Agreement With Collective Nouns
A collective noun like xente (people) or familia (family) is grammatically singular, so its verb and adjectives are singular: A xente está contenta.
How It Works
Plain collective nouns: always singular
Words like xente (people), familia, grupo, equipo and público refer to many people but are singular nouns. The verb and any adjectives are singular and follow the noun's gender:
- A xente está contenta. (People are happy.) Xente is feminine, so contenta.
- A miña familia vive en Ourense. (My family lives in Ourense.)
- O público aplaudiu cinco minutos. (The audience clapped for five minutes.)
Quantity + de + plural: two options
Phrases such as a maioría de (most of), unha parte de (part of), a metade de (half of) and un grupo de (a group of) are followed by a plural noun. Here the verb can be:
- singular, agreeing with the head word: A maioría dos comerciantes secundou a folga. (Most shopkeepers supported the strike.)
- plural, agreeing with the meaning: A maioría dos alumnos aprobaron. (Most of the students passed.)
The plural is very common when you think of the individual people. The singular sounds tidier in formal writing. Whichever you choose, keep it the same in the rest of the sentence.
Keep in mind. When a maioría stands alone, with no de + plural after it, the singular is the usual choice: A maioría votou (most people voted). For adjective agreement in general, see adjective agreement.
Examples (6)
- A xente está contenta coa nova praza.
People are happy with the new square.
Xente is a feminine singular noun: está and contenta are singular and feminine.
- A miña familia vive en Ourense.
My family lives in Ourense.
Familia takes a singular verb.
- O público aplaudiu durante cinco minutos.
The audience clapped for five minutes.
Público is singular, so the verb is aplaudiu.
- A maioría dos alumnos aprobaron o exame.
Most of the students passed the exam.
The plural verb agrees with the meaning, the students.
- A maioría dos comerciantes secundou a folga.
Most shopkeepers supported the strike.
The singular verb agrees with the head word maioría. This is also correct.
- Unha parte dos veciños non estaban de acordo.
Some of the neighbours did not agree.
Plural agreement by meaning after unha parte de + plural. Non estaba de acordo would also be correct.
Common Mistakes
Using a plural verb and adjective with xente.
A xente están contentos.A xente está contenta.Xente is a feminine singular noun, so the verb is singular and the adjective is feminine singular.
Using a plural verb with a plain collective noun.
A miña familia viven en Vigo.A miña familia vive en Vigo.Plural agreement is only an option after a phrase such as a maioría de + plural. A plain collective noun takes a singular verb.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Collective meaning and grammatical number can differ, and quantity-plus-de phrases allow distinct agreement choices.
Related Patterns
- Adjective Agreement
The general rules for making adjectives agree, which apply to xente as a feminine singular noun.
Level 1 - Impersonal haber Stays Singular
Another case where the verb stays singular even though many things are meant.
Level 3 - todo o / todos osAll and Every: Todo
Shows the difference between a whole group (todo o) and all its members (todos os).
Level 2
Words in This Pattern
Practice Agreement With Collective Nouns in Bubblegum
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