A1
il y a — there is, there are
How the French expression il y a works, why it never becomes plural, and its second meaning of “ago”.
Il y a means there is and there are. It is built from avoir — literally it there has — and it is completely fixed.
Il y a un problème.
it there has a problem
There’s a problem.
Il y a beaucoup de gens.
it there has many of people
There are a lot of people.
It never becomes plural
English switches between is and are. French does not.
Il y ont trois chaises.
Il y a trois chaises.
Il y a is invariable. Whatever follows, however plural, the phrase does not change.
The negative
Il n’y a pas de place.
it not-there has not of room
There’s no room.
Note de rather than de la — the article collapses after a negative, as it always does. See the partitive.
In other tenses
The pieces conjugate: il y avait (there was), il y aura (there will be), il y a eu (there has been).
Il y avait beaucoup de monde.
it there had many of world
There were a lot of people.
It also means ago
Placed before a length of time, il y a means ago — the same three words with a completely different job.
Je suis arrivé il y a deux jours.
I am arrived it there has two days
I arrived two days ago.
Which meaning is intended is decided by what follows: a noun gives there is, a duration gives ago.