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HAY/ ESTÁ THERE IS/ ARE |
HAY: It is used to talk about the existence or non-existence of something. The equivalent in English is "There is" or "There are".
If we just want to know about the services in a particular place then we do not use the indetermined article.
| Ejemplo: | ¿Hay piscina en el hotel? (Is there a swimming pool in the hotel?) |
If we don’t know about a service but we want to find out whether there is such a service in the area we use the article.
| Ejemplo: | ¿Hay una farmacia por aquí? (Is there a pharmacy round here?) |
You can never use the articles EL/LA/LOS/LAS with "HAY"
| Ejemplo: | Hay el parque en mi barrio --> incorrecto |
| Hay un parque en mi barrio --> correcto |
ESTÁ/N: It is used to locate where things, places or services are. "Está" is used for singular and "están" for plural. When we use "está/n", the assumption is that we know the thing, place or service exists, but we just want to know the location.
| Ejemplo: |
¿Dónde está el cine? (Where is the cinema?) |
|
Está muy cerca. (It is very near) |
With "ESTÁ/N" you can use the possessives but not with "HAY"
| Ejemplo: |
¿Está mi madre en casa? (Is my mother at home?) CORRECTO |
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¿Hay mi madre en casa? INCORRECTO |
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