"¿La Hay?" Correct or not?

Question

I was wondering if it is correct to say "La hay," as a way of answering a question using a non-quantifiable feminine noun. For example, if someone asks you "¿Hay leche en la nevera?" Is it grammatically correct and does it sound right to use the phrase "Sí, la hay." As one would say "lo hay" as the answer to a question involving a masculine noun. I was wondering if it might be incorrect, given that the 'a' in 'la' and the 'a' sound in 'hay' would create sort of a slurring like in "la agua". (So we need to say "el agua") If it is not correct, what should we say instead? Please help me with my confusion. Thanks!

Me preguntaba si es correcto decir "la hay" para contestar una pregunta que usa un sustantivo femenino no cuantificable. Por ejemplo, si alguien te pregunta "¿Hay leche en la nevera?" es gramáticamente correcto y suena ok usar la frase "Sí, la hay", como se usaría en caso de que la frase tuviera un sustantivo masculino. Me preguntaba si sería equivocado, ya que el 'a' en 'la' y el sonido 'a' en la palabra 'hay' crearían una tipo de sinalefa como en "la agua" (Por eso decimos "el agua"). Si no es correcto, ¿Qué debemos decir en lugar de ello? Por favor, ayúdenme con mi confusión. ¡Gracias!

Great question! - --Mariana--, Aug 3, 2012

Glad you asked the question, it is an interesting one. - yahvey_hoffman, Aug 3, 2012

Thanks Mariana and yahvey - PumpkinCalabaza, Aug 3, 2012

Answer 1

I'm not guessing. The answer is yes. It is correct.

"La" is not an article there. It is a pronoun. The rule does not apply.

Refer to this Article for further explanation:

Pronombres personales átonos

Thanks for the clarification. - yahvey_hoffman, Aug 3, 2012

Thank you very much. I know it's not an article, but a pronoun, but I was wondering if there's a similar rule for pronouns. Thanks so much! - PumpkinCalabaza, Aug 3, 2012

Answer 2

Sorry but I have no idea whether what you are prosing is correct or not, however, surely a simple "sí" would suffice as an answer to the question without trying to complicate matters.

Yes but I was just curious as to whether say that like they say "lo hay" - PumpkinCalabaza, Aug 3, 2012

Answer 3

This is just a guess but to me lo hay and la hay do not sound correct. Hay means there is or there are and lo or la would be it. lo hay and la hay would be there is it. I would just answer: Sí hay.

An additional thought. You could say: No, pero hay esto/eso. There is this or that.

For example: Is there whole milk? No, but there is this (soy milk or other).

Thanks for the answer and ideas :) - PumpkinCalabaza, Aug 3, 2012