Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds
Use 'It' for weather, time, and distance; use 'There' to say something exists or is in a specific place.
- Use 'It' for weather: 'It is raining today.'
- Use 'It' for time: 'It is five o'clock.'
- Use 'There' for existence: 'There is a book on the table.'
Overview
Raining이라고 말하고 싶겠지만, 영어 선생님은 아마 이상한 표정을 지으실 거예요. 영어 문장은 마치 어색한 저녁 파티와 같아요.it과 there가 등장해요. 이것들은 종종 dummy subjects 또는 empty subjects라고 불려요.it을 사용해요. 무언가가 존재한다는 걸 사람들에게 알릴 때는 there를 사용하죠. 이 두 가지를 마스터하면 훨씬 더 자연스럽게 들릴 거예요.Word Order Rules
it과 there를 사용할 때는 이들이 주어 자리를 차지해요.it의 경우: 패턴은It+is(또는was) + [형용사/명사/시간]이에요.there의 경우: 패턴은There+is(단수) 또는are(복수) + [명사]예요.
it은 거의 항상 단수형인 is를 사용한다는 점에 주목하세요. it are라고 말할 일은 절대 없을 거예요. 그건 동그란 구멍에 네모난 팩을 억지로 끼워 넣으려는 것과 같아요.There는 좀 더 유연해요. 무엇에 대해 이야기하느냐에 따라 달라지거든요.there is예요. 타코가 열 개라면(운이 좋네요!), there are가 되죠. 요즘 문자 메시지에서는 이걸 줄여서 쓰곤 해요.It is는 It's가 되고, There is는 There's가 되죠. 심지어 복수인 경우에도, 어떤 사람들은 캐주얼한 대화에서 There's라고 말하기도 하지만, 시험에서는 There are를 고수하세요. 휴대폰 자동 완성 기능은 신경 안 쓸지 몰라도, 선생님은 분명히 신경 쓰실 테니까요.How This Grammar Works
it은 전반적인 상태를 가리키는 포인터라고 생각해보세요. 그 순간 세상의 «분위기(vibe)»를 설명하는 거죠. 해가 떴나요?It is sunny. 늦었나요? It is 11 PM.It is 3 miles. 하늘이 화창하다고 말하는 게 아니라, 전반적인 상태가 화창하다고 말하는 거예요.there는 스포트라이트와 같아요. 대상을 비추며 "야!It: 상황을 설명해요 (시간, 날씨, 거리, 정체).There: 존재를 알려요 (사람, 사물, 장소).
It is a fly in my soup이라고 말하게 될 수도 있는데, 이건 마치 그 파리가 여러분 인생의 실제 상황인 것처럼 들려요. 드라마틱하긴 하지만, 문법적으로는 이상하죠.
There is a fly in my soup이라고 하세요.
Formation Pattern
dummy를 고르세요: 날씨/시간/거리에는 it을, 존재에는 there를 사용하세요.
to be 동사 형태를 고르세요: 보통 is나 are예요.
there를 사용한다면, are가 여러 항목과 일치하는지 확인하세요.
not을 붙이세요 (It is not raining).
Pattern Variations
- 과거 시제:
It wascold (추웠어).There wasa mistake (실수가 있었어).There weremany people (사람이 많았어). - 부정문:
It isn't(It's not) early (일찍이 아니야).There aren'tany cookies left (쿠키가 하나도 안 남았어). (슬픈 표정). - 의문문:
Is itfar? (멀어?)Are thereany seats in the cinema? (영화관에 자리 있어?) - 거리:
It is10 kilometers to the airport (공항까지 10킬로미터야). - 신원 확인: 누군가 문을 두드릴 때, "It's me!« (나야!) 또는 »Who is it?" (누구세요?)라고 말해요.
It's giving... (요즘 슬랭)이나 There's literally no way... 같은 표현을 많이 볼 수 있어요. 이것들도 다 같은 기본 규칙을 사용해요. 슬랭이 변해도 it과 there는 그대로죠. 영어라는 언어의 진정한 생존자들이에요.
Real Conversations
Scenario 1: 친구에게 모임에 대해 문자 보내기
Sam
is it 5:00)? 시계를 깜빡했어.Alex
It's 4:55).Sam
Is there a café)? 나 배고파.Alex
there's a Starbucks).Scenario 2: 주말에 대해 이야기하기
Jordan
Casey
It was terrible).Jordan
Was it too cold)?Casey
it was actually hot), 해파리가 너무 많았어(there were too many jellyfish).Jordan
There's always a catch)!Scenario 3: 호스텔 체크인하기
Guest
Is there free WiFi)?Staff
there is). 비밀번호는 책상 위에 있어요.Guest
Is it fast enough)?Staff
It's okay), 지금 사용하고 있는 사람이 많아요(there are a lot of people).
