There Is/There Are: The Verb Hay

The verb hay (pronounced like the English eye) means there is and there are. The one Spanish word hay is equivalent to both the singular there is and
the plural there are.

• Hay un libro -- There is a book.
  Hay dos libros -- There are two books.

When used in a question, ¿hay? means is there? or are there?

• ¿Hay un libro? -- Is there is a book?
  ¿Hay dos libros? -- Are there are two books?

Hay is a verb, a special form of haber -- to have, so it can take a direct object:

• ¿Hay dinero? -- Is there money?
  Sí, lo hay -- Yes, there is.
  
  ¿Hay comida? -- Is there food?
  No, no la hay. -- No, there is not  = No, there isn't any.

Notice that, as always, the direct object pronoun reflects the gender and number of the direct object noun.


Hay occurs in other tenses and moods:

• Imperfect  indicative -- había -- there was/there were -- (a general description of what was existing or occuring in general)
  Preterite indicative -- hubo -- there was/there were -- (indicates that something did or did not exist or occur at a given time)

The indicative forms había and hubo are also used as helping verbs with the participle habido:

• había habido -- there had been -- (a general description of what had been existing or occuring in general)
  hubo habido -- there had been -- (indicates that something had or had not existed or occured at a given time)
  

There are corresponding subjunctive forms:

• Imperfect subjunctive -- hubiera -- there were
  Preterite subjunctive -- hubiese -- there were

The subjunctive forms hubiera and hubiese are also used as helping verbs with the participle habido:

• hubiera habido -- there had been
  hubiese habido -- there had been

The simple and compound future tenses are:

• habrá -- there will be
  habría habido -- there will have been
  

The simple and compound conditional forms are:

• habría -- there would be
  habría habido -- there would have been

Note that haber as an auxiliary verb is irregular.