. / No, there isn't. | Yes, there are. / No, there aren't. |
| past | There was a problem. | There were a lot of people. |
| future | There will be a meeting. | There will be two speakers. |
- there's = there is. Don't shorten there are in writing (there're is spoken only).
- Short answers don't use the short form: Yes, there is (not Yes, there's).
- With a list, be agrees with the first item: There is a sofa and two chairs.
- There's a new Ethiopian restaurant on Paradise Road.
- There are three bedrooms and two bathrooms.
- Is there a laundry room in the building?
- There weren't many people at the meeting.
- There will be a community event on Sunday.
With countable and uncountable nouns
There is goes with a singular countable noun (a park) or an uncountable noun (some milk, a lot of traffic). There are goes with plural nouns. Use some in positive sentences and any in negatives and questions; How much / How many is there / are there? asks about amount.
In Amharic
There is ከነጠላ የሚቆጠር ስም (a park) ወይም ከማይቆጠር ስም (some milk, a lot of traffic) ጋር ይሄዳል። There are ከብዙ ስሞች ጋር ይሄዳል። በአዎንታ some፣ በአሉታና በጥያቄ any ይጠቀሙ፤ How much / How many is there / are there? መጠንን ይጠይቃል።
| Noun | Positive | Negative / question |
|---|---|---|
| singular countable | There's a chair. | There isn't a chair. Is there a chair? |
| uncountable | There's some coffee. | There isn't any coffee. Is there any coffee? |
| plural | There are some eggs. | There aren't any eggs. Are there any eggs? |
| how much / many | How much milk is there? | How many people are there? |
| none | There's no milk. / There are no eggs. | (no = not any) |
- There is no + noun = There isn't any + noun: There's no parking. There isn't any parking.
- After first mentioning something with there is, talk about it with it or they: There's a café. It opens at 7.
- There's a lot of traffic on I-15 this morning.
- Is there any food left?
- How many students are there in your class?
- There's no hot water in the apartment.
- There are some good jobs at the new hotel.
Common mistakes
| Mistake | Correct | Why |
|---|---|---|
| There is a gym in my building. | Use there is to say something exists, not have. | |
| There is a bank near my house. | Use there, not it, to say something exists. | |
| There are many people here. | Plural nouns take there are. | |
| There is a lot of traffic. | traffic is uncountable: there is. | |
| Are there any rooms? | Questions: Is there…? / Are there…? | |
| There is a problem with my bill. | there goes with be, not have. |
Practice
Each answer is checked as you go, with the reason. Nothing here is saved.
___ a pharmacy near here?
There ___ two parks in our neighbourhood.
There ___ some milk in the fridge.
Are there any jobs at the hotel? — Yes, there ___. (one word)
There ___ any parking spaces left.
How many people ___ there in your family? (one word)
___ a lot of people at the party last night.
Which is correct?
There isn't any hot water. = There's ___ hot water. (one word)
Is there a gym in the building? — No, there ___.