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
| Spanish | English | Chinese |
|---|---|---|
| Las chicas altas están aquí. | The tall girls are here. | 高个女孩们在这里。 |
| Ni Juan ni María vienen. (plural) | Neither Juan nor María is coming. (proximity — singular) | 胡安和玛丽都不来。 |
| La familia es grande. (singular) | The family is/are large. (US singular; UK either) | 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. Spanish has rich agreement: verbs agree with subjects in person and number; adjectives agree in gend
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.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does Chinese have zero agreement while Spanish has extensive agreement?
How does English proximity agreement in 'neither...nor' differ from Spanish and Chinese?
Why do Spanish collective nouns allow both singular and plural verbs while English is more restrictive?
References
- Nueva gramática de la lengua española — Real Academia Española / Asociación de Academias de la Lengua Española, 2010
- The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language — Huddleston & Pullum, Cambridge University Press, 2002
- A Comprehensive Grammar of the Modern Chinese Language — Li & Thompson, 1981
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Last updated: June 4, 2026