If we want to say that something exists or doesn't exist somewhere or at some time, we often use 'there + be'. It's often used to talk about something for the first time in a conversation. There's a cup on the table.

We use there is and there are when we first refer to the existence or presence of someone or something: There’s a letter on your desk. Julia brought it from the mail room.

2025年1月29日 · See our new English grammar lesson about There is vs. There are on Woodward English. Try our interactive games to practice There is - There Are and There is - There Are 2 .

Grammar test 1. Grammar A1-A2: Using 'there is' and 'there are': 1. Grammar explanation Affirmative. We use there is to say that something exists or is in a place. There is a bridge in the park. We use there is for singular nouns and there are for plural nouns. There is a restaurant in the station. There are two cafés in the shopping centre.

The choice between the phrases there is and there are at the beginning of a sentence is determined by the noun that follows it. Use there is when the noun is singular (“There is a cat”). Use there are when the noun is plural (“There are two cats”).

THERE IS + singular subject (There is a bird in the sky); THERE ARE + plural subject (There are two birds in the sky). But there are important exceptions to this rule...

Use there be as follows: There is for singular and non-countable nouns. There are for plural and countable nouns. Use there will be to express the future existence of something or the future happening of an event.

Do you know how to use "there be"? Its forms are "there is", "there are", "there was", "there were", and "there will be". Master them now!

There often acts as an adverb answering the adverb question Where? as it does in the following sentence. I parked my bike there. Where did you park your bike? I parked it there. But in the sentences that we're looking at, there doesn't tell us where. There is simply an extra word that is not grammatically related to the rest of the sentence.

To show the existence of something we use "there is" for singular nouns and "there are" for plural nouns. Learn how to use this important verb in the lesson below. We use “there + be” to talk about the existence of something.