What’s the difference between hay and tiene?

hay vs tiene

The verb forms hay (impersonal form of the verb haber) and tiene/tienen (3rd person singular or plural of the verb tener) can both be used to indicate what we can find in a place, but they build different type of sentences.

Read on to learn the difference between hay and tiene/tienen, then practise using them correctly in the interactive grammar exercises below.

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Vivo en una casa a las afueras de Madrid. Madrid tiene zonas en la sierra apartadas del ruido y el tráfico de la ciudad, donde es muy agradable vivir.

Alrededor de mi casa hay muchísimos árboles. La casa tiene ventanas gigantes en las cuatro fachadas, así que siento que vivo directamente en el bosque.

Sobre el tejado, la casa tiene unos paneles solares que generan toda la energía necesaria para cubrir mi consumo eléctrico. Los paneles solares tienen células fotovoltaicas que convierten la luz del sol en electricidad.

Junto al garaje, hay una caja de conexiones para la supervisión y mantenimiento de toda la instalación.

Dentro de la caja hay muchos cables y fusibles de todos los colores. ¡Pero yo nunca toco nada!

When to use hay?

The form hay (impersonal form of the verb haber in the present tense) means there is/there are. It therefore expresses:

  • the existence of something or someone
    Exemple:
    Alrededor de mi casa hay muchísimos árboles.There are lots of trees around my house.
  • the absence of something or someone (when negated)
    Exemple:
    Alrededor de mi casa no hay ruido de coches.There is no noise from cars around my house.

It can be used in the present, past and future tenses: hay, había, habrá.

Remember

The impersonal form hay always appears in the singular, even when referring to a plural noun. The accompanying noun functions as a direct object, not as a subject (see the explanation below).

Exemple:
Alrededor de mi casa no hay tiendas.There are no shops around my house.
Alrededor de mi casa no las hay.There aren't any around my house.

When to use tiene?

The forms tiene/tienen indicate:

  • a particular feature or characteristic that something or someone possesses
    Exemple:
    La casa tiene ventanas gigantes.The house has huge windows.
    Los paneles solares tienen células fotovoltaicas.Solar panels have photovoltaic cells.

Remember

Unlike haber, the verb tener is personal and is conjugated according to the subject (i.e. it changes its ending to match):

Exemple:
La casa tiene paneles solares.The house has solar panels.
la casa = 3rd person singular → tiene
Los paneles solares tienen células fotovoltaicas.Solar panels have photovoltaic cells.
los paneles solares = 3rd person plural → tienen

When to use hay vs. when to use tiene

hay

Use hay:

  • in impersonal sentences to indicate existence
    Exemple:
    En Madrid hay mucho tráfico.There is a lot of traffic in Madrid.
  • always in the singular, in any verb tense (hay, había, habrá)
    Exemple:
    Alrededor de la casa hay muchos árboles.There are many trees around the house.
    Antes, en el jardín había un huerto.There used to be a vegetable garden in the garden.
  • in sentences with an adverbial (usually, at the beginning of the sentence)
    Exemple:
    Dentro de la caja hay muchos cables y fusibles.Inside the box there are many cables and fuses.
    dentro de la caja = adverbial of place
  • in sentences with an adverb of place or time (also, usually at the beginning of the sentence)
    Exemple:
    Aquí hay mucha paz.There is a lot of peace here.
    Antes había un huerto.There used to be a vegetable garden.

Don’t use hay:

  • in personal sentences
    Exemple:
    La casa hay ventanas en todas las fachadas.
    → La casa tiene ventanas…The house has windows…

tiene

Use tiene/tienen:

  • in personal sentences that indicate possession/belonging to someone or something
    Exemple:
    Madrid tiene zonas en la sierra apartadas del ruido y el tráfico.Madrid has areas in the mountains away from noise and traffic.
    Not: Madrid hay zonas en la sierra…
  • in the singular or plural, depending on the subject
    Exemple:
    La casa tiene ventanas en todas las fachadas.The house has windows on all sides.
    Los paneles solares tienen células fotovoltaicas.Solar panels have photovoltaic cells.

Don’t use tiene/tienen:

  • in impersonal sentences
    Exemple:
    En Madrid tiene mucho tráfico.
    → En Madrid hay mucho tráfico.There is a lot of traffic in Madrid.

Subject or adverbial?

The main difference between hay and tiene is that hay forms impersonal sentences, while the verb tener is used in personal sentences and always agrees with the subject.

In order to correctly identify the subject of a sentence, you can use the following verification methods:

Verification method 1: change the number

Try changing the noun to singular or plural, does the verb also need to be changed? Compare:

Case 1:
El panel solar tiene células fotovoltaicas. / Los paneles solares tienen células fotovoltaicas.The solar panel has photovoltaic cells. / Solar panels have photovoltaic cells.
by changing the number of the noun, the verb needs to change accordingly → that noun is the subject of the sentence
Case 2:
En el jardín hay un árbol. / En el jardín hay muchos árboles.There is one tree in the garden. / There are many trees in the garden.
even if we change the number of the noun, the verb remains unchanged → the sentence has no subject, it is an impersonal sentence

Verification method 2: look for a preposition

Is the noun preceded by a preposition? The subject of a sentence can never be preceded by a preposition. Therefore, if you find a preposition close to a noun, that is not the subject but an adverbial. Compare:

Case 1:
Madrid tiene mucho tráfico. / Las ciudades tienen mucho tráfico.Madrid has a lot of traffic. / Cities have a lot of traffic.
both Madrid and Las ciudades agree with the verb → they are the subjects of the sentences
Case 2:
En Madrid hay mucho tráfico. / En las ciudades hay mucho tráfico.There is a lot of traffic en Madrid. / There is a lot of traffic in the cities.
neither En Madrid or En las ciudades can be the subject of the sentence because they are preceded by a preposition → they are an adverbial of place

What about the object?

Both sentences with hay and tiene can contain an object. A direct object is never preceded by a preposition, but it can be replaced by a direct object pronoun: la, lo, las, los.

Exemple:
Madrid tiene mucho tráfico. → Madrid lo tiene.Madrid has a lot of traffic. → Madrid has it.
En Madrid hay muchos coches. → En Madrid los hay.There are many cars in Madrid. → There are some in Madrid.

Therefore, if you can replace the noun by a direct object pronoun, that noun is also not the subject of the sentence.