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Grammatikk
Sentence structure A1 A2

There is and there are

Introduce existence and location with there + be in statements, questions, and negatives.

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Visuell guide

There opens the scene; be matches the thing

there
          │
          ▼
   opens a scene
          │
          ▼
There + BE + new thing + place/detail
          ▲
          │
 BE matches the new thing, not “there”

one thing / uncountable  →  is
plural things            →  are

There is a café near the station.
There are three people in the room.

Use there to open the scene; choose is or are from the thing that appears after it.

Introduction

Introduce something before you describe it

Use there + be when you want to say that something exists or is present in a place. It is especially useful when the listener does not know the thing yet. There is a café near the station introduces one place. There are three people in the room introduces several people. There is some water in the bottle introduces an amount. In this pattern, there does not mean over there. It is a sentence starter; the real noun comes after be.
Core Grammatikk A1 Ordforråd A1 Neutral

There is a café near the station.

Introduces one new place and gives its location.

Byggesteiner

Les setningen i meningsfulle deler, ikke ord for ord.

There is a
singular existence frame
Use with one new countable thing.
Lær som én enhet
near the station
location
Shows where the thing is.
Cognitive metaphor

Think of there as opening a scene

Think of the sentence as opening a small scene. There tells the listener to look for something present. Be brings the thing into the scene, and a place phrase can show where it is. In There is a book on the table, the scene opens, the book appears, and on the table gives the place. This is why the pattern works well for descriptions, directions, and problems: There's a problem with the app. The thing is new information, so it comes after be.
Spoken Grammatikk A1 Ordforråd A2 Informal

There's a problem with the app.

Shows the natural contraction there's in informal speech.

Byggesteiner

Les setningen i meningsfulle deler, ikke ord for ord.

There's a problem
spoken existence chunk
A common spoken way to introduce a problem.
Lær som én enhet
with the app
situation
Says what the problem is connected to.
Core logic

Be agrees with the thing after it

The verb agrees with the real noun after be, not with there. Use is for one countable thing and for uncountable amounts: There is a café near the station. There is some water in the bottle. Use are for two or more countable things: There are three people in the room. In careful English, say There are two chairs in the kitchen, not There is two chairs in the kitchen. In fast informal speech, you may hear there's before a plural, but learners should use there are for plurals.
Core pattern

Basic statement patterns

The statement frame is there + be + noun phrase + optional place or situation. A singular countable noun often uses a/an, as in There is a café near the station. A plural noun can use a number or some, as in There are three people in the room. An uncountable noun can use some, as in There is some water in the bottle. The place phrase is optional: There's a problem with the app still works because with the app gives the situation, not a physical location.
Core Grammatikk A1 Ordforråd A1 Neutral

There are three people in the room.

Introduces more than one person in a place.

Byggesteiner

Les setningen i meningsfulle deler, ikke ord for ord.

There are
plural existence frame
Use with plural countable nouns.
Lær som én enhet
three people
plural noun phrase
The real noun phrase controls are.
in the room
location
Shows where they are.
Core Grammatikk A1 Ordforråd A1 Neutral

There is some water in the bottle.

Introduces an amount of an uncountable noun.

Byggesteiner

Les setningen i meningsfulle deler, ikke ord for ord.

There is some
uncountable existence frame
Use with an unknown or normal amount.
Lær som én enhet
in the bottle
location
Shows where the amount is.
Sentence xray

X-ray: what each part does

Look at There are three people in the room. There starts the existence pattern. Are agrees with three people. Three people is the real noun phrase. In the room tells the location. The same order appears in There isn't a lift in this building. In questions, be moves before there: Are there any towels in the bathroom? Keep the real noun after be when you are introducing it. If the noun is already known, a normal subject sentence may be better.
Form variations

Questions and negatives

Yes/no questions start with be: Is there a bank near here? Are there any towels in the bathroom? Use any naturally in many questions and negatives when you do not know if something exists. For number questions, use How many + plural noun + are there: How many students are there in the class? Negatives can use not or no. There isn't a lift in this building means one is not present. There aren't any seats left means zero seats are available. There is no time to wait is a stronger or more direct negative.
Question Grammatikk A1 Ordforråd A1 Neutral

Is there a bank near here?

A yes/no question with one possible place.

Byggesteiner

Les setningen i meningsfulle deler, ikke ord for ord.

Is there a
singular question frame
Use to ask if one countable thing exists.
Lær som én enhet
near here
near location
Useful for asking directions.
Question Grammatikk A1 Ordforråd A1 Neutral

Are there any towels in the bathroom?

A plural yes/no question with any.

Byggesteiner

Les setningen i meningsfulle deler, ikke ord for ord.

Are there any
plural question frame with any
Use when you do not know if a plural thing exists.
Lær som én enhet
in the bathroom
location
Shows where the things might be.
Question Grammatikk A2 Ordforråd A1 Neutral

How many students are there in the class?