Common Mistakes
- 1주어 빼먹기: 많은 학습자가
Is raining이나Is hot today라고 말해요. 기억하세요: 주어가 없으면 문장이 아니에요! 항상It is raining이라고 말하세요. - 2
It과There혼동하기:It is a cat on the bed
라고 하지 마세요.There is a cat on the bed를 사용하세요.it은 고양이를 이미 언급했을 때만 사용하세요 (예:I see a cat. It is black
). - 3복수형
There's: 공식적인 글쓰기에서는 복수형에There's를 쓰지 마세요. "There's three books"는 왓츠앱 메시지로는 괜찮지만, 학교에서는There are three books가 필요해요. - 4
It's와Its혼동하기:It's는It is를 의미해요.Its는 소유를 나타내죠 (the dog wagged its tail
처럼요).It is로 바꿔 쓸 수 있다면 아포스트로피를 쓰세요! - 5날씨에
There is사용하기:There is sunny는 고전적인 실수예요. 해는 여러분이 손가락으로 가리키는 물건이 아니에요. 그날의 상태죠.It is sunny라고 말하세요.
Quick FAQ
사람한테 it을 쓸 수 있나요?
신원을 확인할 때만요! Who is it? "It's the delivery guy«처럼요. 일반적인 묘사로 »It is a tall man"이라고는 하지 않아요.
There's와 There is의 차이점은 뭔가요?
There's는 축약형이에요. 말할 때나 캐주얼한 글쓰기(인스타그램 캡션 같은)에서 훨씬 더 흔하게 쓰여요.
there는 눈에 보이는 것에만 쓰나요?
아니요! 존재에 관한 거예요.
There is a problem이나
There is a chance처럼요. 기회(chance)는 눈에 보이지 않지만, 존재하잖아요!
날씨에는 항상 it이 필요한가요?
네, 보통은요.
The sun is shining처럼 특정 명사를 주어로 쓰지 않는 한요. 하지만
It is sunny가 표준적인 방법이에요.
영어는 왜 이래요?
영어가 구조에 집착하기 때문이에요. 아주 잘 정리된 옷장이라고 생각해보세요. 모든 것이 제 자리에 있어야 해요, 특히 주어는요!
How to use 'It' and 'There'
| Topic | Correct Form | Example |
|---|---|---|
|
Weather
|
It is + adj
|
It is sunny.
|
|
Time
|
It is + time
|
It is 10:00.
|
|
1 Thing
|
There is + noun
|
There is a car.
|
|
2+ Things
|
There are + nouns
|
There are two cars.
|
Common Contractions
| Full Form | Short Form | Usage |
|---|---|---|
|
It is
|
It's
|
Very common in speech
|
|
There is
|
There's
|
Very common in speech
|
|
It was
|
N/A
|
Rarely contracted
|
|
There are
|
There're
|
Informal speech only
|
|
It is not
|
It isn't / It's not
|
Both common
|
|
There is not
|
There isn't / There's not
|
Both common
|
Meanings
In English, we use 'It' and 'There' to start sentences when we talk about general things like the weather, time, or when something is present in a room.
1. Talking about Weather
Use 'It is' to describe what you see outside.
“It is raining.”
“It is very cold.”
2. Talking about Time
Use 'It is' to say the time or the day.
“It is 9 AM.”
“It is late.”
3. Saying something exists
Use 'There is' for one thing and 'There are' for two or more things.
“There is a dog in the park.”
“There are three books on the table.”
Reference Table
| 대명사 | 기능 | 기본 구조 | 예시 |
|---|---|---|---|
|
It
|
날씨, 시간, 거리, 일반적인 상황에 쓰이는 가짜 주어
|
It + is/isn't + adjective/noun
|
It is cold. It is 3 PM.
|
|
There
|
무언가의 존재를 나타낼 때
|
There + is/are + noun/noun phrase
|
There is a cat. There are books.
|
|
It
|
일반적인 상황에 대해 물을 때
|
Is + it + adjective/noun?
|
Is it difficult?
|
|
There
|
존재 여부를 물을 때
|
Is/Are + there + noun/noun phrase?
|
Is there coffee? Are there chairs?
|
|
It
|
날씨/시간에 대한 부정문
|
It + isn't + adjective/noun
|
It isn't raining. It isn't late.
|
|
There
|
존재에 대한 부정문
|
There + isn't/aren't + noun/noun phrase
|
There isn't a problem. There aren't any.
|
격식 수준 스펙트럼
There appears to be a significant issue. (Workplace)
There is a problem. (Workplace)
There's a problem. (Workplace)
There's a glitch in the system. (Workplace)
It vs. There: 문장 시작 도우미
IT
- 날씨 It is sunny.
