est (There Is, There Are)

There Is and There Are

Level 2

Start with the verb, and there is built in.

How It Works

Latin	English
Est in horto rosa.	There is a rose in the garden.
Sunt in horto rosae.	There are roses in the garden.

The verb agrees with the thing that is there. One rose takes est, and several roses take sunt.

The order tells a small story. Rosa in horto est says where a rose you already know is found. Est in horto rosa brings a new rose into the scene.

The same pattern says that something exists. Est Deus in caelo means There is a God in heaven.

Est in horto rosa.
There is a rose in the garden.
Est comes first, so the sentence means there is. Rosa is the thing that is there.
Sunt in villa multi libri.
There are many books in the house.
Sunt is plural because multi libri is plural.
Est Deus in caelo.
There is a God in heaven.
These words come from the Book of Daniel. Est opens the sentence and says that God exists in heaven.
Sunt in via duo pueri.
There are two boys in the street.
Sunt matches duo pueri, and in via tells where.
Est in mensa liber.
There is a book on the table.
In mensa is in plus the ablative: on the table.

Using est with a plural thing.
Est in villa multi libri.
Sunt in villa multi libri.
Multi libri is plural, so the verb must be sunt, even though it comes first.

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

est (There Is, There Are)Level 2There Is and There Are

Est can mean there is and is often followed by a place, so in with the ablative comes first.

sum

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