Il y a (there is/are)

Technically, Il y a is made of three parts: the subject il (it), the pronoun y (there), and the verb a (has). But you should forget that immediately. In your mind, you must glue them together. They are inseparable roommates. You can't swap Il for Elle just because you're talking about a feminine object. You can't change a to ont just because you're talking about a group of people.

If you try to say "Ils y ont" to mean "there are," a French baker somewhere might drop their rolling pin in shock. Stick to the block: Il y a. It functions as a declarative statement. It tells the listener that something exists in the current context. It’s the ultimate "inventory" phrase. Think of it like a spotlight. Whatever comes after Il y a is what the spotlight is shining on.

1. 1Creating sentences with this rule is a simple three-step process.
2. 2Start with the magic block: Il y a.
3. 3Add an article and a noun: un café, des gens, une pomme.
4. 4(Optional) Add a location: dans la rue, ici, sur la table.
5. 5Example: Il y a + un chien + dans le parc = Il y a un chien dans le parc (There is a dog in the park).
6. 6When you want to say there is *not* something, the block stretches out: Il n'y a pas de....
7. 7Notice the n' and the pas hugging the y a.
8. 8Also, notice that un, une, or des usually turns into de.
9. 9Example: Il n'y a pas de café (There is no coffee). This is a tragedy, but the grammar is perfect!

Use Il y a whenever you are introducing new information or describing a state of affairs.

• Ordering Food: Use it to ask if a specific dish is available. Est-ce qu'il y a des options végétaliennes? (Are there vegan options?)
• Asking Directions: Il y a une station de métro près d'ici? (Is there a metro station near here?)
• Job Interviews: Describe your team or the office. Il y a cinq personnes dans mon équipe (There are five people in my team).
• Daily Life: Complaining about the weather or the fridge. Il y a du soleil (There is sun/It's sunny) or Il n'y a plus de lait (There is no more milk).
• Telling Stories: Many stories start with Il y a longtemps... (A long time ago...).

This is where things get interesting. You should not use Il y a when you are identifying *who* or *what* something is.

If someone asks "Who is that?", you don't say Il y a mon frère. You say C'est mon frère. C'est is for identity; Il y a is for existence.

Also, don't use it to describe the specific location of a person you've already mentioned. If you're looking for Marie, you don't say Marie, il y a dans la cuisine. You use the verb to be: Marie est dans la cuisine.

Think of it this way: Il y a is for things the listener doesn't know about yet. Once they know the thing exists, you switch to être or c'est to talk about it.

1. 1The Plural Trap: English speakers desperately want to say "Il y ont" for "There are." Resist the urge! Even if you are describing the entire population of Paris, it is still Il y a.
2. 2The Negation Slip: Forgetting the de. After pas, the words un, une, and des usually vanish and become de. Saying Il n'y a pas un chat means "There isn't a single cat," which is okay, but Il n'y a pas de chat is the standard way to say "There are no cats."
3. 3Confusion with "Ago": In French, Il y a also means "ago" when followed by a time duration. Il y a deux heures means "two hours ago." Don't let this confuse you; the context usually makes it clear whether you're talking about existence or time.

• Il y a vs. C'est:

Use Il y a to say "There is a dog in the garden."

Use C'est to say "It is a big dog."

Il y a introduces the dog; C'est describes the dog.

• Il y a vs. Voici/Voilà:

Voici and Voilà are used when you are physically pointing at something or presenting it. If you hand someone a pen, you say Voilà le stylo. If you are just mentioning that there is a pen on the table, you say Il y a un stylo.