There is / There are usage, explanation and rules.
We use 'there is' and 'there are' when we talk about the existence or presence of someone or something.
Affirmative
There is is used for singular nouns and uncountable nouns.
There is a cat on the roof.
There is water in the bottle.
There is milk in the refrigerator.
There is a dog in the yard.
There is a beautiful park near my house.
There is a meeting at 10 AM tomorrow.
There is a lot of information available online.
There are is used for plural nouns.
There are five apples in the basket.
There are two cats on the roof.
There are many people at the concert.
There are several books on the shelf.
We use there’s instead of there is, more commonly in informal speaking. But there is no short form for there are.
There's a letter for you.
There's milk in the bottle.
Negative
'There is not' (= there isn't or there's not) used for singular and uncountable nouns. There are not (= there aren't) is used for plural nouns.
There isn't a movie on TV tonight.
There aren't many books in the library.
There isn't a solution to this problem.
There isn't any sugar left.
There isn't a bus stop nearby.
There aren't many people at the park.
Question
Is there is used for singular nouns and uncountable nouns. Are there is used for plural nouns.
Is there a problem?
Is there a movie on TV tonight?
Is there a bank near here?
Are there any messages for me?
Are there any students in the classroom?
Are there any pens in the drawer?
How much milk is there in the fridge?
How many apples are there in the basket?
Short answer
To give a short answer, 'Yes, there is', 'No, there isn't', 'Yes, there are', 'No, there aren't' are used.
Is there a problem?
- Yes, there is. /- No, there isn't.
Are there any questions?
- Yes, there are. /- No, there aren't.
Past / Future
There is and there are can be used in other verb tenses.
There was a storm last night.
There were many people at the party.
Was there a meeting yesterday?
There will be a concert tomorrow.
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