има/няма

There Is and There Is Not

Level 1Sounds Like ima/nâma

Има means "there is" or "there are", and няма means "there is no" or "there are no". Use them to say what can be found in a place.

How It Works

The pattern: (place) + има / няма + what exists.
Тук има магазин. (There is a shop here.)
Няма хляб. (There is no bread.)

No plural form: The verb stays the same when many things exist: В града има много паркове. (There are many parks in the town.) Do not change it to имат.

One word for the negative: Няма is the negative of има. Bulgarian does not put не in front of има.

Questions and short answers: Има ли кафе? (Is there any coffee?) The answer can be the verb alone: Има. (There is.) or Няма. (There isn't.) See въпросителна частица ли.

Something new or something known? Use има to bring in something new, usually a noun without the article. For a known, particular thing use е from съм/си/е/сме/сте/са:
В хладилника има мляко. (There is milk in the fridge.)
Млякото е в хладилника. (The milk is in the fridge.)

Someone is not here: The missing person or thing is grammatically an object, so a pronoun takes its object form: Няма го. (He isn't here.) This is why Bulgarians say Няма никого. (There is nobody.)

With a person: The same verb with personal endings means "to have": имам/нямам. The past and future forms are in имаше/нямаше.

Examples (6)

  1. Тук има магазин.

    There is a shop here.

    Word by Word: Here has shop.

  2. Няма хляб.

    There is no bread.

    Word by Word: Not-has bread.

  3. В града има много паркове.

    There are many parks in the town.

    Word by Word: In town-the has many parks.

    The verb stays има even though паркове is plural.

  4. Има ли кафе? – Има.

    Is there any coffee? – Yes, there is.

    Word by Word: Has (question) coffee? – Has.

  5. Днес няма училище.

    There is no school today.

    Word by Word: Today not-has school.

  6. Няма проблем.

    No problem.

    Word by Word: Not-has problem.

Common Mistakes

  • Putting не in front of има.

    Не има хляб.
    Няма хляб.

    The negative of има is the single word няма.

  • Making the verb plural for plural things.

    В града имат много паркове.
    В града има много паркове.

    Има has no subject, so it does not agree with паркове. It stays има for one thing or many.

  • Using е to say that something exists.

    В хладилника е мляко.
    В хладилника има мляко.

    To say that something is there at all, use има. Use е for a known thing that already has the article: Млякото е в хладилника.

How It Connects

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

има/нямаLevel 1There Is and There Is Not

Learn This First

There is/there is not builds on the verb имам.

Learn Next

Patterns that build on this one.

Words in This Pattern

иманяма