"Ninguno de los niños necesita camisetas."
Translation:None of the kids needs T-shirts.
49 Comments
Both need and needs would be correct here. Here this is listed as one of the "Top Ten Grammar Myths"
http://www.onlinegrammar.com.au/top-10-grammar-myths-none-always-takes-a-singular-verb/
"need" is obviously fine; however, "needs" isn't wrong.
Searching Google with quotes, here is the entirely of the relevant results:
- I guess part of the problem is that none of the kids needs me so much anymore.
- With the short cycling distances involved, none of the kids needs to have a triathlon bike.
- Some moms sneak in a video during that rare 10 minutes when none of the kids needs anything.
A rare moment where none of the kids needs something…
We're not sure what the need is out here in Deer Creek in the suburbs but regardless, none of the kids need to feel uncertain.
- Sure hope none of the kids need a bathroom call, because that means boots and pants back on and a walk across the yard to the building with lights and water.
- None of the kids need counseling, and Crosland didn't feed the turtle in front of a whole class.
4 vs. 3 for "needs" over "need"; of course the specific counts are but an anecdote; this is a ridiculously small sample. But it's reasonable evidence that "none of [plural group]" can be used with a singular verb in English.
Looking at an ngram from Google books is interesting (still anecdotal, but with more voluminous data).
In 2018, treating "none of them" as a plural noun phrase is still more than twice as common as singular. But historically, plural was the only way. Prior to 1870 there were no occurrences of singular usage, then singular usage started to creep in.
Maybe that explains why some folks (like myself) think "none of the kids needs" is so wrong? Our body of reading just hasn't led us to accept the slow drift of grammar in common usage.
Sorry.
The subject of the sentence is "Ninguno" or "none". "None" is singular; so, the verb needs to be singular as well. Hence "needs".
This has been the rule forever.
If some online grammarist wants to change that rule because so many people ignore it, that is fine for them. But I will stick with the older rules.
103
That hasn't been the rule "forever" - conversely, "none" has been considered both singular and plural for around a thousand years, when the English language was very different to what it is today. The idea that "none" is only singular is a complete myth. See the links people have posted in this thread for more information on this.
You're talking about English. There are no rules, there are only shared conventions. And in this case, either phrasing is somewhat conventional.
Indeed. They are still marking that answer as wrong. Have reported again.
None (and any) are always singular in formal English. Few write and almost almost no one soeaks that way, but it's true.
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There is no basis for that claim. "None" has been used for centuries with both singular and plural verbs. Have a look at the Usage Notes here.
None of the children need t-shirts. In English, this noun is plural so the verb shouldn't have an s.
According to my grammar book Practical English Usage, "When we use none of with a plural noun or pronoun, the verb can be singular (a little more formal) or plural (a little more informal).
Yes because the subject of the sentence is "none." People get confused and think that "children" is the subject, so they say "need"
Both the words none and children are plural in this sentence. None is plural if it means not any like it does in this case.
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"None" essentially means "not one". "None" is the subject and is singular. "Needs" is correct
Why "necesita" rather than "necesitan"? Isn't it [they] the children who need t-shirts, not he/she the children???
No, the verb agrees with the subject, which is ninguno. Ninguno is singular in Spanish, so you must use necesita.
- 298
Looking at the comments and quotes above tells me that people are divided on "none" being grammatically singular or plural. If you view "none" as a stand in for "no one" or "not one", I can see how that makes sense. But as for me, "none" still sounds plural.
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Cut and pasted from https://www.quickanddirtytips.com/education/grammar/none-or-none-are “None” can be singular or plural. Try to decide whether it means “not one”—in which case it’s singular—or “not any”—in which case it’s plural. And If you aren’t sure, “none is” is safer.
I caught that too. (need not needs) I think that's the type of error a (1st language) Spanish speaker would make.
Interesting that niños is plural but necesita is singular. I assume because none is singlar (?). Can someone elaborate?
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Yes, ninguno is the head noun here, and the head noun determines the conjugation. "Los niños" is a possession of the head noun, which doesn't influence the plurality.
Needs is correct, not need, since none means 'not one'. Thus, it's singular in English
None can be either singular or plural in English. You can find it being used either way in English literature for hundreds of years.
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The pronoun "none" can be used with both singular and plural verbs. Have a look at the Usage Notes here.
- 153
This translation should be: None of the kids needs a t-shirt. None = not one, so "needs" Singular subject, singulat verb, and singular object. Duolingo often has problems with this type of construction.
I put, "Not any of the children need T-shirts." What is wrong with that? Aren't kids the same a children? Isn't "not any" the same as "none"?
Looking at the examples given, Need singular suggests a need occurring at a distinct point of time while needs plural suggests something a bit more continuous. Given they are talking about kids who grow fast the sentence is likely to hold true for a short period of time so I would err towards use of need.
When the need or needs occur, it has nothing to do with time. You are on the wrong track, donna.scha.
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The subject is "none" which is singular so it should be "need" although you would never use it without the qualifying phrase.
- 334
If you have a singular 3rd-person subject, the correct conjugation is "needs". He/she/it needs something.
"None" can be singular or plural, depending on your gusto.
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I wanted to smack your fingers for writing lo first, but it seems like you caught that. Good job. :)
