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How to Say ‘There is / there are’ in French

Qu'il y a

k eel ee ah

[k eel ee ah]

Phrase Breakdown

Qu'

[k]

that / what

Short form of que before a vowel; here part of qu'il y a.

Example

Qu' il y a un souci, je dois le dire au propriétaire.

That there is an issue, I need to tell the landlord.

il

[eel]

he / it

Subject pronoun meaning he or it; in this phrase it is part of a set expression.

Example

Il y a de l'eau froide, mais pas d'eau chaude ; ici, il fait partie de Qu'il y a.

There is cold water, but no hot water; here, il is part of Qu'il y a.

y

[ee]

there

In il y a, y helps express there is / there are.

Example

Y dans il y a sert à dire qu'il y a un problème.

Y in il y a helps say that there is a problem.

a

[ah]

has / is

Form of avoir; in il y a it means there is or there are.

Example

Il y a : a sert à dire qu'il y a une panne.

Il y a: a helps say that there is a breakdown.

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