Hay y está: los museos de Madrid (videolección)

Pilar takes a walk along the Paseo del Prado with Olga, from Saint Petersburg, who explains where the city's great museums are and what there is in each of them.

Learn the difference between "hay" and "está" in Spanish with this free Spanish lesson brought to you by Tilde Madrid Spanish school in Madrid

Key points

Hay says that something exists: En Madrid hay tres museos importantes. Hay muchos restaurantes.
Está and están give the location of something already known: El Museo del Prado está a la izquierda.
Hay goes with un, una, numbers or no article; está goes with el, la, mi or proper names.
The Thyssen, the Prado and the Reina Sofía, home of Picasso's Guernica, are a short walk from each other.

Frequent doubts

Can I say hay el museo?

No. Hay is not used with el or la. Say Hay un museo en esta calle, or El museo está en esta calle.

What is the plural of hay?

Hay does not change: hay un museo, hay tres museos. Estar, on the other hand, agrees: el museo está aquí, los museos están aquí.

Where can I see Picasso's Guernica?

In the Museo Reina Sofía, in Madrid, a short walk south of the Prado along the Paseo del Prado.

Part of Spanish Sessions, the YouTube channel of the teachers at Tilde Madrid — more than 3 million views.

Watch on YouTube

Key points

Frequent doubts

Keep practising