no hay
/no ai/from spelling rules
The English phrase "there is not" is translated into Spanish as no hay.
For more formal emphasis, you can use No existe to say that something does not exist or No se encuentra to convey that something cannot be found or located.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of no (not) and hay (the impersonal form of the verb haber, meaning "there is/are").
How does it change in a sentence?
no hay is used for both singular and plural nouns, meaning it covers both "there is not" and "there are not".
How do you pronounce it?
/no ai/
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly try to conjugate hay to match a plural subject, such as saying no han instead of no hay. However, no hay remains invariable regardless of what follows it.
Did you know?
- In Spanish, using no hay to describe a person can sound like you are saying they simply do not exist in the universe, rather than just being absent from a room.
- In a restaurant, saying no hay about a dish often implies the kitchen has run out of ingredients, rather than the dish not being on the menu.
- The word hay is actually a historical combination of the verb 'to have' and a locative pronoun meaning 'there'.
Examples in context
- No hay suficiente demanda para este producto.There is not enough demand for this product.Tatoeba #1977505 by marcelostockle, translation #1372637 by alanood
- No existe grandeza donde no hay facilidad, bondad y verdad.There is no glory where there is not ease, goodness, and truth.Tatoeba #1798792 by Shishir, translation #13627225 by aarikpokras
- Me temo que no hay mucho que pueda hacer para ayudar.There is not much I can do to help, I am afraid.Tatoeba #2209727 by Shishir, translation #245263 by CM
- No hay ningún problema.There is no problem.
- No existe una solución fácil.There is no easy solution.
- No hay problema, tranquilo.There's no problem, relax.
- No hay nada de comer en la nevera.There's nothing to eat in the fridge.
- 13 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lucía and Mateo are looking for milk in the refrigerator.
- LucíaMateo, ¿hay leche en la nevera?Mateo, is there any milk in the fridge?
- MateoNo, no hay leche.No, there is no milk.
- LucíaQué mal, tenemos que comprar más.That's too bad, we have to buy more.
- MateoIré a la tienda ahora mismo.I will go to the store right now.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries hay, no, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