- 시간 It is 9 AM.
- 거리 It is far.
- 일반적인 상황 It is interesting.
THERE
- 존재 (단수) There is a cat.
- 존재 (복수) There are two cats.
- 셀 수 없는 명사 There is some water.
- 질문 Is there...?
It vs. There: 한눈에 비교
It과 There 선택 흐름도
날씨, 시간, 거리, 아니면 일반적인 상황에 대해 말하고 싶으신가요?
어떤 것이 '존재한다'거나 어떤 장소에 '있다'고 말하고 싶으신가요?
It & There 사용 지도
It is...
- • It is sunny.
- • It is 3 PM.
- • It is far away.
- • It is difficult.
There is...
- • There is a pen.
- • There is some water.
- • There is a problem.
- • There is one student.
There are...
- • There are many people.
- • There are two books.
- • There are no chairs.
- • There are questions.
수준별 예문
It is hot today.
Hace calor hoy.
There is a dog in the park.
Hay un perro en el parque.
It is 4 o'clock.
Son las 4.
There are two apples.
Hay dos manzanas.
It was very rainy yesterday.
Estuvo muy lluvioso ayer.
There weren't any people at the station.
No había nadie en la estación.
Is it far to the museum?
¿Está lejos el museo?
There is a lot of noise here.
Hay mucho ruido aquí.
It is difficult to learn English.
Es difícil aprender inglés.
There might be a storm later.
Podría haber una tormenta más tarde.
It seems that it's going to snow.
Parece que va a nevar.
There has been an accident on the road.
Ha habido un accidente en la carretera.
It was my brother who called you.
Fue mi hermano quien te llamó.
There appears to be a misunderstanding.
Parece haber un malentendido.
It is worth noting that the price has changed.
Vale la pena señalar que el precio ha cambiado.
There is no point in arguing.
No tiene sentido discutir.
It is widely believed that the economy will recover.
Se cree ampliamente que la economía se recuperará.
There remains a significant gap in the research.
Sigue habiendo una brecha significativa en la investigación.
It is of the utmost importance that we arrive on time.
Es de suma importancia que lleguemos a tiempo.
There is little to be gained from this approach.
Hay poco que ganar con este enfoque.
It is not so much that he failed, but that he didn't try.
No es tanto que fallara, sino que no lo intentó.
There exists a profound sense of unease among the populace.
Existe una profunda sensación de malestar entre la población.
Should there be any further delays, please notify us.
En caso de que haya más retrasos, por favor notifíquenos.
It behooves us to consider the long-term consequences.
Nos corresponde considerar las consecuencias a largo plazo.
혼동하기 쉬운
Learners use 'This' for weather or 'It' to point at things.
They sound similar and both refer to groups.
Using 'It' to describe location.
자주 하는 실수
문장 패턴
It is ___ today.
There is a ___ in the ___.
There are ___ ___ on the ___.
Is there any ___ in the ___?
Real World Usage
Is there a hairdryer in the room?
It's freezing today, isn't it?
Are there any nuts in this dish?
There's a leak in the ceiling.
It's about ten minutes from here.
It's finally Friday!
Looking Outside
'It'은 날씨, 시간, 일반적인 상황에!
It is cold. 처럼요.'There' 다음 동사 조심!
There are two apples.라고 해야 맞아요.
원어민이 어떻게 쓰는지 들어보세요!
It sounds natural.처럼 자연스럽게 익힐 수 있을 거예요.스몰 토크에 꼭 필요한 표현!
Smart Tips
Start with 'There is/are' to list the objects and 'It is' to describe the time of day or weather.
Look for the 's' at the end of the word. If there is an 's', use 'There are'.
Use the same words in your answer: 'Yes, there is' or 'No, there isn't'.
Always use 'It's' + [distance] + 'to' + [place].
발음
Contraction of 'It is'
In natural speech, 'It is' almost always becomes 'It's'. The 's' sounds like /s/.
Contraction of 'There is'
In natural speech, 'There is' becomes 'There's'. The 's' sounds like /z/.
Existence Questions
Is there a ↗️ dog?
Rising intonation at the end of 'Is there' questions.
암기하기
기억법
IT is for the Atmosphere (Weather/Time); THERE is for what is HERE (Existence).
