"There is/are" introduces the EXISTENCE of something (there is something); "It is" introduces information about TIME, DISTANCE, TEMPERATURE, or an impersonal situation (does not always translate as "it is").
THERE IS / THERE ARE: EXISTENTIAL construction. Used to introduce the EXISTENCE of something or someone in a place or context. "There is a meeting at 3 p.m." = a meeting exists at 3 p.m. / there is a meeting. "There are three reports on your desk." Verb agreement: THERE IS + singular or uncountable. THERE ARE + plural. "There is some information available" (uncountable). "There are five documents" (plural). THERE IS/ARE is not the real subject — the real subject is the noun that follows. Natural questions: "Is there a doctor here?" / "Are there any options?"
There are several unresolved issues from the last sprint that need to be addressed before the team moves on to the next development phase.
Is there a standard process for handling client escalations, or is each case managed at the discretion of the individual account manager?
There is strong evidence that early intervention in the onboarding process significantly reduces churn in the first ninety days.
IT IS (impersonal): the IMPERSONAL pronoun "it" in English has no direct equivalent in Spanish — in Spanish there is simply no subject. Five main uses of impersonal "it": (1) TIME: "It is 3 p.m." "It is Monday." (2) WEATHER/TEMPERATURE: "It is raining." "It is cold today." (3) DISTANCE: "It is 5 km from here." (4) IDENTIFICATION: "It is me." "It is John calling." (5) FORMAL SUBJECT for clauses: "It is important to listen" = it is important (IT = formal subject for the clause). In Spanish, all of these are expressed without a subject: "Son las 3," "Esta lloviendo," "Hace frio" — nothing corresponds to "it."
It is essential that all team members review the updated security protocols before accessing the new production environment.
It was immediately clear from the client's tone during the call that they were not satisfied with the pace of progress.
It has been three weeks since we submitted the proposal, and we have not yet received any formal acknowledgment from the procurement team.
Common mistake
Classic errors: (1) "Is raining" = INCORRECT. English REQUIRES the impersonal subject IT: "IT IS raining." (2) "There is important to attend" = INCORRECT. For "it is important that..." use IT: "IT IS important to attend." (3) "There are a problem" = INCORRECT. With singular = THERE IS: "THERE IS a problem." (4) "It are three meetings today" = INCORRECT. For existence = THERE ARE: "THERE ARE three meetings today." The distinction: THERE IS/ARE = something EXISTS in a context. IT IS = information about time/weather/distance/formal clause subject. (5) In Spanish you can say "Hay" for everything; in English you must choose between THERE IS (existence) and IT IS (impersonal).
Trick to remember it
The QUESTION TEST: "Is something THERE?" = THERE IS/ARE. "WHAT is the situation (time/weather/distance)?" = IT IS. "Is there a meeting?" (existence). "What time is it?" (time). "Is it raining?" (weather). Best way to avoid errors: learn that in English there is ALWAYS an explicit subject. If in Spanish the sentence has no subject (like "llueve," "hace frio," "son las 3"), in English you ALWAYS need IT: "IT is raining," "IT is cold," "IT is 3 p.m." IT is the empty grammatical subject that English requires where Spanish needs nothing.
Quick rule
There is/are = introduce EXISTENCE (something exists). It is = impersonal subject for time, weather, distance, hour, or when a clause is the real subject. In Spanish, "hay" is always THERE IS/ARE. "Es/hace/son las" (time, weather, hour) is always IT IS.
Did you know?
The English impersonal subject IT is what linguists call an "expletive subject" — a subject that exists for GRAMMATICAL REASONS (English requires a subject), not because it represents any real-world entity. French and German have similar constructions: French "il pleut" (il = it, it rains), German "es regnet" (es = it, it rains). Fascinatingly, Spanish (and Portuguese, Italian) do NOT need this expletive subject — verb conjugation already conveys all necessary information. Typological linguists classify languages that allow omitting the grammatical subject as "pro-drop languages" (null subject languages), and those requiring explicit subjects as "non-pro-drop." Spanish is pro-drop, English is non-pro-drop. This fundamental difference explains why "is raining" (without "it") is such a common error for Spanish speakers.
Exercise 1 · Pick the right one
_____ a significant discrepancy between the projected revenue figures and the actual results for the third quarter.
Exercise 2 · Pick the right one
_____ absolutely critical that all stakeholders complete the security compliance training before the end of this month.
Exercise 3 · Form the word
There is/are = introduce EXISTENCE (something exists). It is = impersonal subject for time, weather, distance, hour, or when a clause is the real subject. In Spanish, "hay" is always THERE IS/ARE. "Es/hace/son las" (time, weather, hour) is always IT IS.
Classic errors: (1) "Is raining" = INCORRECT. English REQUIRES the impersonal subject IT: "IT IS raining." (2) "There is important to attend" = INCORRECT. For "it is important that..." use IT: "IT IS important to attend." (3) "There are a problem" = INCORRECT. With singular = THERE IS: "THERE IS a problem." (4) "It are three meetings today" = INCORRECT. For existence = THERE ARE: "THERE ARE three meetings today." The distinction: THERE IS/ARE = something EXISTS in a context. IT IS = information about time/weather/distance/formal clause subject. (5) In Spanish you can say "Hay" for everything; in English you must choose between THERE IS (existence) and IT IS (impersonal).
The QUESTION TEST: "Is something THERE?" = THERE IS/ARE. "WHAT is the situation (time/weather/distance)?" = IT IS. "Is there a meeting?" (existence). "What time is it?" (time). "Is it raining?" (weather). Best way to avoid errors: learn that in English there is ALWAYS an explicit subject. If in Spanish the sentence has no subject (like "llueve," "hace frio," "son las 3"), in English you ALWAYS need IT: "IT is raining," "IT is cold," "IT is 3 p.m." IT is the empty grammatical subject that English requires where Spanish needs nothing.
Bryan López
Founder of SpeakUP Academy