Is it correct to sometimes use the plural when talking about people?
Hi i am not sure what term to use when talkin about people in certain instances (la gente) I know that it is singular (La gente es amable) but would it be correct to use "son" (plural) i you wanted to say that they (la gente) are from different countries or should you stick with the singualr. This is my attempt at translating this sentence "ellos son de muchas paises diferentes". If anyone could tell if this is correct or if it is completely wrong that would be great thanks!
5 Answers
Gente can be sometimes used in a plural form as people is used in English: "different peoples" and "las gentes".
However, I guess it wouldn't used that way in this context, so the translation you did was fine... except for muchas: país is masculine (el país), so you should write "de muchos países diferentes"
"Gente" es singular, always. If you want to use it in plural should be "gentes", and then it would mean different groups of people.
It sounds weird by nature, but "people" is always a singular noun that refers to many things. But, I think you're better off doing like you did in that translation - use a word that CAN be spoken of in a plural context to draw out the distinction you're trying to make.
La gente is singular.
"People" in English is the plural of "Person" but
"The peoples" can be used in English to indicate for example the different "peoples" of Africa.
I don't know if the same can be done in Spanish.
