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La gente sale al centro el fin de semana.

La gente sale al centro el fin de semana.
People go out downtown on the weekend.
From Lesson 40:Irregular yo forms (hago, salgo)·Spanish (Latin America)

Questions & Answers about La gente sale al centro el fin de semana.

Why is it sale and not a plural verb since 'people' is plural?
In Spanish, la gente (people) is a singular word. It works like the English words 'the crowd' or 'the group'. Even though it refers to many people, you must treat it as a single unit. That is why we use the 'he/she/it' form sale instead of the plural salen.
Since this lesson is about irregular yo verbs, how would I say 'I go out'?
The verb salir (to go out) is irregular in the yo (I) form. Instead of following the normal pattern, 'I go out' is yo salgo. However, the rest of the forms are completely regular, which is why la gente uses the normal -ir ending to become sale.
Why does it say al centro instead of a el centro?
Whenever the word a (to) is right next to the masculine word for 'the', which is el, they always combine to form al. This is a mandatory contraction in Spanish, so you will always say al centro (to the downtown) and never a el centro.
Where is the word for 'on' in el fin de semana?
In Spanish, you do not use an extra word for 'on' when talking about days of the week or the weekend. You simply use the word el (the). So, el fin de semana means 'on the weekend', just like el lunes means 'on Monday'.

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