Many Italians, even educated ones, stumble upon phrases like “There are few” or “There is one for everyone”. It’s about expressions key they tend to be confused because their sound it’s a lot similar. According to the definition it is written there is (with apostrophe and accent) when it means “there is” or “exists”. It is used there is (without apostrophe) before other verbs or when the particle “ne” is not elided. There is it only indicates existence, i.e. “exists”. These particles are among the most frequent doubts in Italian grammar because they sound almost the samebut they have functions grammatical and meanings a lot different. The problem arises precisely from here: the ear deceives us, but the grammar does not. Let’s look at them calmly, one at a time.
There is (There + is)
There is is the contraction of “there is”form of the verb be there. It is used to indicate existence or presence of someone or something. The simplest way to avoid making mistakes is this: if in the sentence you can replace it with “exists” or “is present”then the correct form is precisely there iswith the apostrophe.
For example: “There is a book on the table” means “There is a book on the table.” Or: “Is there anyone at the door?” is equivalent to asking if anyone is present.
Is there any (without apostrophe)
When we find there iswithout an apostrophe, we are faced with the union of two elements: “there is” (strengthened form of “ci”) e “ne”a particle that indicates quantity, part of something, or removal. The key point here is to look at what comes next. If it appears in the sentence another verbor you’re talking about a quantitythen the correct form is there isdetached.
For example: “There are few left” (i.e.: few of them). Or: “We’re leaving right away“, where an idea of distancing is expressed. Again: “It takes patience to understand it”, that is, you need a lot of it.
There is some (with apostrophe)
There is is the correct form of “there is some”in which the particle “ne” loses the final vowel before “è”: it is a case of elision. Here too the meaning revolves around existence: it is equivalent to saying “there exists”. Warning: in this case the apostrophe is mandatory. Writing “there is” is a mistake.
For example: “There’s one for you” (there is one for you) or “Is there any more cake left?”.
There is none
This form, although widespread, it doesn’t exist in Italian. It arises from a confusion between there is And there iswhich may seem similar by ear. But the grammar is clear: they cannot be mixed.
A typical example of an error is: “There are few”. The correct form is: “There are few”.
Mistakes to avoid: tips and tricks
There are some recurring errors that are worth keeping in mind. The first: “there is” does not exist. It is an incorrect form that combines two apostrophes unnecessarily. The right form is always there is: we also remember that in Italian it is used it is with a grave accentit is not”. Another expression to avoid writing is “is there any” in the place of “is there any”even if the sound can be deceiving.
It is also worth saying a few words about the important distinction involved no And nor. The particle no (without accent) is a pronoun or adverb and means “of that”, “of them”, “from there”. For example: “I’ve heard a lot.” The shape nor (with accent), however, is a negative conjunction and means “and not”: “I don’t want tea or coffee.”
Finally, there is a useful little trick when you are in doubt: try to transform the sentence into the past tense. If the sentence still makes sense, the form is probably correct. For example: if you ask yourself “Is there a problem?”, try “There was a problem”: it sounds good, so the right form is there is. If instead you have “Is there or can you bring it to us?”, transforming into “C’era, can you bring it?” you immediately realize that it doesn’t work: therefore the correct form is there is. And again: “There isn’t any or is there any more?” becomes “There was no more”: here the right form is there is none.
With a little practice, these differences stop feeling like pitfalls and become automatic. The point is always the same: if you can tell “exists”then you will use there is or there is; if you’re talking about instead quantity or removalthe right choice is there is. Everything else is a mistake that, with a little attention, can be avoided.
