Does ‘Todo Mundo’ Take a Singular Verb in Portuguese?
Todo mundo refers to a group of people, yet the expression is grammatically singular: todo mundo sabe, todo mundo chegou.
Real Life Portuguese · 4 min read · Updated October 14, 2026
The short answer
Todo mundo means ‘everyone’ or ‘everybody.’ Even though it refers to multiple people, it usually takes a third-person singular verb in standard Brazilian Portuguese.
Treat todo mundo as a singular expression
Keep the same agreement in a longer sentence. The expression behaves like one grammatical unit, so the verb does not become plural just because mundo refers to a crowd.
Todo mundo sabe a resposta.
Everyone knows the answer.
Todo mundo chegou cedo.
Everyone arrived early.
Todo mundo vai participar da reunião.
Everyone is going to take part in the meeting.
Use todos or todas when the noun is plural
Todos os alunos chegaram and todas as pessoas chegaram use plural agreement because the subject includes a plural noun. Compare that with todo mundo chegou.
The meaning is similar, but the grammar is different. Learn the expressions as complete chunks and you will be less likely to match the verb to the English word ‘everyone.’
Todo mundo está pronto.
Everyone is ready.
Todos os convidados estão prontos.
All the guests are ready.
Todo mundo quer experimentar a sobremesa.
Everyone wants to try the dessert.
Put it into practice
Todo mundo usually takes a singular verb; todos/todas + plural noun takes plural agreement.
Quick practice
Which Portuguese example matches “Everyone wants to try the dessert”?
Choose an answer to check yourself.
Keep practicing with the Real Life Portuguese app
Build on this guide with everyday expressions and native Brazilian audio. Choose iPhone, Android, or the web app.