Boubouja
What is the difference between "There is no..." and "There isn't..."? What is the difference between "There is no..." and "There isn't..."? and I would also like to know the difference between "There are no..." and "There aren't..." Thanks in advance!
Jan 30, 2016 9:16 PM
Answers · 3
Hi there, They are all essentially the same thing. "There isn't" is a shorter way of saying "there is not" (we call it a contraction.. It is similar to "à + les = aux" but unlike French, it is optional, so it's really more like "tu as mangé" being written informally as "t'as mangé". Whether you say "there is no" or "there is not" depends if you put an adverb in the sentence or not. For example: There is no reason for war. (your phrase + a noun) There is not (isn't) an easy way to find peace. (your phrase + an adverb) It is the same thing with "they are", only are is the plural form of is (ils sont vs il a).
May 20, 2016
Also if I may add on a bit "isn't" is a combination of both "is" and "not", just like "aren't" is a combination of "are" and "not". There is no difference you see it's just merely shortening the two phrases into one.
January 30, 2016
In a lot of cases, both would work, however one may sound more awkward than the other. Typically, "There is no" and "there isn't any" is a singular term as in "There is no/There isn't any book on the table" where as "there are no", "there aren't any" are used for plural items such as: "There are no/There aren't any tomatoes in the fridge". This is because "is" is used for singular items and "are" is used for plural items.
January 30, 2016
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