| hay | un / una / unos, a number, mucho / poco | Hay una farmacia cerca. | There's a chemist's nearby. |
| hay | a plural or uncountable noun alone | Hay pan en la mesa. | There's bread on the table. |
| está | el / la / mi / este, a proper name | Mi casa está cerca. | My house is nearby. |
| Number | está for one thing, están for several | Los niños están en el parque. | The children are in the park. |
| Question | hay to find something, dónde está for its place | ¿Hay un baño por aquí? / ¿Dónde está el baño? | Is there a toilet around here? / Where is the toilet? |
| Negative | no hay, usually without un / una | No hay leche. | There's no milk. |
| Trap | hay has one form for the singular and the plural | Hay muchos turistas. | There are lots of tourists. |
| Trap | a known thing takes está | El supermercado está en esta calle. | The supermarket is on this street. |