plural form sometimes

Question

"Todos estan saltando." "Todos estan sentados." Why is the plural form used for "sentados" but not for "saltando" when we are talking about more than one person? Thanks in advance!

Answer 1

Don't forget to add the written accent on están.

The word saltando is a present participle not an adjective so it doesn't agree with a todos.

The word sentados is an adjective and it does agree with todos

Answer 2

¨Están saltando¨is the plural form. The singular form would be ¨está saltando¨. The difference is in how verbs are formed in the plural vs. how adjectives are formed in the plural.

Answer 3

In the sentence: Todos están sentados. To me it appears more like an adverb than an adjective. ...are seated...modifying the state of being verb Estar. I have trouble seeing how the adjective is modifying the noun todos.

"Are" (están) is a linking verb, sometimes referred to as a state of being verb. It links the subject to a predicate noun, as in "Carmen and Brian are doctors," or to a predicate adjective, as in "Carmen and Brian are talented." You wouldn't use an adverb after it: "Carmen and Brian are slowly."

Answer 4

In the sentence: Todos están sentados. To me it appears more like an adverb than an adjective. ...are seated...modifying the state of being verb Estar. I have trouble seeing how the adjective is modifying the noun todos.

"Are" (están) is a linking verb, sometimes referred to as a state of being verb. It links the subject to a predicate noun, as in "Carmen and Brian are doctors," or to a predicate adjective, as in "Carmen and Brian are talented." You wouldn't use an adverb after it: "Carmen and Brian are slowly."

I don't know why this posted twice. Can someone please delete one of them? Thanks. - AnnRon, Sep 13, 2013

Thank you for the explanation. Very clear. - gringojrf, Sep 13, 2013

Answer 5

• Todos están saltando. - Everybody is jumping.
• Todos están sentados. Everybody is seated.

Saltando is a gerund. It doesn't change independently of the number and the gender of the subject. It's something that's happening right now:

• Yo estoy / Tú estás / Él está / Ella está / Nosotros estamos ... saltando - invariable.

Sentados is a participle used as an adjective and that's why it has to agree with the gender and the number of the subject in the sentence.

• Ellos están sentados / Ellas están sentadas - They are seated.
• Él está sentado / Ella está sentada - He/She is seated.

Answer 6

I have this same problem all the time. For me the hardest part is determining what is an adjective and what is not.

In the sentence: Todos están sentados. To me it appears more like an adverb than an adjective. ...are seated...modifying the state of being verb Estar. I have trouble seeing how the adjective is modifying the noun todos.

I chalk this up to a poor English grammar education.

Oh "estan sentados" translates as "as seated"? I thought it was "They are sitting" in which case it would be a verb. Oh wow that is confusing! Thanks for your response! - mirchu23, Sep 13, 2013