Recursio
Lesson 14. Is there a pharmacy nearby?
10 words in this lesson
Tap 🔊 and repeat out loud. These words come back in the dialogue and the exercises below.
hay and está
Hay — “there is, there are”
Hay says that something exists somewhere. It has one form for singular and plural, where English switches between there is and there are:
- Hay un parque. — There’s a park.
- Hay una farmacia cerca. — There’s a pharmacy nearby.
- Hay supermercados en el centro. — There are supermarkets downtown.
After hay you usually get un / una, or a plural noun with no article. The h is silent: hay sounds like English eye.
Está — “is (located)”
For a particular place you already know about — with el / la or a name — use estar (lesson 12):
- ¿Dónde está el banco? — Where’s the bank?
- El banco está allí. — The bank is over there.
- La estación está cerca. — The station is close.
How to choose
| Question | Verb | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Is there such a place? | hay + un / una | ¿Hay una farmacia cerca? |
| Where is this place? | está + el / la | ¿Dónde está la farmacia? |
The English pattern helps here: “Is there a pharmacy?” → ¿Hay una farmacia cerca?; “Where is the pharmacy?” → ¿Dónde está la farmacia?
¿Dónde? has an accent mark, like ¿de dónde? in lesson 4. Lejos means “far,” the opposite of cerca.
¿Hay una farmacia cerca? — Is there a pharmacy nearby?
Hay un parque y un museo. — There's a park and a museum.
Hay restaurantes en el centro. — There are restaurants downtown.
El banco está allí. — The bank is over there.
¿Dónde está la estación? — Where's the station?
Dialogue
Listen to each line and repeat it. Try to understand it before you look at the translation.
Nora Javier, ¿hay una farmacia cerca? Javier, is there a pharmacy nearby?
Javier Sí, hay una farmacia aquí, en la calle. Yes, there's a pharmacy here on the street.
Nora ¿Y dónde está el banco? And where's the bank?
Javier El banco está allí, cerca de la estación. The bank is over there, near the station.
Nora ¿La estación está lejos? Is the station far?
Javier No, está cerca. Y allí hay un parque y un museo. No, it's close. And there's a park and a museum there.
Nora ¿Y hay un supermercado? And is there a supermarket?
Javier Sí, hay supermercados en el centro. Yes, there are supermarkets downtown.
Check yourself
Listen. What did you hear?
1. How do you ask “Is there a pharmacy nearby?”
2. How do you ask “Where's the bank?” (a particular bank you've mentioned)
3. How do you say “There are restaurants downtown”?
4. How do you ask “Is the station far?”
Match each word with its translation
Build the question: “Is there a pharmacy nearby?”
Build the sentence: “The bank is over there”
What you can do now
- Ask if something is nearby: ¿Hay una farmacia cerca?
- Say what there is in the area: Hay un parque y un museo.
- Ask and say where a particular place is: ¿Dónde está el banco? Está allí.
- Say whether it's near or far: Está cerca. Está lejos.
Key phrases of the lesson:
¿Hay una farmacia cerca?
El banco está allí.
Hay un parque y un museo.
Day 14 of 100. Next up: the following lesson.
Lesson 15. Module 3 review and test →The course is the first step. Next comes the Recursio app: short daily practice with spaced review.