Uses of ‘Есть’
The word есть is used in many different situations in Russian. It can be the direct equivalent of the English verb ‘to eat’ or it can express ideas that have nothing to do with eating.
In this lesson, we will look at the main uses and meanings of the Russian word есть as well as its possible English translations.
Here’s what we’re going to learn:
- ‘Eat’ in Russian
- ‘Есть’ to express existence
- ‘Есть’ to say that we have something
- ‘Есть’ as a linking verb
- Expressions with ‘есть’
‘Eat’ in Russian
The verb есть can mean ‘to eat’. In this meaning, it changes according to the subject of the sentence and can be used in different tenses:
- Я ем фрукты.
- (I eat fruit)
- Что ты ешь?
- (What do you eat?)
- Они ели мясо.
- (They ate meat)
- Я буду есть овощи.
- (I will eat vegetables)
To learn more about this verb, check out our complete article on ways of saying ‘to eat’ in Russian.
Now let’s take a look at the uses of есть in contexts that are not related to eating.
‘Есть’ to express existence
We often use есть to say that something exists:
- В комнате есть стол.
- (There’s a table in the room)
- В нашем городе есть река.
- (There’s a river in our city)
- Есть люди, которые не любят кофе.
- (There are people who don't like coffee)
- Есть страны, где всегда тепло.
- (There are countries where it is always warm)
- В стакане есть вода?
- (Is there any water in the glass?)
We also use есть to say that someone is present somewhere:
- Здесь кто-то есть.
- (There's someone here)
- В доме есть люди.
- (There are people in the house)
- Там есть кто-нибудь?
- (Is there anyone there?)
‘Есть’ to say that we have something
We also use есть to say that we have something:
- У меня есть машина.
- (I have a car)
- У них есть дети.
- (They have children)
- У него есть работа.
- (He has a job)
- У тебя есть собака?
- (Do you have a dog?)
- У вас есть вопросы?
- (Do you have questions?)
‘Есть’ as a linking verb
We can use есть as a linking verb (to mean ‘is’), especially for emphasis:
- Закон есть закон.
- (The law is the law)
- Где он есть?
- (Where is he?)
- Он был, есть и будет моим другом.
- (He was, is and will be my friend)
- Мы любим жизнь такой, какая она есть.
- (We love life the way it is)
- Я люблю его таким, какой он есть.
- (I love him the way he is)
Expressions with ‘есть’
The word есть can also be part of certain expressions. Here are some examples:
- Это было в прошлое воскресенье, то есть ровно неделю назад.
- (It was last Sunday, that is, exactly a week ago)
- Это самый что ни на есть умный пёс.
- (This is the smartest dog ever)
- Так и есть, они проиграли.
- (That's right, they did lose)
And that’s it. Those are the main uses of the Russian word есть. To learn more about the use of есть when talking about what someone has, check out this lesson.
