Talking About Existence in the Past and Future

In English, we use the word there plus the verb to be to express that something exists. When we talk about the present, we say there is or there are. But how do we talk about things that existed in the past, or things that will exist in the future?

For the past, we use there was or there were. For the future, we use there will be. The most important rule to remember is that the verb changes based on the noun that comes after it, not before it.

Past Tense: Was or Were?

When talking about the past, your choice depends entirely on whether the noun following the phrase is singular (one) or plural (more than one). Uncountable nouns (like water, information, or traffic) always use the singular form.

Use there was for singular and uncountable nouns: ✅ There was a strange glowing rock near the crater. ❌ There were a strange glowing rock near the crater.

Use there were for plural nouns: ✅ There were three chocolate cookies on the plate. ❌ There was three chocolate cookies on the plate.

Future Tense: Will Be

The future tense is much easier! You do not need to worry about singular or plural nouns. Whether you are predicting the existence of one thing or a hundred things, the phrase is always there will be.

✅ There will be a giant chocolate fountain at the party. ✅ There will be three angry neighbors knocking on the door.

The Proximity Rule for Lists

What happens if you are listing several different things in the past tense? Do you use was or were? In English, we follow the "proximity rule." This means you match the verb to the very first item in your list—the one closest to the verb.

If the first item in the list is singular, use there was: ✅ There was a sandwich, an apple, and two cookies on the counter. ❌ There were a sandwich, an apple, and two cookies on the counter.

If the first item in the list is plural, use there were: ✅ There were two cookies, an apple, and a sandwich on the counter.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Mistake 1: Using "It" instead of "There" A very common mistake is using it was or it will be to state that something exists. Use there to introduce the existence of something new, and use it only to refer back to a specific thing you have already mentioned.

✅ There was a terrible storm last night. It ruined the decorations. ❌ It was a terrible storm last night. It ruined the decorations.

Mistake 2: Saying "There will have" Because some languages use the verb "to have" to express existence (like hay in Spanish or il y a in French), learners often try to translate this directly into the English future tense. In English, we never say "there will have" to mean existence. It is always "there will be."

✅ Next year, there will be flying cars in the city. ❌ Next year, there will have flying cars in the city.