Learn Italian: Il venti per cento degli intervistati hanno finito il questionario. - Twenty percent of the respondents have finished the questionnaire.

Il venti per cento degli intervistati hanno finito il questionario.

Twenty percent of the respondents have finished the questionnaire.

Breakdown of Il venti per cento degli intervistati hanno finito il questionario.

Questions & Answers about Il venti per cento degli intervistati hanno finito il questionario.

Why is the verb hanno finito plural when the subject is Il venti per cento (singular)?

This is the core of this lesson: agreement by meaning (concordanza a senso). Even though Il venti per cento is grammatically singular, it refers to a plural group (degli intervistati). When a percentage or fraction is followed by di and a plural noun, Italian commonly uses a plural verb because the mental focus is on the multiple people involved.

Would it be wrong to say ha finito instead?

Not at all. Using the singular verb ha finito follows strict grammatical agreement with Il venti per cento and is also completely correct. It is often preferred in very formal or academic writing, while the plural hanno finito is extremely common and natural in everyday communication.

Why do we need the article Il before the percentage?

Unlike English, which just says 'twenty percent', Italian requires a definite article before a percentage. You must treat the percentage as a specific noun phrase, using il for most numbers, or l' for percentages starting with a vowel like l'otto per cento.

How does intervistati translate to 'respondents'?

Intervistati is the plural past participle of the verb intervistare (to interview). Italian frequently turns past participles into nouns to describe a group of people who have undergone an action. Literally, it means 'the interviewed ones', which in a survey context translates perfectly to 'respondents'.