AtelierLe journal · French, understood
English

Language

The course

Updated

Cheat sheet

Personne or gens? A French cheat sheet for people and nobody

Edited by Chris Lee · Updated · About the library

Count people with personnes, describe a group with gens and recognise personne meaning nobody. Study the sentence patterns, then test them in context.

In short

Use une personne, deux personnes and quatre personnes to count people. Use plural gens for people as a group: les gens attendent. In personne ne répond, personne means nobody.

Yellow the idea to rememberBlue French to learnRed watch out

A restaurant host welcoming a group of four diners near a laid table.
A reservation gives context to quatre personnes. Illustration: Atelier

Personne et gens · keep these patterns together

1 · 1 · Count with personnes

A booking for four is pour quatre personnes.

une personneone person
trois personnesthree people
plusieurs personnesseveral people

Nous sommes quatre personnes.There are four of us.

Combien de personnes viennent ?How many people are coming?

2 · 2 · Describe a group with gens

Gens takes a plural verb. For one individual, use une personne.

des genssome people
les gens du quartierpeople in the neighbourhood

Des gens attendent dehors.Some people are waiting outside.

Les gens du quartier se connaissent.People in the neighbourhood know one another.

3 · 3 · Personne is a feminine noun

An adjective describing the noun personne is feminine, whoever the individual is.

Mon frère est une personne patiente.My brother is a patient person.

Ma sœur est une personne généreuse.My sister is a generous person.

4 · 4 · No article: personne can mean nobody

In careful written negatives, keep ne. Before a vowel, it becomes n’.

Personne ne répond.Nobody answers.

Il n’y a personne dans la salle.There is nobody in the room.

Je ne connais personne ici.I don’t know anyone here.

At a restaurant door

Vous êtes combien ?
  1. Serveuse

    Bonsoir ! Vous êtes combien ?

    Good evening! How many of you are there?

  2. Client

    Nous avons réservé pour quatre personnes.

    We booked for four people.

  3. Serveuse

    Vous attendez quelqu’un ?

    Are you waiting for someone?

  4. Client

    Oui, une personne arrive dans cinq minutes.

    Yes, one person will arrive in five minutes.

What is the difference between personne and gens?

Ready-made group descriptions
FrenchEnglish
Ce sont des gens très gentils.They are very nice people.
Ce sont de jeunes gens.They are young people.

Agreement with gens has special patterns, especially when an adjective goes before it. Keep these complete examples together. With the noun personne, the regular feminine agreement is clear: une personne gentille, des personnes gentilles.

  • Une gens attend.Une personne attend.

    For one individual, use une personne.

  • Trois gens arrivent.Trois personnes arrivent.

    Use personnes with an ordinary headcount.

  • Les gens arrive.Les gens arrivent.

    Gens takes a plural verb: arrivent.

Question 1No account needed
Complete the table booking.Une table pour cinq ___, s’il vous plaît.

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

personnes. A precise headcount uses plural personnes: cinq personnes.

Question 2No account needed
Describe your brother using the noun personne.Mon frère est une personne très ___.

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

patiente. The adjective agrees with feminine personne: patiente.

Question 3No account needed
What does this sentence mean?Personne n’attend.

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

Nobody is waiting.. Here personne is a negative pronoun, followed by n’attend.

Question 4No account needed
Complete the group description.Les gens ___ contents.

Choose one answer.

Answer and explanation

sont. Les gens has plural meaning and takes sont.

Keep going