시각적 연상
Imagine 'It' as a giant cloud covering the whole scene (weather/time) and 'There' as a finger pointing at a specific object on a table.
Rhyme
When the sky is gray or the clock says ten, use 'It' to start your sentence then. If a cat is sitting on a chair, start your sentence with a 'There'.
Story
A traveler wakes up. He looks out the window: 'It is early' and 'It is foggy.' He looks at his bag: 'There is my passport' and 'There are my keys.'
Word Web
챌린지
Look around your room. Say 3 sentences starting with 'There is/are' about objects you see, and 3 sentences starting with 'It is' about the time and weather.
문화 노트
Talking about the weather using 'It is...' is a very common social 'icebreaker' in English-speaking cultures. It is considered polite and neutral.
In informal texting, 'There's' is often used even for plural nouns (e.g., 'There's two cars'), though this is technically incorrect in formal writing.
In formal essays, avoid 'It's' and 'There's'. Always use the full 'It is' and 'There is'.
The use of 'It' and 'There' as dummy subjects dates back to Old English.
대화 시작하기
What is the weather like today?
Is there a good restaurant near your house?
How many people are there in your family?
Is it far from your home to your school?
일기 주제
자주 하는 실수
Mistake #1: Skipping the subject
Is raining.
It is raining.
In English, every sentence needs a subject. We use "It" as a helper.
Mistake #2: Is vs Are
There is many people.
There are many people.
Use "is" for 1 thing. Use "are" for 2 or more things.
Mistake #3: Using "Have" for existence
In the room has a chair.
There is a chair in the room.
Don't use "have" to say something is in a place. Use "There is".
Test Yourself
___ is raining outside.
Find and fix the mistake:
There is two students in the classroom.
Choose the correct sentence:
Translate into English: 'Hay un libro en la mesa.'
Answer starts with: ["T...
Score: /4
연습 문제
8 exercises___ is a new student in our class.
There ___ many trees in the park.
Find and fix the mistake:
Is very cold today.
milk / is / fridge / there / the / in / some
1. Time, 2. Existence, 3. Weather
___ any water in the bottle.
___ is 10 miles to the next city.
___ any cookies left?
Score: /8
Practice Bank
12 exercises___ is very cold in winter here.
Is many cars in the parking lot.
Which sentence is correct?
Translate into English: 'Es la una de la tarde.'
Arrange these words into a sentence:
Match the sentence parts:
___ are many stars in the sky tonight.
It is a lot of noise outside.
Which sentence is correct?
Translate into English: '¿Hay un gimnasio cerca de aquí?'
Arrange these words into a sentence:
Match the situation with 'It' or 'There':
Score: /12
자주 묻는 질문 (8)
No. Weather always uses `It`. You should say `It is raining`.
Use `There are` when the noun that follows is plural (e.g., `There are two dogs`). Use `There is` for singular nouns or things you can't count.
In very informal speaking, people often say `There's many people`. However, in writing and exams, you must use `There are` for plural nouns.
It is a word like `It` or `There` that doesn't have a real meaning but is needed to make the sentence grammatically correct.
Just swap the words: `Is there...?` For example, `Is there a bathroom here?`.
Yes, but only to identify them when you can't see them or are introducing them, like on the phone: `It's me, John`.
`It is` is for general states or weather. `This is` is for pointing at a specific object near you.
Yes, because 'money' is an uncountable noun in English. Say `There is some money on the table`.
Scaffolded Practice
1
2
3
4
Mastery Progress
Needs Practice
Improving
Strong
Mastered
In Other Languages
Hay / Hace / Es
English must have a subject; Spanish often does not.
Il y a / Il fait
French 'Il y a' is invariable; English 'There is/are' changes.
Es gibt / Es ist
German uses 'gives' (gibt) while English uses 'be' (is/are).
Arimasu / Imasu / Desu
Japanese focuses on animacy; English focuses on number.
Hunaka / Innahu
Arabic does not use a dummy 'It' for weather.
Yǒu / Tiānqì
Chinese uses 'Have' for existence; English uses 'Be'.
Learning Path
Prerequisites
Continue With
관련 동영상
06:45 What lack of sleep does to the teenage brain - Wendy Troxel
07:17 Why every restaurant has the same desserts
02:45 The 3-Day Weekend You're Doing Wrong
Grammar Lesson. How to make Sentences in English. Word Order in English.
English Lessons with Kate
English grammar tutorial - Word order - Gramática inglesa
Your English Web: Weekly English video lessons
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휴대폰을 확인했는데 `there is` (없음) 와이파이가 없다는 것을 깨달은 적이 있나요? 그 작은 공포의 순간은 존재의 `there`가...
