¡La Esquina de la Gramática! Rule 17
Halla, haya, and aya. Very different meanings!
The majority of Spanish speaking people pronounces “ll” and “y” the same way, but it is important to be aware of the difference in writing among Halla, haya and aya.
Haya- It can be a verb or a noun. As a verb, it is the first and third person singular of the verb “Haber” in present subjunctive. Examples:
Espero que Luis haya aprobado.
Ni cree que el niño se haya vestido solo.
As a noun, it is a feminine word and it means a type of tree. Examples:
Hay que podar el haya del jardín.
Se sentó a la sombra de una frondosa haya.
Halla- It is the third person singular of the indicative present, or the second person (tú) of the verb “Hallar” in singular imperative, which means “to find”. Examples:
La sede de la organización se halla en París.
La flora se halla constituida por diferentes especies.
Note that in these cases, the form “Halla” can be replaced by “Encontrar”.
La sede de la organización se encuentra en París.
La flora se encuentra constituida por diferentes especies.
Aya- It is a feminine noun that means “a woman in charge of the care of children or a young person at home”. Examples:
Aún se acordaba del aya sabia y cariñosa de su infancia.
La vieja aya seguía llevando a los niños al parque.
Source: www.rae.es