Have you ever confused ‘There is’ and ‘There are’ when speaking English?

In today's lesson we will explain what they mean and how to use them:

➡ There + to be is used to refer to the existence of something.

✅ There is/was is used when referring to something in its singular form:
- There is a new student in my class. (Present tense)

- There was a coin on my table. (Past tense)

✅ There are/were is used when referring to something in its plural form:

- There are three pens in the bag.

- There were two pieces of cake on the table.

Note: Native Brazilian Portuguese speakers often use the verb 'ter' (to have) with the meaning of 'there is/there are' when speaking in Portuguese. For this reason, this can be a particularly common mistake made when speaking English. Here are some examples:

Present tense:

(Tem um gatinho na garagem) 

- Has a kitten in the garage. - INCORRECT ❌

- There is a kitten in the garage - CORRECT ✅

Past tense:

(Tinha um gatinho na garagem)

- Had a kitten in the garage. - INCORRECT ❌

- There was a kitten in the garage - CORRECT ✅

Share these helpful tips with your friends so that they learn too. And schedule a lesson today using the code LIMLAUNCH to get a 50% discount!