The short version
- Hay means both "there is" and "there are". It never changes: hay un bar, hay tres bares.
- Use hay to say something exists. Use está or están to say where a specific thing is.
- Hay que + infinitive means "you have to" or "we need to", in a general way.
You walk into a bar and ask the waiter ¿Hay el baño? He'll understand you and point to the back. But it's not quite right, and the reason why is the most useful thing to know about hay in Spanish.
Hay is one of the first words learners meet, and one of the easiest. It means "there is" and "there are", and it doesn't change. The trouble is knowing when to use it and when to use está, because English uses "there is" for both.
This post covers how hay works, that hay or está question, hay que, and how to use hay in the past and future.
What hay means
Hay is a form of the verb haber, but you don't need to think about that. Just learn it as a word on its own.
It means there is and there are, and it's the same for one thing or many:
- Hay un supermercado cerca. (There's a supermarket nearby.)
- Hay dos supermercados cerca. (There are two supermarkets nearby.)
- Hay mucha gente. (There are a lot of people.)
- No hay leche. (There's no milk.)
To make a question, you just change your voice: ¿Hay leche? (Is there any milk?) To make it negative, put no in front: No hay leche.
It's pronounced like the English word "eye". Hay and ay (ouch, oh) sound exactly the same.
Three words that learners mix up in writing. Hay (there is) and ay (ouch, oh) sound the same, "eye". Ahí (there) has two syllables, "a-EE", with the stress on the i. Spanish teachers often use this sentence to show the difference: Ahí hay un hombre que dice ¡ay! (There's a man over there saying "ouch!")
What goes after hay
This is the rule that matters. Hay is for saying that something exists, or that there's some of it somewhere. So it goes with words that don't point to a specific thing.
| After hay | Example | English |
|---|---|---|
| un / una | Hay un banco en la esquina. | There's a bank on the corner. |
| a number | Hay tres habitaciones. | There are three bedrooms. |
| mucho / poco | Hay mucho tráfico. | There's a lot of traffic. |
| algún / alguna / algo | ¿Hay algún bar abierto? | Is there a bar open? |
| ningún / ninguna / nada | No hay nada en la nevera. | There's nothing in the fridge. |
| a noun with no article | ¿Hay pan? | Is there any bread? |
What doesn't go after hay is el, la, los, las, or a name. Those point to one specific thing that you both already know about. For that, you need está.
Hay or está?
Here's the difference in one line:
- Hay says something exists: there's a bathroom (somewhere).
- Está says where a specific thing is: the bathroom is at the back.
| Hay (something exists) | Está / están (where a specific thing is) | |
|---|---|---|
| Bathroom | ¿Hay baño? | ¿Dónde está el baño? |
| Pharmacy | Hay una farmacia en esta calle. | La farmacia está al lado del banco. |
| Keys | Hay unas llaves en la mesa. | Las llaves están en la mesa. |
| People | Hay mucha gente en la playa. | Mis amigos están en la playa. |
So the waiter in the bar would expect either ¿Hay baño? (Is there a bathroom?) or, more likely, ¿Dónde está el baño? (Where's the bathroom?) or ¿El baño, por favor?
A useful check: if you'd say "the" in English, you probably need está. If you'd say "a", "some", "any" or a number, you probably need hay. There's more on estar for location in ser vs estar, made simple.
Here's how the two work together when you're asking your way round a new neighbourhood:
Hay que: you have to
Hay que + an infinitive means "you have to", "you need to" or "it's necessary to". It's general. It doesn't say who has to do it.
- Hay que reservar. (You have to book.)
- Hay que pagar en efectivo. (You have to pay in cash.)
- Hay que sacar la basura. (The rubbish needs taking out.)
Compare it with tengo que, which is personal: Tengo que reservar (I have to book). Hay que sounds more like a rule or a general fact, which is why you'll see it on signs and hear it when people explain how things work.
- Hay que reservar.You have to book.
- Hay que reservar con antelación.You have to book in advance.
- Hay que reservar con antelación porque siempre está lleno.You have to book in advance because it's always full.
- Es un sitio muy bueno, pero hay que reservar con antelación porque siempre está lleno.It's a really good place, but you have to book in advance because it's always full.
Hay in other tenses
Hay has a form for every tense, and like hay, they all stay singular, even when you're talking about lots of things.
| Spanish | English | Example |
|---|---|---|
| hay | there is / there are | Hay mucha gente. |
| había | there was / there were (description) | Había mucha gente en la fiesta. |
| hubo | there was / there were (an event) | Hubo un accidente en la autopista. |
| ha habido | there has been / there have been | Ha habido muchos problemas. |
| va a haber | there's going to be | Va a haber tormenta. |
| habrá | there will be | Habrá comida para todos. |
For most conversations, había and va a haber are the two you'll need. Había is for describing how things were: Había un bar muy bueno aquí (There used to be a really good bar here). Va a haber is for plans and forecasts.
You'll hear some native speakers say habían muchas personas or hubieron problemas. It's common in some areas, but it's considered incorrect in standard Spanish. Stick with the singular: había muchas personas, hubo problemas.
Practise with what's around you
Hay is perfect for practising on your own, because you can use it to describe whatever is in front of you.
Before you go shopping, open the fridge and say out loud what there is and what there isn't. Hay leche, pero no hay huevos. Hay un poco de queso. No hay nada de fruta. Hay que comprar pan. Then write the shopping list from what you said. You'll practise hay, no hay and hay que in two minutes, with words you actually use every week.
You can do the same on your way to work (what there is on your street) or when you get home (what there is in your flat). Next time someone asks ¿Cómo es tu barrio?, you'll have the sentences ready. For weather phrases with hay, like hay niebla, see how to talk about the weather in Spanish.
Common mistakes
¿Hay el baño?
¿Dónde está el baño? or ¿Hay baño?
Hay changing for plurals (han dos bares).
Hay dos bares. It never changes.
Es un supermercado cerca. for "there's a supermarket nearby".
Hay un supermercado cerca.
Habían muchas personas.
Había muchas personas.
Mixing up hay and ahí in writing.
Hay = there is. Ahí = over there.
Recap
- Hay means there is and there are, and it never changes.
- Use hay with un, una, numbers and words like mucho or algún.
- Use está or están for where a specific thing is.
- Hay que + infinitive means you have to, in a general way.
- In other tenses it stays singular: había, hubo, va a haber.
Small words like hay are easiest to learn inside real conversations: describing your neighbourhood, your flat or your town. That's how 100 Spanish Conversations teaches grammar, one theme at a time. If you're not sure whether you need hay or está, ask in the Skool community.
Leeroy studied Spanish for years before moving to Spain and finding he couldn't hold a conversation. He built Basically Spanish around the method that fixed it. Questions? leeroy@basicallyspanish.com