Celebrate the holidays! Save 20% on annual and biennial Premium »

Il y a = There is/There are in French

Written by Qualified French Expert Aurélie Drouard HKH, Licence d'anglais LLCE
Last updated: 2022-11-24
73 questions
Take the fastest path to fluent French
Join now for free!

Learn how to say 'there is/are' in French

Look at these examples:

Il y a un oiseau dans mon jardin.   There is a bird in my garden.

Dans ma maison, il y a cinq pièces.In my house, there are five rooms.

À Paris, il y a la Tour Eiffel.In Paris, there is the Eiffel Tower.

Dans ma chambre, il y a un lit, un bureau et une chaise.In my bedroom, there is a bed, a desk and a chair.

To say there is/there are in French, you use the fixed expression il y a (literally "it has there").

Note: Il y a never changes, even if there is more than one object.

It consists of three separate words: il + y + a.

Never write il ya, even though it's pronounced that way.

 

Want to make sure your French sounds confident? We’ll map your knowledge and give you free lessons to focus on your gaps and mistakes. Start your Brainmap today »

Learn more about these related French grammar topics

Examples and resources

Il y a un oiseau dans mon jardin.   There is a bird in my garden.
Dans ma maison, il y a cinq pièces.In my house, there are five rooms.
Dans ma chambre, il y a un lit, un bureau et une chaise.In my bedroom, there is a bed, a desk and a chair.
Il y a un monstre !There's a monster!
À Paris, il y a la Tour Eiffel.In Paris, there is the Eiffel Tower.
À Londres, il y a beaucoup de touristes.In London, there are many tourists.
Dans ma ville, il y a deux parcs.In my town, there are two parks.
Clever stuff happening!