SpeeekDownload on the App Store
Back to At The Gym

Portuguese Phrase

Quantas pessoas tem numa turma?

/ˈkwɐ̃.tɐs ˈpe.so.ɐs ˈtẽj̃ ˈnũ.mɐ ˈtuɾ.mɐ/
Meaning"How many people are there in a class?"
💡

Meaning

The sentence asks for the number of people that belong to a particular class or group of students. It is an existential question, similar to English 'How many people are there in a class?'.

🎯

When to use

Use this phrase when you need to know the size of a classroom, a study group, or any organized cohort – for example, before planning a project, reserving a venue, or simply satisfying curiosity about a class size.

✦Grammar Breakdown

Quantaspessoastemnumaturma?

1

Quantas

Interrogative adjective meaning 'how many', agrees in gender and number with the noun that follows.

2

pessoas

Plural noun meaning 'people'; the subject of the existential construction.

3

tem

Third‑person singular of the verb *ter* used colloquially for existence; in formal Portuguese *há* (from *haver*) is preferred.

4

numa

Contraction of *em* + *uma* ('in a/one'), placed before a feminine noun.

5

turma

Feminine noun meaning 'class' or 'group of students'.

🗨In Conversation

A

Quantas pessoas tem numa turma?

How many people are there in a class?

Na minha turma são vinte e três.

In my class there are twenty‑three.

B

✕Common Mistakes

  • Quantas pessoa tem numa turma?

    The noun must be plural because you are asking about more than one person.

  • Quantas pessoas tem em numa turma?

    The preposition *em* is already included in the contraction *numa*; adding it again is redundant.

  • Quantas pessoas tem numa turma?

    In formal contexts, replace *tem* with *há* for a more idiomatic existential construction.

↔Alternatives

  • Quantas pessoas há numa turma?

    How many people are there in a class?

  • Quantas pessoas há na turma?

    How many people are in the class?

  • Quantas pessoas tem na turma?

    How many people are in the class?

pt

Cultural Tip

In Brazil, *turma* can refer to a school class, a university cohort, or even a work team. While *tem* is widely used in everyday speech, more formal or written Portuguese prefers the impersonal verb *há* (from *haver*) for existence. Also, note that the plural *pessoas* never changes the verb form; the verb stays singular because the construction is existential, not a typical subject‑verb agreement.