Det finns (There is/are) in Swedish

In Brief

Use det finns to say that something exists, is present, or is available: Det finns ett apotek här means “There is a pharmacy here.” Swedish uses the same form with singular and plural nouns. For a question, reverse the order to finns det ...?; for a negative, normally use det finns inte ....

Overview

Det finns is the standard Swedish existential construction—a sentence pattern that introduces the existence or presence of something. You will need it from A1 onward to say what is in a room, what a town offers, whether something is available, or whether a problem or possibility exists.

The word det is a formal subject: it fills the subject position but does not refer to a particular “it.” The important new information normally comes after finns: en katt, många människor, or ingen lösning. English works similarly with dummy “there” in “there is” and “there are,” but Swedish does not change the verb for number. Both translate as det finns.

Do not choose between det finns and det är merely by asking whether a situation is permanent or temporary. A safer beginner rule is this: use det finns to introduce something as existing or present; use det är to identify or describe something, or in expressions about time, weather, and conditions. Later sections explain this contrast more fully.

How It Works

The basic pattern

The simplest structure is:

det + finns + noun phrase + place/time information

A noun phrase is a noun together with words that belong to it, such as an article, adjective, or number: en restaurang, två lediga platser, många bra böcker.

Function	Swedish pattern	Example	English meaning
Singular	det finns + singular noun	Det finns en stol här.	There is a chair here.
Plural	det finns + plural noun	Det finns tre stolar här.	There are three chairs here.
Uncountable amount	det finns + mass noun	Det finns kaffe i köket.	There is coffee in the kitchen.

Unlike English is/are, finns does not agree with the following noun. It remains finns whether there is one thing or several:

• Det finns ett problem. — There is a problem.
• Det finns flera problem. — There are several problems.

What finns means

Finns is the present-tense form of finnas, a verb meaning “to exist,” “to be present,” or “to be available.” It is historically related to finna (“find”), but learners should treat finnas as its own verb and learn its principal forms together.

Time/form	Swedish	Example	English
Infinitive	finnas	Det måste finnas en lösning.	There must be a solution.
Present	finns	Det finns tid.	There is time.
Past	fanns	Det fanns ett café här.	There was a café here.
Supine with har	funnits	Det har funnits flera planer.	There have been several plans.
Future expression	kommer att finnas	Det kommer att finnas mat.	There will be food.

The supine is the verb form used after har or hade to build perfect tenses. You do not need to master it at A1, but har funnits is common enough to recognize.

Questions

In a yes/no question, Swedish puts the finite verb first. The finite verb is the verb form carrying the tense—in this case finns or fanns.

finns + det + noun phrase + ...?

• Finns det en toalett här? — Is there a toilet here?
• Finns det några frågor? — Are there any questions?
• Fanns det internet på hotellet? — Was there internet at the hotel?

With a question word, that word comes first:

• Var finns det en bank? — Where is there a bank?
• Hur många platser finns det? — How many places/seats are there?
• Varför finns det ingen hiss? — Why is there no lift?

Notice that English “Where is the station?” is normally Var ligger stationen? or Var är stationen?, not an existential question. Var finns det en station? asks where a station can be found, rather than where one already identified station is located.

Negatives

In an ordinary main statement, put inte after finns:

• Det finns inte någon mjölk. — There is not any milk.
• Det finns inte många bussar på natten. — There are not many buses at night.

Swedish very often uses a negative determiner instead: ingen with an en noun, inget with an ett noun, and inga with plural nouns. A determiner is a word placed before a noun to show ideas such as quantity or definiteness.

Noun type	Negative form	Example	English
en noun	ingen	Det finns ingen hiss.	There is no lift.
ett noun	inget	Det finns inget apotek här.	There is no pharmacy here.
plural	inga	Det finns inga biljetter kvar.	There are no tickets left.

Do not normally combine inte with ingen/inget/inga in standard Swedish. Det finns ingen tid and Det finns inte någon tid are both possible, but not normally Det finns inte ingen tid.

