Topics
IntermediateConcord & Agreement
How subjects agree with verbs, and modifiers agree with nouns in Spanish, English and Chinese.
Compare languages
Spanish has rich agreement: verbs agree with subjects in person and number; adjectives agree in gender and number. English has minimal agreement: only third person singular -s. Chinese has no agreement at all.
Overview
Agreement (concord) is the grammatical matching of different elements in a sentence.
- Spanish: Extensive agreement system. Verbs agree with subjects in person and number. Articles, adjectives, and demonstratives agree with nouns in gender and number.
- English: Minimal agreement. Only third-person singular present verbs add -s. Pronouns show case (he/him/his). Adjectives are invariant.
- Chinese: No agreement whatsoever. Verbs, adjectives, and determiners do not change form. Number, gender, and person are not marked grammatically.
Spanish
Subject-verb agreement
Verbs agree with subjects in person and number:
| Person | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| 1st | hablo | hablamos |
| 2nd | hablas | habláis |
| 3rd | habla | hablan |
Compound subjects (plural):
- Juan y María hablan. (Juan and María speak.)
- El libro y la pluma están aquí. (The book and the pen are here.)
Singular subjects with y (coordinated as a unit):
- El pan y el queso está en la mesa. (Bread and cheese is on the table. — as a dish)
Gender and number agreement
Articles:
- el libro (masc sing) → los libros (masc pl)
- la mesa (fem sing) → las mesas (fem pl)
Adjectives:
- alto (masc sing) → alta (fem sing) → altos (masc pl) → altas (fem pl)
- un chico alto (a tall boy)
- una chica alta (a tall girl)
- unos chicos altos (some tall boys)
- unas chicas altas (some tall girls)
Demonstratives:
- este libro (this book — masc)
- esta mesa (this table — fem)
- estos libros (these books)
- estas mesas (these tables)
Past participle agreement
In passive and compound tenses with haber:
With haber: no agreement (the participle is invariable):
- Las chicas han llegado. (The girls have arrived. — llegado does not change)
With ser (passive): agreement required:
- Las cartas fueron escritas. (The letters were written. — escritas agrees)
With estar (state): agreement required:
- La puerta está abierta. (The door is open. — abierta agrees)
Neither…nor (ni…ni)
Plural verb agreement:
- Ni Juan ni María vienen. (Neither Juan nor María is coming. — plural)
Collective nouns
Can take singular or plural depending on emphasis:
- La familia es grande. (The family is large. — as a unit)
- La familia están de acuerdo. (The family are in agreement. — as individuals)
English
Subject-verb agreement
Only third-person singular present adds -s:
| Subject | Verb form |
|---|---|
| I / you / we / they | speak |
| he / she / it | speaks |
Compound subjects
And = plural:
- Juan and María speak.
- The book and the pen are here.
Or / nor = proximity agreement:
- Juan or María is coming. (singular nearer)
- Neither the students nor the teacher was ready. (singular nearer)
- Neither the teacher nor the students were ready. (plural nearer)
There is / there are
Formal agreement:
- There is a book.
- There are books.
- There is a book and two pens. (informal proximity)
Collective nouns
| Variety | Treatment | Example |
|---|---|---|
| US English | Usually singular | The team is winning. |
| UK English | Often plural | The team are winning. |
| Either | Both acceptable | The government is/are… |
Quantifier agreement
- All of the water is gone. (uncountable = singular)
- All of the books are gone. (countable plural = plural)
- None of the cake is left. (singular)
- None of the guests are here. (plural — formal; “is” also acceptable)
Pronoun agreement
- Everyone has his/her/their book. (singular everyone with plural their in modern usage)
Adjectives
No agreement in English:
- a tall boy / tall boys / a tall girl / tall girls — tall never changes
Chinese
No subject-verb agreement
Chinese verbs never change form:
- 我说 (I speak)
- 你说 (You speak)
- 他说 (He speaks)
- 我们说 (We speak)
- 他们说 (They speak)
Note: 们 marks plural for pronouns and some animate nouns, but does not trigger verb change.
No gender agreement
Chinese has no grammatical gender:
- 一个高的男孩 (a tall boy)
- 一个高的女孩 (a tall girl)
Note: 高 never changes form.
们 for plural
- 孩子们 (children)
- 朋友们 (friends)
- 先生们 (gentlemen)
Note: 们 is restricted to animate nouns and pronouns. Inanimate nouns do not take 们.
