How to Say ‘There are / There is’ in French
Il y a
eel ee ah
[eel ee ah]
💬 Usage Tip: [Il y a] means 'there is/there are' and stays the same whether one thing or many things follow: [il y a un bouchon], [il y a des bouchons].
Phrase Breakdown
Il
[eel]
it
In the expression Il y a, this word does not mean a specific 'he'; it is part of a set phrase meaning 'there is/there are'.
Il y a trop de circulation ici.
There is too much traffic here.
y
[ee]
there
In Il y a, y helps form the expression meaning 'there is' or 'there are'.
Il y a un problème sur cette route.
There is a problem on this route.
a
[ah]
has / is
In Il y a, a comes from avoir and helps form 'there is/there are'.
Il y a un embouteillage devant nous.
There is a traffic jam in front of us.
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