Quick check
Tap a Spanish word, then its English partner
hay says it exists, esta says where it is
English uses "is" for both: "there is a bank" and "the bank is on the corner". Spanish splits them.
hay = there is / there are. One word, never changes, never takes el or la: hay un banco, hay tres bancos.
esta = is located. Used when the thing is already known: el banco esta en la esquina.
The trap: Esta muchas tiendas and hay esta el parque are both wrong, and both appear as wrong options in the class MCQ set.
New thing takes un, known thing takes el
The first time something appears it is un / una. After that it is el / la.
¿Hay una farmacia por aqui? Si, la farmacia esta al lado del museo.
Plurals: unos / unas means "some". Unos pantalones, unas plazas.
The trap: the article follows the noun's gender, not its English meaning. El mapa and el problema are masculine even though they end in -a.
Answer in a full sentence, reusing the verb
The professor's comprehension answers all have the same shape: repeat the subject, reuse the question's verb, then add the information.
¿Dónde compramos comida y frutas? becomes Compramos comida y frutas en el supermercado.
The trap: a one-word answer ("En el supermercado") loses marks even though it is true. Write the whole sentence.