How to Translate Dummy It & Existential There Easily

If you want to know how to translate dummy “it,” existential “there” and empty subjects, the first rule is to ask whether the English subject actually refers to anything. In “I found the book and read it,” it refers to the book. In “It is raining,” it is a dummy or expletive subject: English grammar requires a subject, but the pronoun does not name a person, object or idea. Translating it like an ordinary pronoun can invent meaning that is not present.

The same problem appears with existential there. In “There is a problem,” there does not mean a location; it introduces the existence of a problem. English uses dummy subjects and existential constructions where other languages may use impersonal verbs, zero subjects, have-type existentials, different word order, special negative forms or no overt copula. Good translation therefore moves the proposition and information structure, not the placeholder word.

The easiest reliable method for translating expletive subjects, anticipatory it and there is/there are is to separate reference, event, evaluation, existence, modality and focus before rebuilding the sentence. This guide connects with eduKateSG’s pronouns and reference guide, ellipsis and omitted subjects, and the sentence-structure guide.

Start by asking whether the pronoun refers to anything

English ‘it’ can refer to a real object, animal, situation or previous clause, but it can also fill a grammatical subject position without naming any entity. The translator should therefore determine whether the visible subject carries reference or merely satisfies English clause structure.

Main risk: Translating every ‘it’ as a normal pronoun can invent a referent the source does not contain. A fluent literal translation can still add a nonexistent entity, erase modality, change information structure or confuse existence with location.

Practical method: Test reference first: ask what noun the pronoun points to. If there is no plausible referent and the construction is impersonal, treat the form as grammatical structure rather than lexical content. After restructuring, read the target clause alone and ask what every pronoun or subject appears to refer to. No target element should acquire a referent that the source never had.

Distinguish referential it from dummy it

In ‘I bought a book and read it’, the pronoun refers to the book; in ‘It is raining’, it does not refer to weather, sky or rain as an entity. The translator should therefore determine whether the visible subject carries reference or merely satisfies English clause structure.

Main risk: A target pronoun used mechanically in the second sentence can sound unnatural or falsely referential. A fluent literal translation can still add a nonexistent entity, erase modality, change information structure or confuse existence with location.

Practical method: Map pronoun reference explicitly before translation and allow the target language to omit or restructure dummy subjects. After restructuring, read the target clause alone and ask what every pronoun or subject appears to refer to. No target element should acquire a referent that the source never had.

Weather expressions

English commonly requires ‘it’ with rain, snow, temperature and weather adjectives. The translator should therefore determine whether the visible subject carries reference or merely satisfies English clause structure.

Main risk: Many languages use impersonal verbs, zero subjects, nouns or different clause structures. A fluent literal translation can still add a nonexistent entity, erase modality, change information structure or confuse existence with location.

Practical method: Translate the weather event or state, not the visible pronoun, and preserve tense, aspect and intensity. After restructuring, read the target clause alone and ask what every pronoun or subject appears to refer to. No target element should acquire a referent that the source never had.

Time expressions

Sentences such as ‘It is five o’clock’ or ‘It is late’ use grammatical subject structure to state time. The translator should therefore determine whether the visible subject carries reference or merely satisfies English clause structure.

Main risk: A literal target pronoun may be unnecessary or ungrammatical. A fluent literal translation can still add a nonexistent entity, erase modality, change information structure or confuse existence with location.

Practical method: Translate the time relation using the target language’s conventional time construction. After restructuring, read the target clause alone and ask what every pronoun or subject appears to refer to. No target element should acquire a referent that the source never had.

Distance expressions

English says ‘It is ten kilometres to the station’ or ‘It is a long way from here’. The translator should therefore determine whether the visible subject carries reference or merely satisfies English clause structure.

Main risk: The dummy subject may tempt translators to search for a target referent. A fluent literal translation can still add a nonexistent entity, erase modality, change information structure or confuse existence with location.

Practical method: Preserve the distance relation and viewpoint; let the target language choose a noun phrase, impersonal clause or locative construction. After restructuring, read the target clause alone and ask what every pronoun or subject appears to refer to. No target element should acquire a referent that the source never had.

