Word order · CEFR A1
“There have” or “there are”? There is / there are explained
Incorrect
There have many people
Correct
There are many people
To say something exists, use “there is” (singular) or “there are” (plural): “There are three parks in my town.” “There have” is only correct in the present perfect: “There have been problems.”
The rule
there is + singular or uncountable noun: there is a problem, there is some milk.
there are + plural noun: there are two options.
present perfect: there has been / there have been: “There have been many changes.”
Examples
✗ In my city there have a big park.
✓ In my city there is a big park.
✗ There have many students in the class.
✓ There are many students in the class.
✗ Has many restaurants here.
✓ There are many restaurants here.
Why learners make this mistake
Portuguese tem, Spanish hay (from haber), French il y a and Italian c’è use a “have” verb or a special form for existence.
Remember
Existence = THERE IS / THERE ARE.
Frequently asked questions
- Is “there’s many” correct?
- It is common in casual speech but grammatically “there are many” is correct, and it is expected in writing.
Last updated