y, in the phrase il y a
there is, there are
Il y a cinq livres sur la table.
There are five books on the table.
ABOUT Y
In French, y — along with en, which we’ll discuss later in the week — is an adverbial pronoun. In general, y means there. However, take note that there’s lots to know about this little word that’s very important in the French language. We thought we’d start today with the word’s most common use — in the phrase il y a, the French equivalent of there is. Learn this and you’ll find yourself with the critical building block of expressing many ideas and situations. If you’re seeking a literal translation of the phrase, it’s it has there. But it’s much better to think of it as simply there is or there are. Take note that this expression may be used in different tenses, but the verb avoir always remains in the third-person singular, no matter whether the thing that follows is singular or plural:
- Il y a un chien dans la maison. (There’s a dog in the house.)
- Il y a trois chiens dans la maison. (There are three dogs in the house.)
- Il y avait un chien dans la maison. (There was a dog in the house.)
- Il y avait trois chiens dans la maison. (There were three dogs in the house.)
- Il y aura un chien dans la maison. (There will be a dog in the house.)
- Il y aura trois chiens dans la maison. (There will be three dogs in the house.)
THIS WEEK
We’re doing something a little different. Instead of having a different word each day, we’re going to focus on just two words this week — the adverbial pronouns y and en.
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