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Expressing existence with hay

Gramática
The word hay is used to express “there is” or “there are.”

Examples:

Hay muchas camisas. - There are many shirts.
Hay muchas nubes. - There are many clouds.
No hay problema. - There is no problem
No hay jabón. - There is no soap.
No hay toallas limpias. - There are NO clean towels.
No hay café. - There is no coffee.
Hay peligro. - There is danger.
Hay peligro de explosión. - There is danger of an explosion.

Gramática
When used in questions, hay has two different meanings:

Is there?
Are there?

Examples:

¿Hay un tostador? - Is there a toaster?
¿Hay testigos? - Are there witnesses?
¿Hay un incendio? - Is there a fire?
¿Hay mucha sangre? - Is there a lot of blood?
Señorita, ¿Hay camisas? - Miss, are there shirts?
¿Hay camisas más baratas? - Are there cheaper shirts?
¿Hay un hotel en el centro? - Is there a hotel downtown?
¿Hay muchos estudiantes en la clase? - Are there lots of students in the class?
¿Hay cuatro sillas en el cuarto? - Are there four chairs in the room?

Gramática
Hay can also be used to answer questions.

Examples:

¿Hay un hotel en el centro? - Is there a hotel downtown?
Sí. Sí hay. - Yes. Yes there is.

¿Hay dos baños en la casa? - Are there two bathrooms in the house?
No. No hay. - No. No there aren't.

Sentences with hay

Hay muchos libros en la biblioteca. - There are many books in the library.
Hay un libro encima de la mesa. - There is a book on the table.
Sí, hay un libro encima de la mesa. - Yes, there is a book on the table.
Hay dos baños en mi casa. - There are two baths in my house.
Hay cuatro océanos en el mundo. - There are 4 oceans in the world.
Hay un libro y una pluma en la mesa. - There is a book and a pen on the table.
¿Hay tamales? - Are there tamales?
Sí, hay tamales. - Yes, there are tamales.
No, no hay tamales. - No, there are no tamales.

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Notes for the Tutor

The student should repeat these sentences to practice pronunciation and retention of the concept.
Suggested Homework: The student should make 5 sentences of both questions and declarations demonstrating his or her understanding of the use of the word HAY.