هناك

There Is

Level 1

Use هناك (hunāka) to state that something exists. It is the equivalent of 'there is' or 'there are' in English and remains the same regardless of whether the following noun is masculine, feminine, singular, or plural.

How It Works

The word هناك is one of the most useful tools for building sentences in Arabic. Here are the key rules for its usage:

Fixed Form: Unlike verbs, هناك does not change. You use the exact same word for 'there is a boy' and 'there are girls.'
Formal Synonym: In more formal or literary contexts, you may encounter the word ثمة (thamma), which functions exactly like هناك to mean 'there is' or 'there are.'
Word Order and Definiteness: It usually comes at the beginning of the sentence followed by an indefinite noun to express existence ('There is a...'). If you want to state the location of a definite noun ('The book is there'), the noun should come first: الكتاب هناك.
Grammatical Case: The noun following هناك acts as the subject of the sentence. In Modern Standard Arabic, it must be in the nominative case, typically shown by a damma or tanwīn damma.
Negation: To say 'there is not,' you can use the verb ليس. While formal grammar suggests matching gender (laysat for feminine), using the fixed masculine ليس هناك is very common.
Past Tense: To say 'there was' or 'there were,' simply place the verb كان before هناك.

Examples (6)

هناك مشكلةٌ.
There is a problem.
Word by Word: There [is] a problem.
A simple existential sentence using a feminine singular noun in the nominative case (marfū‘).
هناك طلابٌ في الصف.
There are students in the classroom.
Word by Word: There [are] students in the class.
Notice that 'hunāka' remains the same even though 'students' is plural and nominative.
ليس هناك وقتٌ.
There is no time.
Word by Word: Not there [is] time.
Using ليس to negate the existence of a masculine noun.
كان هناك اجتماعٌ اليوم.
There was a meeting today.
Word by Word: Was there [a] meeting today.
To express the past tense ('there was'), place the verb كان before 'hunāka'.
الكتابُ هناك.
The book is there.
Word by Word: The book there.
When talking about the location of a specific, definite noun, the noun usually comes first.
هناك فرقٌ كبيرٌ بينهما.
There is a big difference between them.
Word by Word: There [is] difference big between them.
The noun 'farq' (difference) is the subject and takes the nominative tanwīn damma.

Common Mistakes

Trying to make 'hunāka' plural or feminine.
هناكات مشاكل كثيرة.
هناك مشاكل كثيرة.
'Hunāka' is an adverb, not a verb or adjective. It never changes its form to match the noun.
Negating with 'lā' directly before 'hunāka'.
لا هناك خبز.
ليس هناك خبز.
In Modern Standard Arabic, you cannot use the particle 'lā' directly with 'hunāka'. Instead, use ليس or the phrase 'lā yūjad' (there is not found).

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

هناكLevel 1There Is

Learn This First

To understand how to say 'there is' using هناك, you need to be familiar with how Arabic forms basic sentences without verbs. You should also understand the roles of the subject and predicate, as هناك acts as the predicate describing the existence of a following noun, which is usually indefinite.

Words in This Pattern