Asks for the number of things present.

Byggesteiner

Les setningen i meningsfulle deler, ikke ord for ord.

How many students
number question noun phrase
Asks about a number of people.
are there
there-question tail
Keeps the existence question structure after how many.
Lær som én enhet
in the class
location or group
Limits the question to one group.
Negative Grammatikk A1 Ordforråd A1 Neutral

There isn't a lift in this building.

A negative sentence with one missing thing.

Byggesteiner

Les setningen i meningsfulle deler, ikke ord for ord.

There isn't a
singular negative frame
Use to say one countable thing is not present.
Lær som én enhet
in this building
location
Shows the place where it is not present.
Negative Grammatikk A1 Ordforråd A1 Neutral

There aren't any seats left.

A natural plural negative with any.

Byggesteiner

Les setningen i meningsfulle deler, ikke ord for ord.

There aren't any
plural negative frame with any
Use to say zero plural things are present.
Lær som én enhet
seats left
remaining items
Means seats still available.
Negative Grammatikk A2 Ordforråd A1 Formal

There is no time to wait.

Uses no instead of not any.

Byggesteiner

Les setningen i meningsfulle deler, ikke ord for ord.

There is no
direct negative frame
A stronger or more direct way to say zero.
Lær som én enhet
time to wait
purpose phrase
Says what kind of time is missing.
Contrast

Contrast: there is, it is, and normal subject + be

The closest confusion is it + be. Use it is to describe a situation, weather, time, or something already identified: It is cold in here. Use there is to introduce a present thing: There is a cold wind in here. Another contrast is normal subject + be. The book is on the table tells where a known book is. There is a book on the table introduces a book that the listener may not know about. If the thing is already the topic, put the real subject first.
Contrast Grammatikk A1 Ordforråd A1 Neutral

There is a book on the table.

Introduces the existence of a book in a place.

Byggesteiner

Les setningen i meningsfulle deler, ikke ord for ord.

There is a book
introducing a new thing
Introduces a book the listener may not know about.
Lær som én enhet
on the table
location
Shows where the book is.
Contrast Grammatikk A1 Ordforråd A1 Neutral

The book is on the table.

Uses a normal subject because the book is already the topic.

Byggesteiner

Les setningen i meningsfulle deler, ikke ord for ord.

The book
known subject
The listener already knows which book.
is on the table
normal location predicate
Tells where a known thing is.
Lær som én enhet
Contrast Grammatikk A1 Ordforråd A1 Neutral

It is cold in here.

Uses it is for a condition, not for introducing a thing.

Byggesteiner

Les setningen i meningsfulle deler, ikke ord for ord.

It is cold
it + be description
Describes the situation or feeling in a place.
Lær som én enhet
in here
place
Shows where the condition is felt.
Contrast Grammatikk A1 Ordforråd A1 Neutral

There is a cold wind in here.

Uses there is because a thing is being introduced.

Byggesteiner

Les setningen i meningsfulle deler, ikke ord for ord.

There is a cold wind
introducing a present thing
Introduces a thing that exists in the place.
Lær som én enhet
in here
place
Shows where the wind is present.
Danger zone

Common boundaries

Do not use have after there to mean existence. Say There is a shop near here, not There has a shop near here. Do not choose is just because the sentence starts with there; the noun after be decides. Say There are two chairs in the kitchen, not There is two chairs in the kitchen. Use a/an only with one countable noun. Use any in plural questions and negatives when the number is unknown: Are there any towels in the bathroom? There aren't any seats left.
Mistake Grammatikk A1 Ordforråd A1 Neutral

There is two chairs in the kitchen.

The verb is does not agree with the plural noun two chairs.

Corrected Grammatikk A1 Ordforråd A1 Neutral

There are two chairs in the kitchen.

Correct plural agreement with there are.

Byggesteiner

Les setningen i meningsfulle deler, ikke ord for ord.

There are two chairs
plural corrected frame
Use are because chairs is plural.
Lær som én enhet
in the kitchen
location
Shows where the chairs are.
Mistake Grammatikk A1 Ordforråd A1 Neutral

There has a shop near here.

English does not use there has to mean something exists in a place.

Corrected Grammatikk A1 Ordforråd A1 Neutral

There is a shop near here.

Corrects there has to there is for existence.

Byggesteiner

Les setningen i meningsfulle deler, ikke ord for ord.

There is a shop
correct existence frame
Use there is to introduce one place or thing.
Lær som én enhet
near here
near location
Shows that it is close to the speaker.
Summary

Key takeaways

Choose there + be when you introduce existence or presence. Choose is for one countable thing or an uncountable amount, and are for plural countable nouns. Remember the main chunks: There is, There are, There is some, Is there a, Are there any, How many ... are there, There isn't a, There aren't any, and There is no. Add a place or situation when useful, such as near here, in the room, on the table, left, or with the app. Use it is or a normal subject when the thing is already known.
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