Environmental conditions

Expressions like ‘It is noisy here’, ‘It is dark’ and ‘It was cold inside’ may use an impersonal subject while describing a general environment. The translator should therefore determine whether the visible subject carries reference or merely satisfies English clause structure.

Main risk: A referential target pronoun can incorrectly suggest a thing that is noisy, dark or cold. A fluent literal translation can still add a nonexistent entity, erase modality, change information structure or confuse existence with location.

Practical method: Translate the environmental state and location, not an imagined object. After restructuring, read the target clause alone and ask what every pronoun or subject appears to refer to. No target element should acquire a referent that the source never had.

Anticipatory it before a clause

In ‘It is important that you leave early’, the meaningful proposition comes later while ‘it’ occupies the subject slot. The translator should therefore determine whether the visible subject carries reference or merely satisfies English clause structure.

Main risk: Some languages place the clause first or use an impersonal adjective without a dummy pronoun. A fluent literal translation can still add a nonexistent entity, erase modality, change information structure or confuse existence with location.

Practical method: Identify the delayed clause as the semantic content and rebuild the evaluation naturally. After restructuring, read the target clause alone and ask what every pronoun or subject appears to refer to. No target element should acquire a referent that the source never had.

Anticipatory it before an infinitive

Sentences such as ‘It is difficult to explain’ use a dummy subject before an infinitive clause. The translator should therefore determine whether the visible subject carries reference or merely satisfies English clause structure.

Main risk: Literal pronoun translation can obscure who experiences the difficulty or whether the statement is general. A fluent literal translation can still add a nonexistent entity, erase modality, change information structure or confuse existence with location.

Practical method: Preserve evaluation and any implied participant without inventing one. After restructuring, read the target clause alone and ask what every pronoun or subject appears to refer to. No target element should acquire a referent that the source never had.

It seems, appears and happens

Constructions such as ‘It seems that…’ can be structurally impersonal even when the embedded clause carries the real proposition. The translator should therefore determine whether the visible subject carries reference or merely satisfies English clause structure.

Main risk: Target languages may prefer evidential adverbs, impersonal verbs or direct clause marking. A fluent literal translation can still add a nonexistent entity, erase modality, change information structure or confuse existence with location.

Practical method: Preserve uncertainty and information source rather than the surface pronoun. After restructuring, read the target clause alone and ask what every pronoun or subject appears to refer to. No target element should acquire a referent that the source never had.

Passive impersonal constructions

English can use ‘It is said that…’ or ‘It is believed that…’ to background the source of a report. The translator should therefore determine whether the visible subject carries reference or merely satisfies English clause structure.

Main risk: Replacing the dummy subject with an invented actor changes attribution. A fluent literal translation can still add a nonexistent entity, erase modality, change information structure or confuse existence with location.

Practical method: Preserve impersonal reporting and evidential distance unless the source names an agent elsewhere. After restructuring, read the target clause alone and ask what every pronoun or subject appears to refer to. No target element should acquire a referent that the source never had.

Existential there is not locative there

In ‘There is a problem’, ‘there’ introduces existence; in ‘Put it there’, ‘there’ identifies a place. The translator should therefore determine whether the visible subject carries reference or merely satisfies English clause structure.

Main risk: Confusing the two produces target wording about location instead of existence. A fluent literal translation can still add a nonexistent entity, erase modality, change information structure or confuse existence with location.

Practical method: Test whether ‘there’ answers where or merely introduces a new entity. After restructuring, read the target clause alone and ask what every pronoun or subject appears to refer to. No target element should acquire a referent that the source never had.

Existential clauses introduce new information

‘There is a student at the door’ presents a student as newly relevant before locating them. The translator should therefore determine whether the visible subject carries reference or merely satisfies English clause structure.

Main risk: A target clause that simply says ‘a student is at the door’ may be fine, but information structure can shift. A fluent literal translation can still add a nonexistent entity, erase modality, change information structure or confuse existence with location.

