These words have different grammatical roles even where they are pronounced alike.

The idea

Use haya in the impersonal expression ojalá haya plazas; use se halla for a place located somewhere.

Examples

  • Ojalá haya tiempo.I hope there is time.
  • La biblioteca se halla cerca del parque.The library is near the park.
  • Espero que haya suficientes sillas.I hope there are enough chairs.
  • El museo se halla en el centro.The museum is located in the center.
  • Quizá haya un cambio de horario.There may be a schedule change.
  • La salida se halla a la derecha.The exit is located on the right.

Read-aloud uses a synthetic Spanish voice available on your device. Voice quality and availability vary; it does not assess your pronunciation.

Watch out

Many speakers pronounce y and ll alike, while others distinguish them. Haya can also be a noun; this lesson focuses on the verb.

Try it yourself

  1. Choose the subjunctive form of haber in the wish. Ojalá ___ plazas. (haya / halla)

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    haya

    Haya is the subjunctive form of haber in the wish.

  2. Choose the form of hallar for the museum’s location. El museo se ___ en el centro. (halla / haya)

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    halla

    Se halla locates the museum in the center.

  3. Choose the subjunctive form of haber after espero que. Espero que ___ tiempo. (haya / halla)

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    haya

    Haya follows espero que in the existence statement.

Use it today

Choose the spelling for the requested existence or location construction.