Il y a in French: there is, there are and there isn’t

Edited by Chris Lee · Updated · About the library

Describe a flat with il y a, ask what is there and make negatives with pas de or pas d’. Compare introducing a thing with saying where it is.

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In short

Il y a means both “there is” and “there are”: Il y a un lit. Il y a deux chaises. To say something is absent, use il n’y a pas de or d’: Il n’y a pas d’ascenseur. Keep il y a unchanged before singular and plural nouns in the present.

Yellow the idea to rememberBlue French to learn

A bright French bedroom containing exactly one bed and two chairs by a window, no wardrobe.
Il y a un lit et deux chaises introduces what is in the room. Illustration: Atelier

Look around a flat

Une visite de l’appartement
  1. Nora

    Bonjour ! Est-ce qu’il y a un balcon ?

    Hello! Is there a balcony?

  2. Agent

    Oui, il y a un petit balcon côté rue.

    Yes, there is a small balcony on the street side.

  3. Nora

    Et dans la chambre ?

    And in the bedroom?

  4. Agent

    Il y a un lit et deux chaises. Il n’y a pas d’armoire.

    There is a bed and two chairs. There is no wardrobe.

  5. Nora

    D’accord. Les chaises sont près de la fenêtre ?

    OK. Are the chairs near the window?

  6. Agent

    Oui, juste à côté.

    Yes, right next to it.

What does il y a mean in French?

Introduce what is present
FrenchEnglish
Il y a un lit.There is a bed.
Il y a une table.There is a table.
Il y a des chaises.There are some chairs.
Il y a trois fenêtres.There are three windows.

Learn il y a as one chunk. The noun after it still has an article or quantity: un lit, des chaises, trois fenêtres. You can put the place first or last: Dans la cuisine, il y a une table and Il y a une table dans la cuisine describe the same arrangement.

How do you say “there isn’t” in French?

Ordinary absence: un, une and des become de
There is / areThere isn’t / aren’t
Il y a un balcon.Il n’y a pas de balcon.
Il y a une armoire.Il n’y a pas d’armoire.
Il y a des chaises.Il n’y a pas de chaises.
Il y a un ascenseur.Il n’y a pas d’ascenseur.

Before a vowel, de becomes d’. Keep the number of the noun: pas de balcon for a balcony, pas de chaises for chairs. For an ordinary description of something missing, these are the patterns to use.

Introduce a thing, then locate it

Il y a une pharmacie dans cette rue. La pharmacie est à côté de la boulangerie.

There is a pharmacy in this street. The pharmacy is next to the bakery.

The first sentence introduces a pharmacy. The second tells you where that pharmacy is.

Est-ce qu’il y a un ascenseur ? — Non, il n’y a pas d’ascenseur.

Is there a lift? — No, there is no lift.

Put est-ce qu’ before the complete expression to ask a question.

Question 1No account needed
Choose the present-tense description of three windows.

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

Il y a trois fenêtres.. The expression stays singular in the present even when several things follow.

Question 2No account needed
There is no wardrobe. Complete the negative.Il n’y a pas ___ armoire.

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

d’. Ordinary absence uses the negative article form, elided before the vowel.

Question 3No account needed
The parcel has already been mentioned. Now say where that parcel is.

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

Le colis est devant la porte.. The definite subject refers to the known parcel and the sentence gives its location.

Question 4No account needed
Ask whether there is a balcony.

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

Est-ce qu’il y a un balcon ?. The question keeps the full expression and uses elision before the vowel.

Does il y a mean “ago”?

J’ai déménagé il y a deux ans.

I moved two years ago.

After a past event, il y a + a length of time means “ago”. Here it tells you when the move happened.

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