There Is and There Are: The Complete Guide for Indian Learners
Imagine you are helping a newcomer find their way around your neighbourhood in Mumbai. You might say, “Look, there is a famous Vada Pav stall at the corner,” or “There are three ATMs right next to the metro station.” We use these simple phrases every day to point out what exists around us, whether we are describing a menu at a restaurant, explaining office facilities to a new joiner at Infosys, or writing a report for an exam. Getting the singular and plural agreement right is the difference between sounding like a beginner and sounding like a confident professional.
Use ‘There is’ for singular nouns (one person, place, or thing) and uncountable nouns.
Use ‘There are’ for plural nouns (two or more people, places, or things).
1. There Is vs There Are — The Basics
In English, when we want to say that something exists, we do not start the sentence with the noun (the subject) itself. Instead, we use “There” as a starting word (called a dummy subject). The verb that follows—either “is” or “are”—must match the noun that comes after it.
For Indian learners, the trickiest part is often uncountable nouns. These are things we cannot count individually, like water, milk, traffic, sugar, or furniture. In English, we treat these as singular. So, even if there is a huge amount of traffic on the Western Express Highway, we still say “There is a lot of traffic,” not “There are.”
✅ Singular: There is a temple near my house in Chennai.
✅ Plural: There are two ATMs on this street.
✅ Uncountable: There is some milk in the fridge for the chai.
| Noun Type | Structure | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Singular | There is + a/an | There is an umbrella behind the door. |
| Plural | There are + number/many/some | There are some files on Ravi’s desk. |
| Uncountable | There is + some/much/a lot of | There is a lot of traffic on MG Road today. |
✏️ Quick Practice — Fill in the blanks
- _______ a beautiful garden in our colony.
- _______ twenty students in the English coaching class.
- _______ some salt in the container.
Answers: 1. There is | 2. There are | 3. There is
2. Questions and Negatives
When we want to ask if something exists, we simply flip the order. Instead of “There is,” we say “Is there?” Instead of “There are,” we say “Are there?” This is very useful when you are travelling and need to find a pharmacy or check if seats are available on a bus or train.
For negative sentences, we add “not.” In casual conversation, we usually use contractions: There isn’t (There is not) and There aren’t (There are not). Note that we often use the word “any” in negative sentences and questions to mean “even one.”
✅ Positive: There is a pharmacy nearby.
❌ Incorrect: There is not any chairs here.
✅ Correct: There aren’t any chairs here.
| Sentence Type | Singular/Uncountable | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Positive | There is a bank near the gate. | There are seats available. |
| Negative | There isn’t a single chair here. | There aren’t any students in the classroom. |
| Question | Is there any water left? | Are there any updates on the project? |
Use ‘any’ for questions and negatives with plural or uncountable nouns.
Is there any water? (Uncountable)
Are there any biscuits left? (Plural)
✏️ Quick Practice — Form the sentence
- seats / in the theatre / any / Are there ?
- not / a single / There is / shop / open.
- Is there / in the fridge / milk / any ?
Answers: 1. Are there any seats in the theatre? | 2. There is not a single shop open. | 3. Is there any milk in the fridge?
3. Past and Future Forms
Grammar is not just about the present. We often need to talk about what existed yesterday or what will exist tomorrow.
- Past: Use ‘There was’ (singular/uncountable) and ‘There were’ (plural). This is perfect for describing your childhood or a recent event. “There was a power cut in Pune last night.”
- Future: Use ‘There will be’ for everything! Whether it is singular or plural, the future form does not change. “There will be a holiday tomorrow for Diwali.”
| Tense | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Past | There was a huge mela in the village. | There were many people at the concert. |
| Present | There is a problem with the server. | There are many options to choose from. |
| Future | There will be a test next Monday. | There will be many jobs at the new tech park. |
✏️ Quick Practice — Changing Tenses
- (Past) ________ many people at Neha’s wedding.
- (Future) ________ a new shopping mall in the city next year.
- (Past) ________ no electricity in the office this morning.
Answers: 1. There were | 2. There will be | 3. There was
4. There Is/Are with Lists
This is a special rule that often confuses students during the IELTS or UPSC exams. When you have a list of items, which verb do you use?
The rule is: Look at the very first item in the list. If the first item is singular, use “There is.” If the first item is plural, use “There are.” This is called the “Rule of Proximity.”
✅ There is a pen and two notebooks on the desk. (‘a pen’ is singular)
✅ There are two notebooks and a pen on the desk. (‘two notebooks’ is plural)
In formal writing, both the Rule of Proximity (“There is a pen and two notebooks”) and the plural compound subject rule (“There are a pen and two notebooks”) are widely accepted, with many traditional authorities preferring the plural version. In informal speech, native speakers rarely use “There are” followed by a singular noun; instead, they usually contract it to “There’s a pen and two notebooks.”
5. Common Mistakes by Indian Learners
Many of us tend to translate directly from our mother tongue (Hindi, Marathi, Tamil, etc.), which leads to common errors in subject-verb agreement.
| ❌ Incorrect | ✅ Correct | Why? |
|---|---|---|
| There are a lot of traffic in Bangalore. | There is a lot of traffic in Bangalore. | Traffic is an uncountable noun. |
| There is many options for the project. | There are many options for the project. | ‘Options’ is plural. |
| There isn’t any buses after 10 PM. | There aren’t any buses after 10 PM. | ‘Buses’ is plural; must use ‘aren’t’. |
| Their is a problem with my Aadhaar card. | There is a problem with my Aadhaar card. | Use ‘There’ for existence, not ‘Their’ (possession). |
| There was many people at the bank. | There were many people at the bank. | ‘People’ is a plural noun. |
There — refers to a place or existence: There is a park nearby.
Their — shows possession: Their house is near the station.
They're — contraction of they are: They're going to the movies tonight.
✏️ Quick Practice — Mix and Match
- (There/Their/They’re) ________ going to the movies tonight.
- (There is/There are) ________ some furniture to be moved.
- (There/Their/They’re) ________ house is near the station.
Answers: 1. They’re | 2. There is | 3. Their
Summary
Mastering “There is” and “There are” helps you describe the world accurately and professionally. Whether you are writing a formal email at work or describing a scene in a creative writing task, remember these key points:
- Use ‘is’ for one thing or things you can’t count (milk, rain, advice).
- Use ‘are’ for two or more things (books, people, cities).
- In questions, flip the order (Is there...? / Are there...?).
- When listing items, the first item in the list decides the verb.
- Use 'There was' and 'There were' for the past, and 'There will be' for the future.
- Don't confuse There (place/existence) with Their (possession) and They're (they are).
Key takeaway: Always check the noun immediately following the verb to decide between singular and plural. To practise, try looking around your room right now and say three sentences aloud: one with ‘There is’, one with ‘There are’, and one with ‘There isn’t any.’