Useful phrase

Il y a: one French phrase, two essential meanings.

Il y a is a high-frequency phrase. It can mean there is, there are, or ago depending on the sentence.

There is / there are

The most common use describes what exists in a place or situation.

• Il y a un café près d'ici. There is a cafe near here.
• Il y a beaucoup de monde. There are a lot of people.
• Il y a une erreur. There is a mistake.

Negative form

To say there is not or there are not, use il n'y a pas. In casual speech, you may hear y a pas, but learn the full form first.

Il n'y a pas de problème. There is no problem.

Ago

With a time expression, il y a means ago.

• Il y a deux jours. Two days ago.
• J'ai commencé il y a un mois. I started a month ago.

Practice

Look around and make three sentences: Il y a un livre, Il y a une chaise, Il y a beaucoup de lumière. Then make one sentence about time: J'ai étudié il y a une heure.