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How to Say ‘Is there a coffee machine?’ in French

Il y a une machine à café ?

eel ee ah ewn mah-SHEEN ah kah-fay

[eel ee ah ewn mah-SHEEN ah kah-fay]

💬 Usage Tip: Il y a means both "there is" and "there are", and it never changes: Il y a deux machines ?

Phrase Breakdown

Il y a

eel ee ah

Is there / There is

Say it as one smooth unit: "ee-lya". In casual speech it often sounds like "ya".

Example

Il y a un problème.

There is a problem.

Words in this phrase

[eel]

it (impersonal)

Impersonal subject used with verbs like 'rester' meaning 'there is left'.

Example

Il reste du pain.

There is some bread left.

[ee]

there

In or at that place.

Example

Y a-t-il une solution?

Is there a solution?

[ah]

has (in 'il y a' = there is)

Part of 'il y a', meaning there is/are.

Example

Il y a une terrasse.

There is a terrace.

une machine à café ?

ewn mah-SHEEN ah kah-fay

a coffee machine?

Raise your voice at the end to make it a question. Link "machine" smoothly to "à".

Example

Tu as une machine à café ?

Do you have a coffee machine?

Words in this phrase

une

[ewn]

Indefinite article, feminine singular.

Example

Elle veut une pomme.

She wants an apple.

machine

[mah-SHEEN]

machine

A device or appliance.

Example

La machine ne marche pas.

The machine doesn't work.

[ah]

for (purpose)

Links a noun to its use, as in 'machine for coffee'.

Example

une tasse à thé

a teacup

café

[kah-fay]

coffee

A coffee; in networking, it often suggests an informal conversation over coffee.

Example

Un café après le salon permet de continuer l'échange.

A coffee after the fair allows the conversation to continue.

Guides for French learners

The Most Common French Verbs: the 20 You'll Actually UseThe 20 most common French verbs, with the present-tense forms you need, real example sentences with native audio, and two shortcuts for past and future.Ordering in French: Cafés, Bakeries and Restaurants (with Menu Vocabulary)How to order in French at a café, a bakery and a restaurant: the phrases, the questions staff ask, and the menu and food vocabulary to understand the answers.

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