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Quick Grammar Reference
P o r t u g u e s e O n l i n e

>>Verbs > Há add tem

The Portuguese words há and tem both translate there is or there are. They simply convey the existence of one or more people or things.

Há muita gente or Tem muita gente there are many people
Há uma casa or Tem uma casa there is a house

The word há is a present indicative form of haver and roughly means it exists. The word tem is a present indicative form of ter and means it has.

The verb haver is becoming increasingly less popular in Portuguese, and há is the only form still in common usage. In Portugal, tem is slightly favored over há. In Brazil, tem is the standard way to express there is/are, and há is rarely heard.