Det finns and word order

Swedish main clauses follow the V2 rule: the finite verb takes the second grammatical position. If another element comes first, finns still comes second and det follows it:

• I centrum finns det flera restauranger. — In the city centre, there are several restaurants.
• På sommaren finns det fler avgångar. — In summer, there are more departures.

The opening phrase may contain several words, but it counts as one unit. Compare the neutral order Det finns flera restauranger i centrum with the place-first order above. Both are natural; the second makes the location the starting point.

In a subordinate clause—a clause embedded inside a larger sentence—inte normally comes before the finite verb:

• Jag tror att det inte finns någon buss efter midnatt. — I think there is no bus after midnight.

That word-order difference belongs to the wider Swedish main-clause/subordinate-clause system, but it often appears with det finns.

Det finns versus det är

Both expressions can involve English “there is,” but they perform different jobs.

Purpose	Usually use	Example	Meaning
Introduce existence or availability	det finns	Det finns en läkare på hotellet.	There is a doctor at the hotel.
Identify a person or thing	det är	Det är läkaren.	It is / That is the doctor.
Describe a situation or condition	det är	Det är lugnt här.	It is quiet here.
State time, day, or weather	det är	Det är kallt. Det är måndag.	It is cold. It is Monday.
Say what an event/place contains or offers	det finns	Det finns livemusik i kväll.	There is live music tonight.

Temporary things can still take det finns: Det finns kaffe i köket just nu (“There is coffee in the kitchen right now”). Permanent facts can take det är: Det är Sveriges huvudstad (“It is Sweden’s capital”). The key distinction is communicative purpose—introducing existence versus identifying or describing—not simply duration.

Examples in Context

Swedish	English	Note
Det finns en katt i trädgården.	There is a cat in the garden.	Introduces one thing in a place.
Det finns många människor här.	There are many people here.	The verb stays singular in form.
Finns det en bank i närheten?	Is there a bank nearby?	Yes/no question.
Det finns kaffe och te i köket.	There is coffee and tea in the kitchen.	Availability of uncountable items.
Det finns inga lediga rum i natt.	There are no available rooms tonight.	Inga before a plural noun.
I den här staden finns det bra cykelvägar.	In this city, there are good cycle paths.	Place first; V2 word order.
Hur många elever finns det i klassen?	How many students are there in the class?	Quantity question.
Det fanns en gång en prinsessa.	Once upon a time there was a princess.	Traditional story opening in the past.
Förr fanns det en butik på hörnet.	There used to be a shop on the corner.	Past existence; context gives “used to.”
Det har funnits problem med tågen.	There have been problems with the trains.	Perfect tense with funnits.
Det kommer att finnas mat för alla.	There will be food for everyone.	Future availability.
Det måste finnas ett annat sätt.	There must be another way.	Infinitive after a modal verb.
Jag vet att det inte finns någon enkel lösning.	I know that there is no simple solution.	Negative in a subordinate clause.
På museet finns det något för alla.	At the museum, there is something for everyone.	Något means “something.”

Common Mistakes

Changing finns for a plural noun

• Wrong: Det är många människor här. when you mean “There are many people here.”
• Right: Det finns många människor här.
• Why: Use the fixed existential pattern det finns. Swedish does not switch between equivalents of English “is” and “are.” (Det är många människor här can occur with a different, contextual meaning, such as commenting that the crowd is large, but it is not the neutral beginner pattern for introducing their presence.)

Keeping statement order in a question

• Wrong: Det finns en bank här? as a neutral information question
• Right: Finns det en bank här?
• Why: Standard yes/no questions put the finite verb before det. Statement order may sound like an echo question expressing surprise, not a neutral request for information.

Putting inte before finns in a main statement

• Wrong: Det inte finns någon buss.
• Right: Det finns inte någon buss. / Det finns ingen buss.
• Why: In a main clause, inte normally follows the finite verb. It comes before the verb in a subordinate clause: Jag vet att det inte finns någon buss.

