¿Habría suficiente tiempo?
Would there be enough time?Espero que haya tiempo.
I hope there is time.Noha habido problemas.
There haven’t been any problems.In informal and uneducated speech in general, there is a tendency among speakers to
pluralize forms such as hubo, había, etc., when referring to the existence of more than
one thing, e.g. Hubieron/habían muchas personas. This use seems quite prevalent in
Latin America, but it is regarded as incorrect and should be avoided.38.1.2 ¿Haberorestar?
Hay,había,habrá, etc. are used to talk about the existence of something indefinite
such as un hotel, ‘a hotel’, mucha gente, ‘many people’. If we are referring to the
existence or presence of something definite, already determined by the context,
for example el hotel, ‘the hotel’, mis amigos, ‘my friends’, we should use estar,
‘to be’, instead of haber. Observe the contrast between the two verbs in these
sentences:¿Hay un buen hotel en la ciudad?
Is there a good hotel in the city?
Pues, está el Hotel Isla Negra, que es estupendo.
Well, there is the Hotel Isla Negra, which is excellent.¿Había mucha gente en la fiesta?
Were there many people at the party?
Sí, estaban todos mis amigos.
Yes, there were all of my friends.22.2 (p. 105)
38.1.3 ¿Serorhaber?
Note also the use of ser in identification in:¿Cuántos somos? How many of us are there?
Somos seis. There are six of us.Compare this use with that of the impersonal form of haber, in:¿Cuántos hay? How many are there?
Hay seis. There are six.38.1.4 Existir
Existence can also be expressed through existir, ‘to exist’, a verb which is used in more
formal contexts.Existe desde hace mucho tiempo.
It has existed for a long time.Asking and answering questions regarding existence 38.1