Portuguese Phrase
A gente espera umas cinquenta pessoas.
Meaning
The sentence means “We expect about fifty people.” It uses the informal pronoun "a gente" and the word "umas" to convey an approximate number, which is common in everyday Brazilian Portuguese.
When to use
Use this phrase when talking about expected attendance at events, meetings, parties, or any situation where you need to give a rough head‑count in a casual conversation.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Agenteesperaumascinquentapessoas
A gente + verb (3rd person singular)
"A gente" is an informal way to say "we" and always takes a third‑person singular verb, even though it refers to a group.
Esperar (to expect/await)
In this context, "esperar" means "to expect" rather than "to wait for"; it is followed by a direct object.
Umas + number (approximation)
"Umas" before a number adds a sense of approximation, similar to "about" or "around" in English.
Number agreement
Cardinal numbers like "cinquenta" do not change for gender; the noun that follows (pessoas) must agree in number.
🗨In Conversation
Quantas pessoas vão ao evento?
How many people are going to the event?
A gente espera umas cinquenta pessoas.
We expect about fifty people.
✕Common Mistakes
Nos espera umas cinquenta pessoas.
"A gente" takes a third‑person singular verb, so "nos esperamos" would be correct with "nós", but not with "a gente".
A gente espera cerca de cinquenta pessoa.
The noun must be plural when the number is greater than one.
A gente espera uma cinquenta pessoas.
"Uma" is singular; use "umas" to indicate an approximate plural quantity.
↔Alternatives
Nós esperamos cerca de cinquenta pessoas.
We expect around fifty people.
Esperamos aproximadamente cinquenta pessoas.
We expect approximately fifty people.
A gente vai receber cerca de cinquenta convidados.
We’ll receive about fifty guests.
Cultural Tip
In Brazil, "a gente" is the go‑to informal pronoun for "we" in spoken language, even in professional settings among colleagues. It sounds friendly but should be avoided in formal writing, where "nós" is preferred. Adding "umas" before a number is a colloquial way to soften the exactness of the figure, showing that the speaker is giving an estimate rather than a precise count.