The verb HAY in Spanish is very easy in the way we use it, and, a little bit complicated in its grammar explanation; however, it does not need to be explained to have a correct use of it.
Nevertheless, we are gonna give a small introduction to it. First of all, we tell you that we are talking about an auxiliary verb in most of its uses; basically, this means that this verb in its different forms, will help us to build different conjugations of a specific verb. Probably, you won’t understand much about it now because we have not seen much in your Spanish yet.
Secondly and something that will be more helpful for us, it’s its impersonal use in the present. That means that this verb keeps always the form HAY and does not have a subject.
The meaning of HAY is something that exists or occurs if we want to get a clear meaning out of it, and we will use it to describe what is around us.
Basically we will use HAY exactly the same way as we use in English THERE IS/THERE ARE.
HAY UN LIBRO
THERE IS A BOOK
HAY UNA CASA
THERE IS A HOUSE
As we said previously, we will use HAY exactly the same way as we use in English THERE IS/THERE ARE.
Now let’s see per example the verb HAY when we are asking:
¿QUÉ HAY EN LA CLASE?
WHAT IS THERE IN THE CLASS?
EN LA CLASE HAY UN LIBRO
IN THE CLASS THERE IS A BOOK
As we have also told you, we are talking about an impersonal verb, which means that there will be no subject; therefore:
…⊗… LA CLASE HAY UN LIBRO
…⊗… THE CLASS THERE IS A BOOK
→ La clase needs the preposition EN in front of it because we are giving a place complement (adding info about the place) NOT A SUBJECT. As we’ve told:
EN LA CLASE HAY UN LIBRO
IN THE CLASS THERE IS A BOOK
Or, for instance:
HAY UN LIBRO
THERE IS A BOOK
→ Without giving information about where the place is, probably because it is already known.
¿QUÉ HAY EN LA CLASE?
WHAT IS THERE IN THE CLASS?
→ Giving information about where the place is:
EN LA CLASE HAY UN LIBRO
IN THE CLASS THERE IS A BOOK
→ Without giving information about where the place is:
HAY UN LIBRO
THERE IS A BOOK