Demonstratives
- 这本书 (this book — 本 = classifier)
- 这些书 (these books — 些 = plural demonstrative)
- 那本书 (that book)
- 那些书 (those books)
Note: Chinese uses different demonstratives (这/那) and classifiers (本/些) for number, but no agreement with the noun.
Collective nouns
No grammatical distinction:
- 家人都很好。(The family are all well. — 都 marks plurality, verb unchanged.)
Neither…nor
- 既不…也不 (neither…nor — no verb change)
Comparison at a glance
| Feature | Spanish | English | Chinese |
|---|---|---|---|
| Verb-person agreement | Full (6 forms) | Minimal (-s for 3sg) | None |
| Verb-number agreement | Yes | Only with be/aux | None |
| Adjective agreement | Gender + number | None | None |
| Article agreement | Gender + number | None (a/the) | None |
| Demonstrative agreement | Gender + number | This/these, that/those | 这/那 + classifier |
| Past participle agreement | Yes (with ser/estar) | None | None |
| Collective noun | Singular or plural | US singular / UK both | 都 marks plurality |
| Neither…nor | Plural verb | Proximity rule | 都 + no verb change |
Examples in context
The tall girls are here
- ES: Las chicas altas están aquí.
- EN: The tall girls are here.
- ZH: 高个女孩们在这里。
Neither Juan nor María is coming
- ES: Ni Juan ni María vienen. (plural)
- EN: Neither Juan nor María is coming. (proximity — singular)
- ZH: 胡安和玛丽都不来。
The family is large
- ES: La familia es grande. (singular)
- EN: The family is/are large. (US singular; UK either)
- ZH: 家庭很大。
Common mistakes
-
English speakers learning Spanish: La chica alto → La chica alta (gender agreement)
-
Spanish speakers learning English: The tall girls is here → The tall girls are here (plural verb)
-
Chinese speakers learning Spanish: Yo hablas → Yo hablo (person agreement)
-
English speakers learning Chinese: 他们说s → 他们说 (no -s in Chinese)
Related topics
- Gender: How grammatical gender works
- Plurals: How number is marked
- Pronouns: How pronoun systems work
- Verb Tenses: How verb conjugation works
Examples
I speak / He speaks
Yo hablo / Él habla (person agreement)
The tall boy / The tall girl
El chico alto / La chica alta (gender + number agreement)
The tall boys / The tall girls
Los chicos altos / Las chicas altas
This book / These books
Este libro / Estos libros
Subject-verb with compound subjects
Juan y María son (plural verb)
There is / There are
Hay (invariant) / Hay un libro / Hay libros
Neither...nor verb agreement
Ni Juan ni María vienen (plural)
Collective noun agreement
La familia es / son (both possible)
Examples
I speak / He speaks
I speak / He speaks (-s for 3rd person singular)
The tall boy / The tall girl
The tall boy / The tall girl (no agreement)
The tall boys / The tall girls
The tall boys / The tall girls
This book / These books
This book / These books
Subject-verb with compound subjects
Juan and María are (plural verb)
There is / There are
There is a book / There are books
Neither...nor verb agreement
Neither Juan nor María is/are (proximity rule)
Collective noun agreement
The family is / are (US: is; UK: often are)
Examples
I speak / He speaks
我说 / 他说 (no agreement)
The tall boy / The tall girl
高个男孩 / 高个女孩 (no agreement)
The tall boys / The tall girls
高个男孩们 / 高个女孩们
This book / These books
这本书 / 这些书 (demonstrative + classifier)
Subject-verb with compound subjects
胡安和玛丽是 (no agreement)
There is / There are
有一本书 / 有很多书 (invariant)
Neither...nor verb agreement
既不...也不...都 (invariant)
Collective noun agreement
家人都... (plural adverb, no verb change)
Comparison at a glance
| Grammar concepts | Spanish | English | Chinese |
|---|---|---|---|
| I speak / He speaks | Yo hablo / Él habla (person agreement) | I speak / He speaks (-s for 3rd person singular) | 我说 / 他说 (no agreement) |
| The tall boy / The tall girl | El chico alto / La chica alta (gender + number agreement) | The tall boy / The tall girl (no agreement) | 高个男孩 / 高个女孩 (no agreement) |
| The tall boys / The tall girls | Los chicos altos / Las chicas altas | The tall boys / The tall girls | 高个男孩们 / 高个女孩们 |
