38 Expressing existence and availability
In this chapter dealing with existence and availability you will learn the Spanish
equivalent of phrases such as ‘there is/are.. .’, ‘there was/were.. .’, ‘have you
got... ?’38.1 Asking and answering questions regarding existence
38.1.1 Hay, hubo, habrá...
To ask and answer questions regarding existence, you will need the Spanish equivalent
of phrases such as ‘is/are there... ?’, ‘was/were there... ?’, ‘there is/are.. .’, ‘there was/
were.. .’, etc. In the present, Spanish uses the single word hay, which is a singular,
impersonal, irregular form of haber.
¿Hay un hotel por aquí?
Is there a hotel nearby?
Hay dos enfrente de la estación.
There are two opposite the station.
No hay ninguno.
There isn’t any.Note that hay is used in affirmative, negative and interrogative sentences, whether we
are talking about the existence of one or more than one thing. The same rule applies to
the forms used in other tenses:
¿Hubo una fiesta en el pueblo?
Was there a party in the town?
Hubo grandes celebraciones.
There were great celebrations.
Había muchas personas.
There were many people.Esta noche habrá un baile.
Tonight there will be a dance.
Habrá muchos invitados.
There will be many guests.