hai

There Is and There Are: Hai

Level 1

Hai means both "there is" and "there are". It stays the same for one thing or many.

How It Works

1. One form for singular and plural
Hai un bar aquí. (There is a bar here.) Hai moitas persoas. (There are many people.) Hai comes from the verb haber and never adds -n.

2. Questions and negatives
Add a question mark for a question: Hai pan? Put non in front for a negative: Non hai pan.

3. What comes after hai
Hai introduces something new. It goes with a, some, numbers, quantity words or a bare noun: un bar, unha farmacia, tres cadeiras, moita xente, pan. For a specific thing you both know about, use estar: O museo está preto (The museum is nearby). See ser vs estar.

4. Other uses of hai

  • Hai que + infinitive means "you have to" or "one must": Hai que estudar.
  • Hai + a length of time means "ago": hai dous anos (two years ago).

In the past, hai becomes había or houbo. It also stays singular: houbo moitos problemas. See impersonal haber.

Examples (6)

  1. Hai un bar aquí preto.

    There's a bar near here.

    Word by Word: There-is a bar here near.

  2. Na miña clase hai doce alumnos.

    There are twelve students in my class.

    Word by Word: In-the my class there-are twelve students.

    Hai stays the same with a plural noun.

  3. Non hai pan.

    There's no bread.

    Word by Word: Not there-is bread.

  4. Hai moita xente no cine.

    There are a lot of people at the cinema.

    Word by Word: There-is much people in-the cinema.

  5. Hai algunha farmacia por aquí?

    Is there a pharmacy around here?

    Word by Word: There-is some pharmacy around here?

  6. Que hai para cear?

    What's for dinner?

    Word by Word: What there-is for to-have-dinner?

Common Mistakes

  • Using hai with a specific, known thing.

    Hai o museo preto da praza.
    O museo está preto da praza.

    Hai introduces something new. To say where a known thing is, use estar.

  • Translating "there is" with ser.

    Alí é un bar.
    Alí hai un bar.

    Alí é un bar would say that the place over there is a bar. To say that a bar exists there, use hai, not ser.

  • Writing the Spanish spelling hay.

    Hay pan?
    Hai pan?

    The Galician form ends in i: hai.

How It Connects

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

haiLevel 1There Is and There Are: Hai

Learn This First

Hai introduces the existence of something, contrasting with estar for locating a known thing.

Words in This Pattern

haber