Il y a

Kurz erklärt

Il y a means both “there is” and “there are.” It is an impersonal expression, so its form does not change when the following noun is plural. It is used to say that someone or something exists or is present. With a time expression, it can also mean “ago.”

Bildung

il y a + noun; negative: il n’y a pas de/d’; question: est-ce qu’il y a… ?

Verwendung

• Use il y a to say that something or someone is present.
• Keep a unchanged with both singular and plural nouns.
• After pas, use de or d’ instead of un, une, or des.
• Put il y a before a duration to express how long ago something happened.

Beispiele

• Il y a un café près d’ici. — There is a café near here.
• Il y a deux chaises dans la cuisine. — There are two chairs in the kitchen.
• Est-ce qu’il y a une pharmacie ici ? — Is there a pharmacy here?
• J’ai vu Léa il y a trois jours. — I saw Léa three days ago.

Typischer Fehler

❌ Il y ont deux chaises.

✅ Il y a deux chaises.

Unlike English “there are,” French il y a does not agree with a plural noun. Always use the singular form a.

Merke

Il y a works with both singular and plural nouns. The verb form always stays a.