il y a
/i.l‿i.j‿a/
The English phrase "there is" is translated into French as il y a.
il y a is used to indicate that something exists or is located in a specific place. Beyond expressing existence, it also functions as the English word "ago" when used with a time expression, such as in the phrase il y a deux jours (two days ago).
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of the impersonal pronoun il (it), the adverb y (there) and the verb a (has), literally translating to "it there has".
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase il y a is used for both singular and plural subjects. It translates to both "there is" and "there are" and does not change its form regardless of the number of the noun that follows it.
How do you pronounce it?
/i.l‿i.j‿a/
What mistakes should you avoid?
Because the phrase is invariable, do not attempt to change the verb to match a plural noun. il y a remains the same whether the subject is singular or plural.
Did you know?
- When asking a question, the phrase can be inverted to y a-t-il, where a 't' is added solely for pronunciation purposes.
- In spoken French, the phrase il y a is frequently contracted to y'a in informal conversation.
- While we use 'there is' to show location, the word y inside the phrase actually originates from the Latin word 'hīc', meaning 'here'.
Examples in context
- Il y a de l'eau.There is water.This sentence is useful for seeing il y a used with a mass noun.Tatoeba #8701685 by Micsmithel, translation #8984141 by mccarras
- Il y a une grève.There is a strike.This sentence is useful for seeing il y a used to announce a strike.Tatoeba #817761 by Cocorico, translation #817764 by Cocorico
- Il y a un chien !There is a dog!This sentence is useful for seeing il y a used with a singular noun.Tatoeba #1276434 by Julien_PDC, translation #1276432 by shekitten
- Il y a un parc dans le centre-ville.There is a park in the city center.
- Il y a beaucoup de restaurants à Paris.There are many restaurants in Paris.
- Il y a vraiment beaucoup de monde ici.There really are a lot of people here.
- Il y a même des étoiles dans cette région.There are even stars in this region.
- Il n'y a pas de voiture dans le parking.There is no car in the parking lot.
- Y'a pas de problème, tout va bien.There's no problem, everything is fine.
- 583 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Gabriel and Chloé are looking for a bakery in the street.
- GabrielIl y a une boulangerie ici ?Is there a bakery here?
- ChloéOui, il y a une boulangerie juste là.Yes, there is a bakery right there.
- GabrielC'est super, je veux acheter du pain.That's great, I want to buy some bread.
- ChloéMoi aussi, allons-y !Me too, let's go!
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry il y a, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries a, il, y, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