Practical method: Preserve the discourse job of introducing an entity, especially when later sentences refer back to it. After restructuring, read the target clause alone and ask what every pronoun or subject appears to refer to. No target element should acquire a referent that the source never had.

Existential there with plural and number

English alternates ‘there is’ and ‘there are’, with variation in informal speech. The translator should therefore determine whether the visible subject carries reference or merely satisfies English clause structure.

Main risk: Target languages may mark existence, number or agreement differently. A fluent literal translation can still add a nonexistent entity, erase modality, change information structure or confuse existence with location.

Practical method: Translate the quantity and grammatical number accurately without copying English agreement mechanically. After restructuring, read the target clause alone and ask what every pronoun or subject appears to refer to. No target element should acquire a referent that the source never had.

Negative existential clauses

‘There is no time’, ‘there are no tickets’ and ‘there isn’t any evidence’ express absence, not merely verbal negation. The translator should therefore determine whether the visible subject carries reference or merely satisfies English clause structure.

Main risk: Some languages use special negative existential forms rather than ordinary ‘not’. A fluent literal translation can still add a nonexistent entity, erase modality, change information structure or confuse existence with location.

Practical method: Translate absence as the target language conventionally expresses it, preserving scope and quantity. After restructuring, read the target clause alone and ask what every pronoun or subject appears to refer to. No target element should acquire a referent that the source never had.

Modal existential clauses

‘There may be a delay’, ‘there must be a reason’ and ‘there could be another explanation’ combine existence with modality. The translator should therefore determine whether the visible subject carries reference or merely satisfies English clause structure.

Main risk: A simple target existential can lose possibility, necessity or inference. A fluent literal translation can still add a nonexistent entity, erase modality, change information structure or confuse existence with location.

Practical method: Carry modal force and existential meaning as two separate features before rebuilding the clause. After restructuring, read the target clause alone and ask what every pronoun or subject appears to refer to. No target element should acquire a referent that the source never had.

Existential clauses with aspect and time

‘There has been a change’, ‘there was a problem’, and ‘there will be consequences’ locate existence across time. The translator should therefore determine whether the visible subject carries reference or merely satisfies English clause structure.

Main risk: Focusing only on ‘there’ can hide perfect, past or future relationships. A fluent literal translation can still add a nonexistent entity, erase modality, change information structure or confuse existence with location.

Practical method: Map tense and aspect first, then choose the target existential structure. After restructuring, read the target clause alone and ask what every pronoun or subject appears to refer to. No target element should acquire a referent that the source never had.

Existential there with verbs beyond be

English allows patterns such as ‘there remains a problem’, ‘there arose a dispute’ or ‘there appeared a figure’. The translator should therefore determine whether the visible subject carries reference or merely satisfies English clause structure.

Main risk: A target language may not permit the same dummy construction with those verbs. A fluent literal translation can still add a nonexistent entity, erase modality, change information structure or confuse existence with location.

Practical method: Preserve emergence, persistence or appearance using natural target event structure. After restructuring, read the target clause alone and ask what every pronoun or subject appears to refer to. No target element should acquire a referent that the source never had.

Questions with existential there

‘Is there a problem?’ and ‘Are there any seats?’ ask whether an entity exists or is available. The translator should therefore determine whether the visible subject carries reference or merely satisfies English clause structure.

Main risk: Word-for-word inversion may not match target question grammar. A fluent literal translation can still add a nonexistent entity, erase modality, change information structure or confuse existence with location.

Practical method: Translate the existence question and quantity, not the English auxiliary order. After restructuring, read the target clause alone and ask what every pronoun or subject appears to refer to. No target element should acquire a referent that the source never had.

Infinitival and embedded existentials

English can say ‘I expected there to be problems’ or ‘for there to be enough time’. The translator should therefore determine whether the visible subject carries reference or merely satisfies English clause structure.

Main risk: These structures are highly language-specific and often resist formal matching. A fluent literal translation can still add a nonexistent entity, erase modality, change information structure or confuse existence with location.

