Using 'Gente' and 'Pueblo'

Gente and pueblo, two nouns that often are translated as "people," should be treated as singular. When used as a subject, gente and pueblo take singular verbs, and they are modified by singular adjectives.

Note the following examples:

• La gente es la principal riqueza que tiene un país. (People are the main wealth a country has.)
• Nuestra gente no comprende la gravedad de la situación. (Our people do not understand the gravity of the situation.)
• El pueblo puede gobernar por medios indirectos. (The people can govern by indirect means.)
• El pueblo espera que sus aspiraciones sean cumplidas. (The people hope their aspirations will be accomplished.)
• La gente pobre es una gente muy especial. (Poor people are a very special people.)
• Poca gente sabe que el gas natural es inodoro. (Few people know that natural gas is odorless.)

Note that if you're talking about a specific number of people, or talking about people individually rather than as a group, the word personas would typically be used, and it is plural. It is feminine (as is gente), even when the people talked about are male. In some cases, as in the first example that follows, personas can be used more or less interchangeably with gente with little change in meaning.

• Las personas pertenecientes a minorías tendrán el derecho de participar. (People belonging to minorities will have the right to participate.)
• Dos personas resultaron heridas esta mañana en Bilbao. (Two people were injured this morning in Bilbao.)