In Portuguese we say “tem um gato na porta”. In English, to say that something exists or is somewhere, we use there is and there are (and, in the past, there was and there were). Using have here is one of the most common mistakes Brazilians make.Em português dizemos “tem um gato na porta”. Em inglês, para falar que algo existe ou está em algum lugar, usamos there is e there are (e, no passado, there was e there were). Usar have nesse caso é um dos erros mais comuns de brasileiros.
A1 All the forms at a glance
The verb be changes with the tense and with the noun that comes after it: singular or plural.O verbo be muda conforme o tempo verbal e conforme o substantivo que vem depois: singular ou plural.
| Tense | Singular / uncountable | Plural | Português |
|---|---|---|---|
| Present | There is (There’s) | There are | tem, há, existe(m) |
| Past | There was | There were | tinha, havia, teve |
| Present perfect | There has been | There have been | tem havido, houve |
| Future | There will be | There will be | vai ter, haverá |
A1 Present: there is / there are
- There’s some milk and an apple in the fridge. (Tem leite e uma maçã na geladeira.)
- There are some biscuits in the kitchen. (Tem biscoitos na cozinha.)
- There isn’t any sugar. (Não tem açúcar.)
- There aren’t many people here. (Não tem muita gente aqui.)
Which one?
There is + singular or uncountable (a cat, some milk). There are + plural (two cats, some eggs). In lists, the verb agrees with the first item: There’s a pen and two books on the desk.There is + singular ou incontável (a cat, some milk). There are + plural (two cats, some eggs). Em listas, o verbo concorda com o primeiro item: There’s a pen and two books on the desk. (Tem uma caneta e dois livros na mesa.)
A1 Past: there was / there were
For the past, change is to was and are to were. In Portuguese, this is “tinha”, “havia” or “teve”.No passado, troque is por was e are por were. Em português, isso é “tinha”, “havia” ou “teve”.
- There was an old car parked outside. (Tinha um carro velho estacionado lá fora.)
- There was some noise during the night. (Teve barulho durante a noite.)
- There were many people at the concert. (Tinha muita gente no show.)
- There weren’t any tickets left. (Não tinha mais ingressos.)
A1 Questions and short answers
To ask a question, swap the order: Is there…? / Are there…? In short answers, repeat there + the verb.Para fazer a pergunta, inverta a ordem: Is there…? / Are there…? Nas respostas curtas, repita there + o verbo.
| Question | Short answers | Português |
|---|---|---|
| Is there a bank near here? | Yes, there is. / No, there isn’t. | Tem um banco aqui perto? Tem, sim. / Não, não tem. |
| Are there any eggs? | Yes, there are. / No, there aren’t. | Tem ovos? Tem, sim. / Não, não tem. |
| Was there any water in the bottle? | Yes, there was. / No, there wasn’t. | Tinha água na garrafa? Tinha, sim. / Não, não tinha. |
| Were there any children at the park? | Yes, there were. / No, there weren’t. | Tinha crianças no parque? Tinha, sim. / Não, não tinha. |
- How many students are there in your class? (Quantos alunos tem na sua turma?)
- What kind of fruit is there in the salad? (Que tipo de fruta tem na salada?)
- Is there a pharmacy open on Sundays? (Tem alguma farmácia aberta aos domingos?)
- Are there any eggs in the fridge? Yes, there are. (Tem ovo na geladeira? Tem, sim.)
A1 There is or have?
“Tem” isn’t always “have”
✗ Has a cat at the door. → ✓ There’s a cat at the door.✗ Has a cat at the door. → ✓ There’s a cat at the door. (Tem um gato na porta.)
✗ Have many people here. → ✓ There are many people here.✗ Have many people here. → ✓ There are many people here. (Tem muita gente aqui.)
have / has = to own
Someone or something has something: possession or a feature.Alguém ou algo tem alguma coisa: posse ou característica.
I have a cat. (Eu tenho um gato.)
The house has three bedrooms. (A casa tem três quartos.)
there is / there are = to exist
Something exists or is somewhere.Algo existe ou está em algum lugar.
There’s soup on the menu. (Tem sopa no cardápio.)
There are students in the room. (Tem alunos na sala.)
Anything and nothing
Don’t use two negatives in the same sentence.Não use duas negativas na mesma frase.
| ✓ Right | ✗ Wrong | Português |
|---|---|---|
| There isn’t anything to eat. | There isn’t nothing to eat. | Não tem nada para comer. |
| There’s nothing to eat. | There’s anything to eat. | Não tem nada para comer. |
| Is there anything I can do? | Isn’t there nothing I can do? | Tem algo que eu possa fazer? |
Two forms, same meaning
There isn’t anything and There’s nothing mean the same thing. The first is more common in speech; the second is more emphatic.There isn’t anything e There’s nothing significam a mesma coisa. A primeira é mais comum na fala; a segunda é mais enfática.
Common Mistakes
Avoid these
✗ Have a bank near here. ✓ There’s a bank near here.Para dizer que algo existe, use there is, não have.
✗ There is two cats in the garden. ✓ There are two cats in the garden.Com plural, use there are.
✗ There isn’t nothing to do. ✓ There isn’t anything to do.Nada de dupla negativa.
✗ There is a lot of people. ✓ There are a lot of people.People é plural: there are.
✗ Is a cat in the kitchen? ✓ Is there a cat in the kitchen?Não esqueça o there na pergunta.
Quick Summary
| Form | Example | Português |
|---|---|---|
| there is + singular | There’s a cat at the door. | Tem um gato na porta. |
| there are + plural | There are two cats. | Tem dois gatos. |
| there was / were | There were many people. | Tinha muita gente. |
| negative | There isn’t any sugar. | Não tem açúcar. |
| question | Is there a bank near here? | Tem um banco aqui perto? |
| have = possession | I have a cat. | Eu tenho um gato. |
Practice Time
Quiz