Practical method: Identify the embedded proposition—problems existing, enough time being available—and use the target language’s natural complement structure. After restructuring, read the target clause alone and ask what every pronoun or subject appears to refer to. No target element should acquire a referent that the source never had.

Languages with zero subjects

Many languages permit clauses without an overt subject where English requires one. The translator should therefore determine whether the visible subject carries reference or merely satisfies English clause structure.

Main risk: Adding a target pronoun just because English has ‘it’ can sound redundant or referential. A fluent literal translation can still add a nonexistent entity, erase modality, change information structure or confuse existence with location.

Practical method: Allow target grammar to omit the dummy subject when subjectless clauses are normal. After restructuring, read the target clause alone and ask what every pronoun or subject appears to refer to. No target element should acquire a referent that the source never had.

Languages with have-type existentials

Some languages express ‘there is’ with a verb equivalent to ‘have’ or a possessive-like construction. The translator should therefore determine whether the visible subject carries reference or merely satisfies English clause structure.

Main risk: Literal ‘there’ translation is unnecessary and can be wrong. A fluent literal translation can still add a nonexistent entity, erase modality, change information structure or confuse existence with location.

Practical method: Translate the existence relation using the conventional target pattern even when its surface verb differs sharply from English. After restructuring, read the target clause alone and ask what every pronoun or subject appears to refer to. No target element should acquire a referent that the source never had.

Copula-free and verbless clauses

Some languages can state location, identity or property without an overt present-tense copula. The translator should therefore determine whether the visible subject carries reference or merely satisfies English clause structure.

Main risk: Forcing English-like ‘it is’ or ‘there is’ structure into such languages can create unnatural redundancy. A fluent literal translation can still add a nonexistent entity, erase modality, change information structure or confuse existence with location.

Practical method: Translate the proposition according to target clause architecture rather than matching every English function word. After restructuring, read the target clause alone and ask what every pronoun or subject appears to refer to. No target element should acquire a referent that the source never had.

Preserve definite versus new reference

Existential constructions often prefer or introduce indefinite entities, while referential clauses assume known ones. The translator should therefore determine whether the visible subject carries reference or merely satisfies English clause structure.

Main risk: Changing ‘there is a solution’ to a definite target phrase may imply the solution was already established. A fluent literal translation can still add a nonexistent entity, erase modality, change information structure or confuse existence with location.

Practical method: Track definiteness and discourse status together with existence. After restructuring, read the target clause alone and ask what every pronoun or subject appears to refer to. No target element should acquire a referent that the source never had.

Preserve count and mass meaning

Existential clauses frequently contain quantity phrases: some water, three people, no evidence, enough space. The translator should therefore determine whether the visible subject carries reference or merely satisfies English clause structure.

Main risk: Target classifiers, articles or countability rules may differ. A fluent literal translation can still add a nonexistent entity, erase modality, change information structure or confuse existence with location.

Practical method: Translate quantity and noun type accurately before choosing existential wording. After restructuring, read the target clause alone and ask what every pronoun or subject appears to refer to. No target element should acquire a referent that the source never had.

Dummy subjects and emphasis

English can use impersonal structures to keep evaluation or setting before the heavier clause. The translator should therefore determine whether the visible subject carries reference or merely satisfies English clause structure.

Main risk: A target language may achieve the same emphasis with word order, particles or clause-final placement. A fluent literal translation can still add a nonexistent entity, erase modality, change information structure or confuse existence with location.

Practical method: Preserve information focus rather than the physical position of ‘it’ or ‘there’. After restructuring, read the target clause alone and ask what every pronoun or subject appears to refer to. No target element should acquire a referent that the source never had.

Do not confuse anticipatory it with cleft it

‘It is important that…’ uses an anticipatory or impersonal structure; ‘It was Maria who called’ is a cleft that focuses Maria. The translator should therefore determine whether the visible subject carries reference or merely satisfies English clause structure.

Main risk: Treating both as dummy ‘it’ and deleting them can lose emphasis. A fluent literal translation can still add a nonexistent entity, erase modality, change information structure or confuse existence with location.

