Il y a in French: there is, there are and ago
Il y a has two common meanings. Before a noun, it means “there is” or
“there are”: il y a un café ici (“there is a café here”). With a time
expression after a past event, it means “ago”: je suis arrivé il y a deux
jours (“I arrived two days ago”). The words do not change for singular or plural:
il y a covers both.
| Use | Pattern | Example |
|---|---|---|
| there is | il y a + singular noun |
Il y a un problème.There is a problem. |
| there are | il y a + plural noun |
Il y a trois chambres.There are three rooms. |
| ago | past event + il y a + time |
Je suis arrivé il y a une heure.I arrived an hour ago. |
Il y a for there is / there are
Use il y a to say something exists or is present.
Il y a une pharmacie près de la gare.
There is a pharmacy near the station.Il y a beaucoup de touristes aujourd’hui.
There are a lot of tourists today.
French does not change the verb for plural. English changes “is” to “are”;
French keeps il y a.
Questions and negatives
For a simple question, you can use intonation or est-ce qu'il y a.
Il y a un bus ? Est-ce qu’il y a un bus ?
Is there a bus?
For the negative, use il n'y a pas. Before a noun, the article often becomes
de or d'.
Il n’y a pas de café.
There is no coffee.Il n’y a pas d’ascenseur.
There is no elevator.
Il y a for ago
After a past event, il y a + time expression means “ago”.
J’ai commencé le français il y a six mois.
I started French six months ago.Elle est partie il y a cinq minutes.
She left five minutes ago.
This use points backward from now. Do not confuse it with depuis, which means
“since/for” with an action or state that continues.
Common mistakes
Making il y a plural
Il y a does not change for plural nouns.
Il y ont trois chambres.-> Il y a trois chambres.
There are three rooms.
Forgetting y
The y is part of the expression.
Il a un problème.-> Il y a un problème.
There is a problem.
Using il y a for a continuing duration
For “I have lived here for two years”, use depuis, not il y a.
J’habite ici il y a deux ans.-> J’habite ici depuis deux ans.
I have lived here for two years.
Il y a belongs with the first French sentence patterns, then returns in time
phrases once you start past tenses. Fluera practices both meanings in context, so
you can tell whether the phrase introduces something present or points to when an
event happened. Try it when you practice French.
Practice
Question 1 of 10
Frequently asked questions
What does il y a mean in French?
il y a means "there is" or "there are": il y a un problème, il y a trois chambres. With a time expression after a past event, it means "ago": il y a deux jours.Does il y a change in the plural?
il y a for both singular and plural: il y a un livre and il y a des livres.How do you make il y a negative?
il n'y a pas. Before a noun, use de or d': il n'y a pas de café, il n'y a pas d'eau.What is the difference between il y a and depuis?
Il y a points to when a completed event happened: je suis arrivé il y a deux jours. Depuis describes something that continues: j'habite ici depuis deux ans.