The Differences Between Haber and Estar

Do you know the difference between ¿Dónde está el cine? and ¿Dónde hay un cine? Haber and estar both mean that something exists, but they cannot be used interchangeably. In this article, let's discover their differences in more depth.

Reviewing Haber

Usage

Rule 1. Haber is used to talk about the existence of something or that we have something. It is very similar in use to there is and there are in English.

Form

Rule 2. Hay is placed at the beginning of the sentence, and is always accompanied by either an indefinite article, a numeral, or an indefinite pronoun.

Reviewing Estar

Usage

Rule 3. The verb estar has many functions, but the one that contrasts most with the verb haber is that of indicating location. In English, it is very similar to the verb to be.

Form

Rule 4. When the verb estar is used in a sentence, it goes as follows: the subject, the verb estar, and the rest of the sentence - in this case, the place where the thing we are talking about is located.

Estar vs. Haber - Differences in Use

It is clear that the two verbs are used in very different ways. However, they still can be challenging for English speakers learning French - so how to learn which one to use when?

Let's go back to the example we used in the introduction of this article.

Rule 5. When estar is used, the sentence is more specific. In this case, it is understood that one knows which movie theater we are talking about. While in the case of hay, it is understood that one is only asking if there are any cinemas around.

Rule 6. Another clue is the use of definite vs. indefinite articles. Since estar is more specific, this verb requires the use of a definite article which, as you may have already studied, is used when the noun they accompany has already been mentioned or is known. On the other hand, hay requires the use of an indefinite article (or other indefinite words) because it is more ambiguous.

Estar vs. Haber differences in Form

Rule 7. The biggest difference between these two verbs is that haber is invariable, which means it does not change in gender or number regardless of the noun that accompanies it. In contrast, estar must be modified in number according to its noun.

Also, hay is always placed before the subject while estar is more commonly positioned after the subject.