Using 'estar' to say 'there is'

Question

'Then there is my beloved sister Luisa'The answer is given as 'Luego está mi querida hermana' I have never seen estar used instead of haber to say 'there is' so could you please explain the usage hereGracias

Silvia Piriz · Accepted Answer

Hola David L.
Great question, this is a very common point of confusion 😊
You’re absolutely right that haber (hay) is normally used to say “there is / there are” when we are simply stating that something exists, for example:
Hay una hermana llamada Luisa.
However, in your example “Luego está mi querida hermana”, estar is not being used in the impersonal sense of “there is”, but rather to present or introduce someone who is already known and specific. In English, this often translates naturally as “then there’s…”.
So the structure here is more like:
Luego está mi querida hermana → “Then there’s my beloved sister”
Y aquí está Juan → “And here’s Juan”
In these cases, estar works as a presentational verb, pointing to a specific person within a sequence or narrative, not introducing new, indefinite information (which is when hay is required).
In short:

Hay → existence, new or indefinite information

Está / están → presentation of a known or specific person or thing

I hope that helps clarify the difference!
Saludos
Silvia