There is / There are, Some, Any, How much, How many

There is / There are, Some, Any, How much, How many

Introducción

En español usamos una sola palabra, «hay», para decir que algo existe en un lugar. En inglés necesitamos dos formas: there is (para una cosa o para algo incontable) y there are (para varias cosas). En esta lección aprenderás a usarlas en afirmativa, negativa e interrogativa, a combinarlas con a/an, some y any, y a preguntar por cantidades con How much? y How many?

Explicación

1. There is / There are

• There is (contraído: there's) + sustantivo singular o incontable: There is a book on the table. (Hay un libro en la mesa.) There is some milk in the fridge. (Hay leche en la nevera.)
• There are + sustantivo plural: There are three books on the table. (Hay tres libros en la mesa.)

2. Negativa e interrogativa

• Negativa: there isn't (there is not) y there aren't (there are not). Con plurales e incontables solemos añadir any: There isn't a cinema in my town. There aren't any shops. There isn't any water.
• Interrogativa: invertimos el orden: Is there...? / Are there...? Is there a park near here? Are there any restaurants?
• Respuestas cortas: Yes, there is. / No, there isn't. Yes, there are. / No, there aren't. En la respuesta afirmativa corta no se contrae: decimos Yes, there is, nunca Yes, there's.

3. Contables e incontables

Los sustantivos contables se pueden contar y tienen plural: an apple, two apples; a chair, five chairs. Los incontables no se cuentan uno a uno y no tienen plural: water, milk, bread, money, time, rice, sugar. Por eso decimos There is some bread, no There are some breads.

4. A / An, Some, Any

• a / an: con un sustantivo contable singular. a delante de sonido consonante (a book, a table) y an delante de sonido vocal (an apple, an egg, an orange).
• some: en frases afirmativas, con plurales e incontables: There are some books. There is some water.
• any: en frases negativas y preguntas, con plurales e incontables: There aren't any chairs. Is there any juice? Are there any pens?

5. How much? / How many?

• How many + sustantivo contable en plural + are there...? (¿Cuántos/as hay?): How many students are there in your class? — There are twenty-five.
• How much + sustantivo incontable + is there...? (¿Cuánto/a hay?): How much milk is there in the fridge? — There is a litre.
• Para responder sin dar una cifra exacta: There are a lot of / There aren't many (contables) y There is a lot of / There isn't much (incontables).

Truco: si puedes poner un número delante de la palabra (three eggs), usa How many; si no puedes (three waters no se dice), usa How much.

6. Preposiciones de lugar

Para decir dónde está algo usamos: in (dentro de), on (sobre), under (debajo de), next to (al lado de), between (entre), in front of (delante de), behind (detrás de), opposite (enfrente de) y near (cerca de). There is a park opposite my house. There is a car in front of the school.

Vocabulario útil

Places in town: school (colegio), park (parque), cinema (cine), supermarket (supermercado), library (biblioteca), bank (banco), pharmacy (farmacia), post office (correos), museum (museo), bus stop (parada de autobús), train station (estación de tren).
Food: apples (manzanas), eggs (huevos), bread (pan), milk (leche), water (agua), cheese (queso), rice (arroz).

Ejemplo

Ejemplo 1. Completa: «___ two cats in the garden» y «___ a dog in the kitchen».

• Paso 1: two cats es plural, así que va There are: There are two cats in the garden.
• Paso 2: a dog es singular, así que va There is: There is a dog in the kitchen.

Ejemplo 2. Pregunta por la cantidad de eggs y de cheese que hay en la nevera.

• eggs es contable y está en plural: How many eggs are there in the fridge? — There are six eggs.
• cheese es incontable: How much cheese is there in the fridge? — There isn't much cheese.

Ejemplo 3. Corrige: «There aren't some chairs» y «Are there a cinema?».

• En negativa se usa any, no some: There aren't any chairs.
• a cinema es singular, así que la pregunta empieza por Is there: Is there a cinema?

Reading comprehension

I live in a small town called Greenfield. My house is in Oak Street. There is a big park opposite my house. In the park, there are lots of trees and flowers. There is a playground with swings and slides for children. Next to the park, there is a supermarket where my mum goes shopping every week. There are some small shops in the high street: a bakery, a bookshop and a pharmacy. There isn't a cinema in my town, but there is one in the next town. There aren't any factories, so the air is very clean. Behind my house, there is a small garden with some flowers and a big tree. I love my neighbourhood because it's quiet and beautiful!

Questions: 1. Where does Lisa live? 2. What is opposite her house? 3. How many small shops are there in the high street? 4. Is there a cinema in Greenfield? 5. Are there any factories? 6. What is behind her house?

Respuestas: 1. In Greenfield, in Oak Street. 2. A big park. 3. There are three (a bakery, a bookshop and a pharmacy). 4. No, there isn't. 5. No, there aren't. 6. A small garden with some flowers and a big tree.

Ejercicios