Hello: I'm wondering why the two phrases "will there be" (popcorn) and "there must be" (mermaids) require avoir rather than être. "Est-ce qu'il y être" doesn't sound right, but I don't why. On the other hand, "il doit être des sirènes" sounds okay. I'd be grateful for an explanation.
Thanks so much!
Hi Kalpana,
1. The expression is -
il y a du popcorn = there is popcorn
il y avait du popcorn = there was popcorn
il y aura du popcorn = there will be popcorn
2. The expression is
il doit y avoir = there must be
( the 'il' in both expressions is an impersonal pronoun)
Il doit y avoir beaucoup de monde en ville = There must be a lot of people in town
Il doit y avoir du pain dans le congélateur = There must be some bread in the freezer
Both use 'avoir' and not être as in English.
'Il doit être des sirènes' doesn't sound okay I am afraid.
Hope this clarifies matters.
Unfortunately, in French there are some phrases that take "avoir" as a rule and we must learn them by heart, such as, avoir faim, avoir + ans, avoir besoin de, avoir de la chance, avoir envie de, avoir raison etc. There is a list of these "avoir" idiomatic expressions.
Would it be wrong to say "il doit être des sirènes"? How about "il doit être un champion"? What's the difference in terms of grammar?
Hi again Kalpana,
To answer your second question you could say -
Elle / Ce doit / être une sirène = She must be a mermaid (sirène being feminine)
and
Il / Ce doit être un champion = He must be a champion
But this is not the impersonal 'il'
hope it helps!
Hello: I'm wondering why the two phrases "will there be" (popcorn) and "there must be" (mermaids) require avoir rather than être. "Est-ce qu'il y être" doesn't sound right, but I don't why. On the other hand, "il doit être des sirènes" sounds okay. I'd be grateful for an explanation.
Thanks so much!
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