Learn Portuguese (Portugal): Há muitas pessoas no restaurante. - There are many people in the restaurant.

Há muitas pessoas no restaurante.

There are many people in the restaurant.

Breakdown of Há muitas pessoas no restaurante.

muito

much / very

haver

to be (there is / there are)

in / on / at

o restaurante

the restaurant

Questions & Answers about Há muitas pessoas no restaurante.

Why is it muitas and not just muito?

In Portuguese, words like muito (much/many) change to match the gender and number of the noun they describe. Because pessoas (people) is a feminine plural noun, muito changes to the feminine plural form, muitas.

Why is the verb há singular when we are talking about 'many people'?

When the verb haver is used to mean 'there is' or 'there are' to show that something exists, it always stays in the singular form há. Unlike English, it doesn't change to a plural form when talking about multiple things.

How do we get no for 'in the'?

The word no is a mandatory contraction of the preposition em (in/on/at) and the masculine singular definite article o (the). We use no here because restaurante is a masculine noun.

Is pessoas always feminine, even if the group of people includes men?

Yes! The word pessoa (person) is grammatically feminine, regardless of the actual gender of the person or people you are talking about. This is why it always triggers feminine agreement, like muitas pessoas, even if the restaurant is only full of men.