"У меня есть" The typical Russian way to express "have" is to use an existential structure (similar to "there is..."), which is the same for places and people: У меня есть дом / I have a house В доме есть диван / There is a sofa in the house When you focus on the existence, you use “есть”. When the point of the sentence is something else about the possessed object, “есть” is omitted. “Есть” isn’t used when we describe things rather than focusing on the fact that you have them, normally present body parts or other characteristics: У неё длинные волосы / She has long hair У меня очень большая квартира / I have a very big apartment “Есть” isn’t used when we express quantity or medical conditions: У меня много друзей / I have many friends У них пять комнат / They have five rooms У нас мало времени / We have little time У неё температура / She has a fever We may not use “есть” when we specifying identity among other possible choices: У моей девушки собака, свинка и попугай My girlfriend has a dog, a guinea pig, and a parrot (when it's clear you are discussing pets) У него нож / He has a knife (so be careful) The construction “у вас” (and all other pronouns after, like “у нас”, “у меня”, “у них” etc.) may serve as a replacement for possession: Наш город большой = У нас большой город Our city is big В моей квартире есть газ = У меня в квартире есть газ There is gas in my apartment В их городе много кафе = У них в городе много кафе There are many cafés in their city