| This book / These books | Este libro / Estos libros | This book / These books | 这本书 / 这些书 (demonstrative + classifier) |
| Subject-verb with compound subjects | Juan y María son (plural verb) | Juan and María are (plural verb) | 胡安和玛丽是 (no agreement) |
| There is / There are | Hay (invariant) / Hay un libro / Hay libros | There is a book / There are books | 有一本书 / 有很多书 (invariant) |
| Neither...nor verb agreement | Ni Juan ni María vienen (plural) | Neither Juan nor María is/are (proximity rule) | 既不...也不...都 (invariant) |
| Collective noun agreement | La familia es / son (both possible) | The family is / are (US: is; UK: often are) | 家人都... (plural adverb, no verb change) |
Select at least one language to view comparisons
Side-by-side comparison
| Grammar concepts | Spanish | English | Chinese |
|---|---|---|---|
| I speak / He speaks | Yo hablo / Él habla (person agreement) | I speak / He speaks (-s for 3rd person singular) | 我说 / 他说 (no agreement) |
| The tall boy / The tall girl | El chico alto / La chica alta (gender + number agreement) | The tall boy / The tall girl (no agreement) | 高个男孩 / 高个女孩 (no agreement) |
| The tall boys / The tall girls | Los chicos altos / Las chicas altas | The tall boys / The tall girls | 高个男孩们 / 高个女孩们 |
| This book / These books | Este libro / Estos libros | This book / These books | 这本书 / 这些书 (demonstrative + classifier) |
| Subject-verb with compound subjects | Juan y María son (plural verb) | Juan and María are (plural verb) | 胡安和玛丽是 (no agreement) |
| There is / There are | Hay (invariant) / Hay un libro / Hay libros | There is a book / There are books | 有一本书 / 有很多书 (invariant) |
| Neither...nor verb agreement | Ni Juan ni María vienen (plural) | Neither Juan nor María is/are (proximity rule) | 既不...也不...都 (invariant) |
| Collective noun agreement | La familia es / son (both possible) | The family is / are (US: is; UK: often are) | 家人都... (plural adverb, no verb change) |
Select at least one language to view comparisons
Examples in context
I speak / He speaks
Spanish
Yo hablo / Él habla (person agreement)
English
I speak / He speaks (-s for 3rd person singular)
Chinese
我说 / 他说 (no agreement)
The tall boy / The tall girl
Spanish
El chico alto / La chica alta (gender + number agreement)
English
The tall boy / The tall girl (no agreement)
Chinese
高个男孩 / 高个女孩 (no agreement)
The tall boys / The tall girls
Spanish
Los chicos altos / Las chicas altas
English
The tall boys / The tall girls
Chinese
高个男孩们 / 高个女孩们
This book / These books
Spanish
Este libro / Estos libros
English
This book / These books
Chinese
这本书 / 这些书 (demonstrative + classifier)
Subject-verb with compound subjects
Spanish
Juan y María son (plural verb)
English
Juan and María are (plural verb)
Chinese
胡安和玛丽是 (no agreement)
There is / There are
Spanish
Hay (invariant) / Hay un libro / Hay libros
English
There is a book / There are books
Chinese
有一本书 / 有很多书 (invariant)
Neither...nor verb agreement
Spanish
Ni Juan ni María vienen (plural)
English
Neither Juan nor María is/are (proximity rule)
Chinese
既不...也不...都 (invariant)
Collective noun agreement
Spanish
La familia es / son (both possible)
English
The family is / are (US: is; UK: often are)
Chinese
家人都... (plural adverb, no verb change)
Select at least one language to view comparisons
Key Takeaways
Spanish: Extensive agreement system. Verbs agree with subjects in person and number. Articles, adjectives, and demonstratives agree with nouns in gen...
English: Minimal agreement. Only third-person singular present verbs add -s. Pronouns show case (he/him/his). Adjectives are invariant.
Chinese: No agreement whatsoever. Verbs, adjectives, and determiners do not change form. Number, gender, and person are not marked grammatically.
Key concepts compared: I speak / He speaks, The tall boy / The tall girl, The tall boys / The tall girls.
Read this first
Last updated: June 4, 2026