Sujeito «a gente» = nós
Sujeito «a gente» = nós means “In everyday Brazilian speech 'a gente' means 'we/us' but takes a third-person singular verb.”. In spoken Brazilian Portuguese, 'a gente' is by far the most common way to say 'we' — much more frequent than 'nós'. Formation: a gente + verbo na 3ª pessoa sing. · poss. = da gente
In everyday Brazilian speech 'a gente' means 'we/us' but takes a third-person singular verb.
A1Formation
a gente + verbo na 3ª pessoa sing. · poss. = da gente
Explanation
In spoken Brazilian Portuguese, 'a gente' is by far the most common way to say 'we' — much more frequent than 'nós'. The tricky part is agreement: although it means 'we', it takes a third-person singular verb, exactly like 'ele/ela'. So you say 'a gente vai', 'a gente fala', 'a gente foi' — never 'a gente vamos' in careful speech (though you may hear it colloquially). The possessive is 'da gente': 'a casa da gente' = 'our house' (= 'nossa casa'). Spanish speakers must be careful: Spanish 'la gente' means 'people' and is truly third person, but Brazilian 'a gente' means 'we/us'.
Examples
Note
Verb stays singular: 'a gente vai/fala/foi', never 'vamos'. Possessive = 'da gente' (= nosso/nossa).
FAQ
Sujeito «a gente» = nós — what does it mean and how is it used?
In everyday Brazilian speech 'a gente' means 'we/us' but takes a third-person singular verb.. In spoken Brazilian Portuguese, 'a gente' is by far the most common way to say 'we' — much more frequent than 'nós'. The tricky part is agreement: although it means 'we', it takes a third-person singular verb, exactly like 'ele/ela'. So you say 'a gente vai', 'a gente fala', 'a gente foi' — never 'a gente vamos' in careful speech (though you may hear it colloquially). The possessive is 'da gente': 'a casa da gente' = 'our house' (= 'nossa casa'). Spanish speakers must be careful: Spanish 'la gente' means 'people' and is truly third person, but Brazilian 'a gente' means 'we/us'.
Sujeito «a gente» = nós — how do you form it?
a gente + verbo na 3ª pessoa sing. · poss. = da gente
Sujeito «a gente» = nós — any usage notes?
Verb stays singular: 'a gente vai/fala/foi', never 'vamos'. Possessive = 'da gente' (= nosso/nossa).