what is it?
A collective noun refers to a group of people or things as a single unit. In Spanish, collective nouns are grammatically singular, so the verb and any predicate adjective must also be singular — even when the meaning is clearly plural. This differs from informal British English, where a collective noun can take a plural verb ("the team are ready"). In Spanish, that option does not exist: the verb is always singular when the subject is a bare collective noun such as la gente, todo el mundo, la policía, or el equipo. When a collective is followed by de + plural noun (e.g. la mayoría de los vecinos), plural agreement with the following noun is the normal choice.
when to use it
Bare collective noun as subject — use a singular verb. Common examples: la gente, todo el mundo, la policía, el equipo, el público, el gobierno.
Predicate adjectives — must agree in gender and number with the collective noun itself, not with the individuals it contains. Because the collective is singular, the adjective is singular too.
Collective + de + plural noun — expressions such as la mayoría de los vecinos, una parte de los estudiantes normally take a plural verb, because the plural noun after de is understood as the real subject.
The expression todo el mundo is always singular in Spanish. It literally means «all the world» and behaves exactly like a singular noun, regardless of how many people are implied.
formation
The rule is straightforward: match the verb to the grammatical number of the subject noun, not to the number of people it represents. The table below shows the pattern with present-tense decir and creer across the two patterns.
| subject | verb form | example |
|---|---|---|
| la gente (singular collective) | dice | La gente dice la verdad. |
| todo el mundo (singular collective) | sabe | Todo el mundo sabe eso. |
| la policía (singular collective) | busca | La policía busca al sospechoso. |
| el equipo (singular collective) | juega | El equipo juega mañana. |
| la mayoría de los vecinos (collective + de + plural) | creen | La mayoría de los vecinos creen que es buena idea. |
For predicate adjectives, apply the same logic: agree with the collective noun. La gente is feminine singular, so the adjective is feminine singular: la gente está cansada.
examples in context
common pitfalls
Plural verb with «gente» — «la gente dicen» is incorrect. Because «la gente» is a singular noun, the only correct form is la gente dice. The fact that «gente» refers to multiple people does not change its grammatical number.
Plural verb with «todo el mundo» — «todo el mundo saben» is incorrect. The expression is fixed and singular; write todo el mundo sabe. This is a direct interference from English «everyone knows».
Plural predicate adjective with a singular collective — «la gente están cansados» is doubly wrong: the verb must be singular and the adjective must agree with «la gente» (feminine singular). The correct form is la gente está cansada.
A useful check: ask whether the subject noun itself is singular or plural — ignore how many individuals it represents. If the noun is singular (even if it means «many people»), the verb and adjective must be singular.
Three sentences, graded here. Nothing is saved and no account is needed.
La gente ___ mucha basura en el parque y eso es un problema. (tirar)
Fill in the blank with the correct form of the verb in parentheses.