DAR Y PEDIR INFORMACIÓN SOBRE LA EXISTENCIA DE OBJETOS / ASKING FOR AND PROVIDING INFORMATION ABOUT THE EXISTENCE OF OBJECTS
To ask for and provide information about the existence of things, we use a special form of the 3rd person singular of the verb haber: hay
Existencia / Existence
When we ask about something that we’re not sure exists, we use hay. If the answer is affirmative (because the object exists), we then indicate where the object is.
–¿Hay un ordenador?
–Sí, está en el despacho.
–¿Hay agua?
–Sí, sí hay. Está en la botella.
No existencia / Nonexistence
If the answer is no, we simply use the negative: no hay.
–¿Hay Coca-Cola?
–No, no hay.
Objeto desconocido / Unknown objects
We use hay when an object is unknown; that is, when we don’t know whether it actually exists. This is why we use the indefinite article or no article, but never the definite article (el, la, …).
- ¿Hay un teléfono?
- ¿Hay dinero?
Objeto conocido / Known objects
If the object is previously known to us (we know it exists), we don’t use hay or the indefinite article. We use the definite article (el, la, …) and ask where something is with the verb estar.
–¿Dónde está el ordenador?
–Está en el despacho.
–¿Dónde está la llave?
–Está en la cocina.
PEDIR INFORMACIÓN SOBRE COSAS QUE NO RECONOCEMOS / ASKING ABOUT SOMETHING WE DON’T RECOGNIZE
When we see something we don’t recognize and want to know about, we use the expression.
- ¿Qué es esto?
EXPRESAR EL ASOMBRO Y LA ALEGRÍA / EXPRESSING ASTONISHMENT AND JOY
To express astonishment, combined with admiration and joy, we use the expression.
- ¡Qué maravilla!
Esto is the neuter demonstrative form.
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Now check to see that you’ve learned the expressions in this section well by completing the exercises. |