 There is or there are. There is or there are is a common phrase in English used to indicate that something exists or is in a certain location. The main subject follows the verb when there is or there are is used. There is an apple on the table. Other forms of be can also be used with there is or there are. There will be a party at Bill's house on Saturday. There were four witnesses at the crime scene. There have been two robberies in the last five months. Contractions are possible, but they are mostly used informally in speech. There's a fly in my soup. There are plenty of oranges left. There will be a lot of people in attendance. There's is by far the most common contraction, and it is sometimes used inadvertently with plural subjects by native speakers. There's ten people outside. Common mistakes. Since the expression there is or there are usually has no equivalent in other languages, students sometimes use have instead.