Differences between ahí, ay and hay

By Marta Díaz on Thursday, February 20, 2025

Spanish has many homophonic words that can be a challenge for students and among them, without a doubt, we find hay, ahí and ay. All three are pronounced the same, although they vary in tone, but they are spelled differently.

At Enforex we know that these three words are a challenge when writing in Spanish, so we're leaving you this article where you'll find out where and when to use each one, and some examples.

We'll finally clear up the confusion Spanish students have with the differences between ahí, hay and ay. We're going to look at them step by step, with clear examples and simple explanations so you can continue learning Spanish.

AHÍ

Let’s start with ahí. Ahí is an adverb of place, and it is used to indicate that something or someone is in a nearby place, but not as close as aquí (here) or as far as allí (there).

For example:

• El libro está ahí, sobre la mesa (The book is there, on the table)
• Deja tu mochila ahí, junto a la puerta (Leave your backpack there, by the door)
• Nos vemos ahí, en la cafetería (See you there, in the cafeteria)

A tip to help you know when to use it: if you can replace ahí with “en ese lugar”, then you are using the correct word.

HAY

Continuing with hay. This is the impersonal form of the verb haber in the present tense. It is used to indicate the existence of something or someone. Furthermore, it does not change in the singular or plural.

Examples:

• Hay un gato en el jardín (There is a cat in the garden)
• Hay muchas personas en la fiesta (There are many people at the party)
• No hay leche en la nevera (There is no milk in the fridge)

A tip that can help you if your mother tongue is English is that if you can say 'there is' or 'there are', then you should use hay.

AY

And finally, it's ay. Ay is an interjection that expresses various emotions, such as pain, surprise, fear or joy.

Examples:

• ¡Ay! Que daño, me he golpeado el pie (Oh! That hurt, I hit my foot)
• Ay, qué bonito regalo (Oh, what a nice present)
• ¡Ay! Me ha asustado el gato (Oh! The cat scared me)

A tip for this word: if the word expresses an immediate reaction or feeling, you should use ay.

Key differences between ahí, hay and ay

Once you have seen what each one is used for, here is a summary of their key differences. The word ahí indicates a place, while the word hay indicates existence. And, to express emotions, you use ay. In the following examples you can see the function of each one:

• El coche está ahí (The car is there)
• Hay tres coches en el garaje (There are three cars in the garage)
• ¡Ay, qué susto me dio el coche! (Oh, I was so scared by the car!)

Practical exercises with hay, ahí and ay

Below, you will find some exercises so that you can practice the use of ahí, hay or ay. Complete the sentence:

1. ______ muchas flores en el jardín.

2. Deja tu chaqueta ______, en la silla.

3. ______, me duele la cabeza.

4. ______ un problema con la impresora.

5. Mira, el perro está sentado ______.

6. No ______ nada que hacer esta tarde.

7. Si te duele, di "______".

8. ______, casi me caigo por las escaleras.

9. Puse las llaves por aquí, deben estar ______.

10. ______ mucha gente en el parque hoy.

Answers: hay, ahí, ay, hay, ahí, hay, ay, ay, ahí, hay

Learning the difference between these three words may seem complicated at first, but with practice and attention, it will soon come naturally to you. One last review: ahí = place; hay = existence and ay = emotion.

Once you have internalized everything about hay, ay and ahí, all that's left is to keep practicing, writing and reading a lot in Spanish and, if you still have doubts, sign up for one of our Spanish courses in Spain. Our teachers will help you understand all the vocabulary you need and master these three words for your writing.