det finns

There Is/are

Level 2

Use det finns to say 'there is' or 'there are'. The present form is the same for one thing or many; change tense when needed: det fanns, det har funnits.

How It Works

The Swedish expression det finns is a direct equivalent of the English 'there is' and 'there are'. It's a very common and useful phrase.

Key Features:

  • Singular and Plural: Unlike English, det finns is used for both singular and plural nouns without any change. Number does not change finns, but tense still does: fanns is past and har funnits is perfect.
    Det finns en bok. (There is one book.)
    Det finns två böcker. (There are two books.)
  • Questions: To form a yes/no question, you invert the word order, placing the verb finns in the first position.
    Finns det kaffe? (Is there coffee?)
  • Negation: The most common way to make a negative statement is by using ingen/inget/inga (no/none).
    Det finns inga problem. (There are no problems.)
    You can also use inte + någon/något/några.
    Det finns inte några problem. (There aren't any problems.)
  • Subordinate Clauses: In an ordinary subordinate clause, det is the subject, followed by a middle-field inte and then finite finns: att det inte finns någon lösning, according to the BIFF rule.
    Jag tror att det finns en lösning. (I believe that there is a solution.)

Tense And Other Presentational Verbs
Use Det fanns en lösning for There was a solution and Det har funnits flera lösningar for There have been several solutions. Swedish can also present situations with other verbs, such as Det står en cykel här. Det finns is useful, but not the only way to translate English there is.

Examples (5)

  1. Det finns en ledig plats här.

    There is a free seat here.

    Word by Word: It exists a free seat here.

  2. Det finns många vackra sjöar i Sverige.

    There are many beautiful lakes in Sweden.

    Word by Word: It exists many beautiful lakes in Sweden.

  3. Finns det mjölk i kylen?

    Is there milk in the fridge?

    Word by Word: Exists it milk in the fridge?

  4. I den här staden finns det tre biografer.

    In this city, there are three cinemas.

    Word by Word: In this city / exists / there / three cinemas.

    Notice how the verb 'finns' stays in the second position even when the sentence starts with a phrase other than 'det'. This is an example of the V2 rule.

  5. Det finns ingen anledning att oroa sig.

    There is no reason to worry.

    Word by Word: It exists no reason to worry oneself.

Common Mistakes

  • Trying to change 'finns' for plural nouns.

    Det finnar många bilar på gatan.
    Det finns många bilar på gatan.

    'Det finns' is a fixed phrase. The verb 'finns' never changes, regardless of whether the noun is singular or plural. 'Finnar' means 'Finns' (people from Finland) or 'pimples'.

How It Connects

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

det finnsLevel 2There Is/are

Learn This First

To understand 'det finns', you need to be familiar with the pronoun 'det' acting as a placeholder subject and the irregular verb form 'finns'. Basic word order knowledge is also required to place these elements correctly in a sentence.

Words in This Pattern

finnas