Using a double negative

• Wrong: Det finns inte inga biljetter.
• Right: Det finns inga biljetter.
• Why: Standard Swedish normally uses either inte någon/något/några or ingen/inget/inga, not both together.

Using det finns to locate an already known object

• Awkward: Det finns boken på bordet.
• Natural: Boken ligger på bordet. — The book is lying/on the table.
• Why: Det finns most naturally introduces new or non-specific information. For a particular known object, Swedish often uses är or a position verb such as ligger, står, or sitter.

Translating every English “there is” mechanically

• Wrong: Det finns kallt idag.
• Right: Det är kallt idag.
• Why: Weather and general conditions use det är. Det finns needs something whose existence, presence, or availability is being introduced.

Usage Notes

New information usually comes after finns

The noun after finns is often indefinite because it introduces something not previously identified: en restaurang, några problem, många möjligheter. A definite noun such as restaurangen (“the restaurant”) is less natural in this basic presentation pattern when both speakers already know which restaurant is meant.

This is a tendency, not a ban on all definite expressions. Quantified or otherwise specified phrases can be natural when the point is that the relevant set exists or remains available: Det finns de som inte håller med (“There are those who disagree”). Beginners will sound natural by using det finns mainly with indefinite and quantity expressions.

Available, present, or existing

Context decides the best English translation:

• Finns Anna här? — Is Anna here?
• Finns den här boken på engelska? — Is this book available in English?
• Dinosaurier finns inte längre. — Dinosaurs no longer exist.

The last example has no formal det. When the entity itself is the topic, Swedish can use finnas with an ordinary subject. The construction taught in this article specifically uses formal det to present new information.

Use a position verb when position matters

Swedish often gives more physical detail than English “there is”:

• Det står en flaska på bordet. — There is a bottle standing on the table.
• Det ligger en nyckel på golvet. — There is a key lying on the floor.
• Det sitter en skylt på dörren. — There is a sign attached to the door.

These are also presentational sentences, but står, ligger, and sitter show position. Det finns en flaska på bordet is grammatical if mere presence matters; Det står en flaska på bordet is often more vivid and idiomatic when describing a scene.

Beyond the Basics / Advanced Use

You do not need to produce all these patterns at A1, but you will meet them frequently.

Modal verbs take the infinitive finnas: Det kan finnas fler orsaker (“There may be more reasons”), Det borde finnas en regel (“There ought to be a rule”), and Det måste finnas ett misstag (“There must be a mistake”). The modal verb carries the tense, so finnas does not change.

Swedish can omit formal det in certain marked or compact constructions. Signs, listings, advertisements, and literary language may say things such as Finns i flera färger (“Available in several colours”). Ordinary complete conversation generally retains det: Den finns i flera färger if a known product is the subject, or Det finns flera färger if the colours themselves are being introduced.

The word order can also guide the reader’s attention. Det finns ett gammalt slott utanför staden neutrally introduces the castle. Utanför staden finns ett gammalt slott is a more compact presentational style, common in descriptions and writing; det may be omitted after a fronted location, especially in formal or written Swedish. With det included—Utanför staden finns det ett gammalt slott—the sentence is fully natural and transparent for learners.

Finally, finnas has uses beyond the fixed English equivalent “there is/are.” Boken finns på biblioteket means “The book is available/is held at the library,” and Arten finns i norra Sverige means “The species occurs in northern Sweden.” Here the grammatical subject is boken or arten, so no dummy det is needed.

Practice Tips

1. Scan a real location. Look around a room, map, menu, or travel website and make five statements: Det finns ... Then turn each one into a question: Finns det ...?
2. Practise number without changing the verb. Pair singular and plural sentences—Det finns en stol / Det finns fyra stolar—until finns feels automatic in both.
3. Sort examples by purpose. When you hear or read det finns and det är, ask: “Is this introducing existence, or identifying/describing?” This is more reliable than translating English “there” word for word.

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Vara (to be) — compare det är for identity, description, weather, time, and conditions with existential det finns.