Lesson 76

Hay, Haya, and Maybe There Is

Language Transfer Complete Spanish is by Mihalis Eleftheriou. Listen to the original audio first; use these notes for revision.

Hay = there is / there are (from haber, doesn't change). Había = there was/were (imperfect, also doesn't change). Haya = subjunctive of hay.

Alguien = somebody. Persona = person.

When describing something uncertain after hay → subjunctive. Stating a fact → indicative:

¿Hay alguien aquí que hable español? (uncertain — you're asking)
Hay dos personas que hablan español. (fact — you know)

Tiene que haber = there has to be (tener que + haber).

Sentences practiced

Spanish	English
Hay alguien aquí.	There's someone here.
Que quiere hablar con usted.	Who wants to speak with you.
¿Hay alguien aquí que hable español?	Is there someone here who speaks Spanish? (subj)
Hay dos personas aquí que hablan español.	There are two people here who speak Spanish. (fact)
Había dos personas aquí que hablaban español.	There were two people who spoke Spanish.
Tiene que haber.	There has to be.
Algo que puedas hacer.	Something you can do.