What you’ll learn
- Use hay for existence with singular or plural nouns.
- Locate a known item with estar.
- Describe position using common prepositional phrases.
Introduce it, then locate it
Hay means there is or there are. It stays hay for singular and plural: Hay una tienda; hay dos tiendas. Use it to introduce something or say what exists in a place. An indefinite article, a number or a bare plural often follows it. You can ask ¿Hay una farmacia cerca? without knowing a particular pharmacy.
Use estar to locate something identifiable: La farmacia está al lado del banco. The pharmacy is now a specific place. Do not mechanically exchange hay and está; first decide whether you are introducing an item or locating a known one. This distinction helps organize descriptions of a room, a street or a town.
Hay un libro en la mesa.
There is a book on the table.
El libro está junto a la lámpara.
The book is next to the lamp.
Hay dos parques en el barrio.
There are two parks in the neighborhood.
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This practice is free. Your answer stays on this page.
Make a location precise
En can mean in, on or at depending on context. Use a more specific phrase when needed: encima de means on top of, debajo de means under, delante de means in front of, detrás de means behind and al lado de means next to. Cerca de and lejos de describe distance. These phrases often need de before the following noun.
Combine de and the article el as del: cerca del parque. Keep de la as two words: cerca de la estación. A + el becomes al, as in junto al banco. For directions, start with a location the listener can identify, then add one relation at a time. A clear short description beats a long chain of unfamiliar instructions.
La mochila está debajo de la silla.
The backpack is under the chair.
La tienda está cerca del parque.
The store is near the park.
El banco está al lado de la estación.
The bank is next to the station.
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This practice is free. Your answer stays on this page.
Useful vocabulary
- debajo de
- under
- al lado de
- next to
- cerca de
- near
Common mistakes
- Hay does not become a plural verb when several things exist.
- Use estar to locate a known person or thing.
- Do not omit de from phrases such as cerca de and debajo de.
Keep these ideas
- Hay introduces existence.
- Estar locates identifiable people or things.
- Prepositions make a location precise; de + el becomes del.
Use it in your life
Sketch a place from a sample story. Write two hay sentences introducing objects and two estar sentences locating them.
Read it in context
Look for this lesson’s ideas in a complete Spanish story. Read the passage first, then use its translations to check your understanding.
Read a public A1 storyLesson quiz
5 equally weighted questions. Score 80% or higher to complete this lesson. You can retry as often as you need.
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