Why is this verb plural?

LucyA2Kwiziq Q&A regular contributor

Why is this verb plural?

Asked 5 years ago
InmaKwiziq team member

Hola Lucy

What do you mean? verbs don't have singular and plural.

Are you referring to a specific question?

Inma

LucyA2Kwiziq Q&A regular contributor

It was question #6 (B1 test):    "He pedido a la mensajería que ________ el paquete por la tarde."

The answer entreguen is in the third person plural, but it seems to me it should be in third person singular, because the subject of the clause (mensajería) is singular.   Please help.   Thank you.

NelsonC1Kwiziq community member

Yes, same question. 'La mensajería' is a singular subject but the correct answer on the quiz is the plural conjugation. Thank you.

RobertB1Kwiziq community member

the translator probably is a Brit. Brits use 'the parliament have voted....'  

RobertB1Kwiziq community member

the translator probably is a Brit. Brits use 'the parliament have voted....'  

IanC1Kwiziq Q&A regular contributor
He pedido a la mensajería que ________ el paquete por la tarde. I have asked the delivery company to deliver the parcel in the afternoon.HINT: Conjugate the ellos form of "entregar" in El Presente de Subjuntivoentreguenentregue

The delivery company is surely a singular entity as are "The police" and "The people" in Spanish.  In English, sometimes an entity like "The government can be treatesd as singualr or plural and both sem to be acceptable.  perhaps both the singular and plural answers for "The delivery company" should be treated as correct.

InmaKwiziq team member

Hola Ian

Sorry, I thought this has been answered. It clearly didn't save my reply.

In this sentence from the quiz:

He pedido a la mensajería que entreguen el paquete por la tarde.

I have asked the delivery company to deliver the parcel in the afternoon.

We are using the plural "entreguen" because we are talking about a "general/abstract subject": "they" ( = those who work at the delivery company) 

It is not unusual to use the plural in this context when we talk about companies because the action is done by the employees there, not the actual "entity" if you know what I mean. 

It is as if we were saying "He pedido a la mensajería que los chicos que trabajan allí entreguen el paquete por la tarde. 

Saludos 

Inma

LucyA2Kwiziq Q&A regular contributor

That makes sense,  thank you.    Lo entiendo!

HayleyB2Kwiziq community member

Hi Inma,

I had another quiz from another topic which is similar to this question. 

"Es necesario que la empresa ________ de forma más eficaz.|

I wrote plural "produzcan" the first time and the system says it's wrong, the correct answer is singular. But I thought the idea is the same, it's the people that work for the company to do the job, so why there are different answers for different topics?

Many thanks

Why is this verb plural?

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