Practical method: Identify whether the construction merely fills subject position or actively marks focus and contrast. After restructuring, read the target clause alone and ask what every pronoun or subject appears to refer to. No target element should acquire a referent that the source never had.

Check coreference after restructuring

Removing English dummy forms can change how later pronouns and clauses attach in the target. The translator should therefore determine whether the visible subject carries reference or merely satisfies English clause structure.

Main risk: A locally natural rewrite may create ambiguity in the next sentence. A fluent literal translation can still add a nonexistent entity, erase modality, change information structure or confuse existence with location.

Practical method: Read beyond the sentence and ensure real referents remain clear after impersonal restructuring. After restructuring, read the target clause alone and ask what every pronoun or subject appears to refer to. No target element should acquire a referent that the source never had.

Avoid inventing agents in impersonal statements

Sentences like ‘It is expected that prices will rise’ deliberately leave the expecter unspecified. The translator should therefore determine whether the visible subject carries reference or merely satisfies English clause structure.

Main risk: Adding ‘experts expect’ or ‘people expect’ may sound natural but creates information not present in the source. A fluent literal translation can still add a nonexistent entity, erase modality, change information structure or confuse existence with location.

Practical method: Use target impersonal or evidential strategies that preserve unspecified agency. After restructuring, read the target clause alone and ask what every pronoun or subject appears to refer to. No target element should acquire a referent that the source never had.

Check machine translation for phantom referents

Machine systems may translate dummy pronouns with ordinary target pronouns or choose a referent from nearby nouns. The translator should therefore determine whether the visible subject carries reference or merely satisfies English clause structure.

Main risk: The result can be fluent while implying that a specific object is raining, important or responsible. A fluent literal translation can still add a nonexistent entity, erase modality, change information structure or confuse existence with location.

Practical method: For every translated ‘it’ or ‘there’, ask what the target form refers to and remove any reference the source does not license. After restructuring, read the target clause alone and ask what every pronoun or subject appears to refer to. No target element should acquire a referent that the source never had.

Use a structure map instead of a word list

Dummy subjects are best handled by analysing clause architecture: event, evaluation, existence, location, modality, tense and information structure. The translator should therefore determine whether the visible subject carries reference or merely satisfies English clause structure.

Main risk: Word-by-word substitution treats grammatical placeholders as lexical meaning. A fluent literal translation can still add a nonexistent entity, erase modality, change information structure or confuse existence with location.

Practical method: Write the proposition without ‘it’ or ‘there’ first, then rebuild it using target grammar. After restructuring, read the target clause alone and ask what every pronoun or subject appears to refer to. No target element should acquire a referent that the source never had.

The Six-Part Dummy-Subject Map

Reference — does the subject point to a real entity or proposition?
Construction — weather, time, evaluation, reporting, existence, focus or another pattern.
Semantic content — what event, state or proposition actually carries meaning.
Modality and tense — may, must, seems, has been, will be and related meanings.
Information structure — what is introduced, delayed or focused.
Target grammar — pronoun, impersonal verb, zero subject, existential, have-type construction or reordering.

Practice Lab: Twenty Dummy-Subject Decisions

1. It is raining

Situation: Weather event with no referential subject.

Best route: Do not invent a pronoun referent; use the target weather construction.

First remove the English placeholder mentally and state the semantic proposition. Then mark tense, modality, quantity and focus. Rebuild the sentence using the target language’s normal impersonal or existential strategy. Finally, check that no target pronoun now seems to refer to an object, person or place that the source did not introduce.

2. It is cold outside

Situation: General environmental state.

Best route: Translate temperature and location using natural impersonal structure.

3. It is midnight

Situation: Time statement.

Best route: Use the target time-expression convention.

4. It is ten kilometres away

Situation: Distance statement.

Best route: Preserve distance and viewpoint without searching for a noun referent.

5. It is important that you call

Situation: Evaluation plus delayed clause.

Best route: Translate importance and the proposition naturally; dummy it carries no object meaning.

6. It is hard to know

Situation: General difficulty plus infinitive.

Best route: Preserve evaluation without inventing who finds it hard unless context supplies one.

