Thread: When to use "Есть"?

I have seen in several examples the word есть included in the present tense; У Вас есть ресторан на этом поезде? However I have also seen sentences such as У тебя красивые глаза which exclude it. Many people have told me that most the time есть is not used in the present tense, but is there any actual solid CONCRETE rule on when it should be used or not?

Cheers )

"Есть" has many functions and meanings. In the sense of "is", "are" it is omitted normally in the present tense.

In your example construction "У XXX есть YYY" means "XXX has YYY". It is different situation. Here есть also sometimes can be omitted but it can change the sense.

У тебя красивые глаза? - Are your eyes beautiful?
У тебя есть красивые глаза? - Do you have beautiful eyes?

Here usage of есть indicates that the idea of possession ("has") is logically emphasized. If есть is omitted, emphasis is on another idea.

У меня есть гвоздь. - I do have a nail.
У меня гвоздь. - A nail is what I have.
Гвоздь у меня. - It is me who has a nail.

I'm not sure if it can be used as a solid rule, but:

"Есть" can be used when you ask if something exists (or state that something exists).
- У тебя есть машина? = Do you have a car?
- Да(, у меня есть машина) = Yes(, I have a car.)

If the existence of something is obvious or well-known, and it's a specific trait of this object that is discussed, "есть" usually is omitted.
У него зеленые глаза = He has green eyes/His eyes are green ("У него есть зеленые глаза" would sound extremely awkward). "У тебя есть ... глаза?" also does not sound quite right. It's as if someone has a spare set of eyes and is questioned about it.

So these sentences differ slightly in nuances:
В этом поезде есть ресторан? - you don't know if a restaurant exists or not, so you use "есть" (=exist)
В этом поезде ресторан? - by emphasizing "этот" you demonstrate that you know there is a restaurant in one of these trains, but you don't know in which one exactly
В этом поезде хороший ресторан? - you know there's a restaurant, but you are interested if it's good (its trait)
etc..


Below are a few pointers about "быть/есть" from a textbook

(1) The verb быть ‘to be’ has no present tense in Russian:
Я русский - I am Russian
3то мой муж - This is my husband

(2) A dash may be used for emphasis:
Я русский, а он — нет - I am Russian and he is not
A dash also appears in definitions:
Москва — столица России - Moscow is the capital of Russia

(3) ‘It is’ has no equivalent in many impersonal expressions:
Интересно слушать радио - It is interesting to listen to the radio
Темнеет - It is getting dark
Холодно - It is cold

(4) The declarative ‘there is/are’ either has no equivalent in Russian or may be rendered by a dash:
Ha стене — картина - There is a picture on the wall
Alternatively, Ha стене есть картина. See (5).

(5) Есть, a relic of a former verb conjugation, may be used for emphasis. Есть is particularly common:

(i) In questions (and positive answers to questions):
— Сигареты есть? - Are there any cigarettes?
— Есть! - Yes, there are.

(ii) In contexts where the verb is heavily emphasized:
— Кем же ты хочешь быть? - What do you want to be, then?
— Кем есть — менеджером - ‘What I am, a manager.

— Нужно справедливое решениеl - We need an equitable solution.
— Наше решение и есть справедливое - Our solution is equitable.

Закон есть закон - The law is the law

(iii) When ‘to be’ means ‘to exist’:
Есть такие люди, которые не любят икру - There are people who do not like caviar

(iv) Есть is also found in definitions:
Прямая линия есть кратчайшее расстояние мaжду двумя точками - A straight line is the shortest distance between two points

У тебя красивые глаза

in a sense of possession of certain personal qualities есть isn't used, this phrase into English may as well be translated as 'Your eyes are beautiful' which if you reverse translate it into Russian as 'Твои глаза красивы(е)' won't sound too Russian or the meaning will shift to the beauty of the eyes and not to the fact that a person has beautiful eyes
because the eyes are not really what you possess they're part of your physical self and you cannot not possess them


У Вас есть ресторан на этом поезде?

and to the contrary when it's about a subject detached from a person which in other circumstances the person may not have есть is due

"Есть" can be used when you ask if something exists (or state that something exists).
- У тебя есть машина? = Do you have a car?
- Да(, у меня есть машина) = Yes(, I have a car.)

If the existence of something is obvious or well-known, and it's a specific trait of this object that is discussed, "есть" usually is omitted.
У него зеленые глаза = He has green eyes/His eyes are green ("У него есть зеленые глаза" would sound extremely awkward). "У тебя есть ... глаза?" also does not sound quite right. It's as if someone has a spare set of eyes and is questioned about it.

Great explanation.