Algumas pessoas preferem café, outras preferem chá.

Some people prefer coffee, others prefer tea.

Breakdown of Algumas pessoas preferem café, outras preferem chá.

• o café: the coffee
• a pessoa: the person
• preferir: to prefer
• o chá: the tea
• algum: some
• outras: others

Questions & Answers about Algumas pessoas preferem café, outras preferem chá.

Why is it algumas pessoas and not alguns pessoas?

In Portuguese, adjectives and determiners agree in gender and number with the noun.

• pessoas is feminine plural (singular: a pessoa).
• So algumas must also be feminine plural.

You’d use:

• algumas pessoas = some people
• alguns homens = some men
• algumas mulheres = some women

Why is pessoas feminine? Can it refer to men as well?

Yes, pessoas is always grammatically feminine, even if you’re talking about men, women, or a mixed group.

• a pessoa = the person (masculine or feminine in meaning, but grammatically feminine)
• as pessoas = the people

So algumas pessoas can mean “some people” of any gender. The grammatical gender (feminine) doesn’t necessarily reflect biological gender here.

What form of the verb is preferem and why is it used?

Preferem is the 3rd person plural, present indicative of preferir (to prefer):

• eu prefiro
• tu preferes
• ele/ela/você prefere
• nós preferimos
• vocês/eles/elas preferem

It’s plural because the subject is plural: algumas pessoas (some people) and outras (pessoas) (other people). Both parts of the sentence have an understood plural subject, so preferem matches that.

Why is there no subject pronoun like eles or elas before preferem?

In European Portuguese, subject pronouns (eu, tu, ele, etc.) are often omitted because the verb ending already shows who the subject is. This is called a pro‑drop language.

Here, the subject is clear from context:

• Algumas pessoas preferem café, outras preferem chá.
  
  • First clause: subject = algumas pessoas
  • Second clause: subject = outras (pessoas)

So you don’t need elas. Saying elas preferem chá would sound a bit redundant here and is usually not necessary.

Why is there a comma before outras? Could I use mas (“but”) instead?

The comma separates two coordinated clauses that contrast with each other:

• Algumas pessoas preferem café,
• outras preferem chá.

You could also say:

• Algumas pessoas preferem café, mas outras preferem chá.
  = Some people prefer coffee, but others prefer tea.

So yes, mas fits well and makes the contrast even more explicit. The original version just uses juxtaposition (with a comma) to show the contrast.

What exactly does outras mean here? Is anything “missing” after it?

Outras literally means other (feminine plural) or others and here it stands for outras pessoas:

• Algumas pessoas preferem café, outras preferem chá.
  = Some people prefer coffee, other people prefer tea.

The noun pessoas is omitted in the second clause because it’s already understood from the first part. This is very common in Portuguese and sounds natural.

Could I say outras pessoas instead of just outras?

Yes, absolutely:

• Algumas pessoas preferem café, outras pessoas preferem chá.

This is grammatically correct, but a bit more repetitive. Native speakers often drop the repeated noun and just say outras when the meaning is clear.

Why is it just café and chá without any article (o café, o chá)?

Here, café and chá are being used as mass nouns in a general, non-specific sense:

• preferem café = they prefer coffee (as a drink, generally)
• preferem chá = they prefer tea (in general)

You could say o café / o chá, but that tends to make it sound more specific or more “the drink coffee/tea” as a category. In casual, general statements of preference, omitting the article is very common:

• Gosto de café. = I like coffee.
• Gosto de chá. = I like tea.

What’s the difference between algumas pessoas and alguma gente?

Both can translate as “some people,” but they’re used a bit differently:

• algumas pessoas

  • Slightly more neutral/standard.
  • Clearly counts individual people: “some persons / some people.”

• alguma gente

  • Also common, a bit more informal.
  • gente is grammatically singular but means “people” collectively.
  • E.g. Há alguma gente que prefere café. = There are some people who prefer coffee.

In your sentence, algumas pessoas is the more straightforward and typical choice.

Is preferir used the same way as to prefer in English?

Most of the time, yes, but note a few patterns:

1. Verb + noun (no preposition):

   • prefiro café = I prefer coffee
   • prefiro chá = I prefer tea

2. Prefer X to Y:
   Usually preferir X a Y:

   • Prefiro café a chá. = I prefer coffee to tea.

3. Prefer doing X to doing Y:

   • Prefiro beber café a beber chá. = I prefer drinking coffee to drinking tea.

In the sentence you gave, it’s the simple preferir + noun pattern.

Could I say gostam mais de café instead of preferem café?

Yes, but there’s a nuance:

• preferem café = they prefer coffee (more direct, like English “prefer”)
• gostam mais de café = they like coffee more (literally “they like coffee more”)

Both are natural. Preferir is shorter and very common for straightforward comparisons like this.

Why does chá have an accent, and how is it pronounced?

The word chá has an acute accent on á to show:

1. The stressed syllable is that last chá.
2. The vowel sound is open /a/ in European Portuguese.

Pronunciation (Portugal):

• ch = like English sh in “she”
• á = an open “ah” sound
• So chá ≈ “shah” (but shorter and crisper).

Is this sentence talking about a general habit or about what people are choosing right now?

With the present indicative (preferem) and no time marker, the most natural reading is a general preference / habit:

• “Some people (in general) prefer coffee, others prefer tea.”

If you wanted to clearly indicate a current, specific situation, you’d usually add context:

• Hoje, algumas pessoas preferem café, outras preferem chá.
  = Today, some people prefer coffee, others prefer tea.