7. It seems that she left

Situation: Impersonal appearance/evidence construction.

Best route: Preserve uncertainty and proposition rather than pronoun form.

8. It is said that the road is closed

Situation: Impersonal reporting.

Best route: Keep attribution unspecified unless the source names it.

9. There is a problem

Situation: Existence of a newly introduced problem.

Best route: Use the target existential construction.

10. The problem is there

Situation: Locative there.

Best route: Translate location, not existence.

11. There are three seats left

Situation: Existence plus quantity and remaining availability.

Best route: Preserve number, availability and discourse introduction.

12. There is no evidence

Situation: Negative existence.

Best route: Use the target’s natural absence construction.

13. There may be delays

Situation: Existence plus possibility.

Best route: Preserve modal uncertainty and plural meaning.

14. There must be a reason

Situation: Existence plus strong inference.

Best route: Do not turn modality into simple fact.

15. There has been a change

Situation: Perfect existential.

Best route: Preserve prior change with current relevance.

16. There remained one question

Situation: Persistence existential.

Best route: Translate remaining existence, not locative ‘there’.

17. Is there enough time?

Situation: Existential question plus quantity.

Best route: Use target question grammar and preserve sufficiency.

18. I expected there to be trouble

Situation: Embedded existential.

Best route: Translate the expectation that trouble would exist.

19. For there to be peace, trust must grow

Situation: Infinitival existential in a condition-like frame.

Best route: Rebuild the requirement for peace using natural target clause structure.

20. It was Maria who called

Situation: Cleft focus, not ordinary dummy subject.

Best route: Preserve focus on Maria; do not simply delete the construction.

A 10-Minute Dummy-Subject Translation Routine

Underline every it and there.
Mark referential forms with a real antecedent.
Mark dummy or existential forms separately.
Write the proposition without the placeholder.
Identify tense, modality, quantity and evaluation.
Choose the target impersonal or existential construction.
Check information structure.
Read the next sentence for coreference.
Remove phantom target pronouns.
Record recurring language-pair patterns.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does dummy it have a meaning?

It has grammatical function but usually no ordinary referential meaning. The surrounding construction carries weather, time, evaluation, reporting or another proposition.

Is existential there the same as locative there?

No. “There is a problem” introduces existence; “the problem is there” identifies location. The forms look alike but perform different jobs.

Should I always omit dummy subjects in translation?

No. Some target languages also require or conventionally use dummy elements. Follow target grammar rather than a universal deletion rule.

How do I translate “it is important that…”?

Identify the evaluation and the following proposition. The target may use an impersonal adjective, clause-first structure, verb or other construction without a pronoun equivalent.

How do I translate “there is/are”?

Use the target language’s normal existential strategy, which may involve a special verb, have-type construction, word order, zero subject or other pattern.

What is the biggest mistake with dummy subjects?

Treating a grammatical placeholder as though it names a real thing. This creates phantom referents and unnatural target grammar.

Final Dummy-Subject Translation Checklist

I know whether each it or there is referential.
I separated existential there from locative there.
I preserved weather, time, distance or evaluation meaning.
I preserved tense, aspect and modality.
I preserved negative existence and quantity.
I did not invent an agent in impersonal reporting.
I distinguished anticipatory it from cleft focus.
I used the target language’s normal subject strategy.
I checked later coreference after restructuring.
No target pronoun points to something the source never introduced.

The Larger Principle

Dummy subjects reveal a basic truth about translation: languages do not require the same pieces on the surface. English often insists on an overt grammatical subject even when the proposition contains no referential subject at all. Other languages can package the same meaning with impersonal verbs, zero subjects, existential verbs, particles or different word order.

That means the translator should not ask, “What word corresponds to it?” The better question is, “What construction is English building here, and how does the target language normally build the same proposition?”

The practical rule is: translate the clause function, not the placeholder. Once reference, existence, evaluation and information structure are separated, dummy “it” and existential “there” stop being mysterious words and become ordinary cross-linguistic architecture.

How to Translate Easily | How to Translate Dummy It, Existential There and Empty Subjects Without Inventing a Referent