# EN: the United States - singular / plural



## Midtiti

XIII56 said:


> Pour la France ça ne m'étonne pas (on a notre Marianne) mais ça m'intrigue plus pour certains pays, comme les États-Unis par exemple souvent personnifiés par l'Oncle Sam ...


 
Pour les États-Unis, comme le nom est au pluriel je pense qu'on utilise "they".

*Moderator note:* This discussion was split from another thread. Other threads were later merged with it.


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## Dzienne

Midtiti said:


> Pour les États-Unis, comme le nom est au pluriel je pense qu'on utilise "they".



Bonjour, Midtiti !  

For the United States of America, it is a collective noun in English.  Like "the police", for example, which I know is also a collective noun in French.  If you are talking about the people of the United States, it is "they".  If you are talking about the country, it is "it" and treated as third person singular.  

For example (subject italicized, verb underlined):

The _United States (of America)_ is a great country.  
The _United State_s are a great country.  
The _people_ of the United States are very entrepreneurial. 

[…]


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## Midtiti

Yes, thank you !
"The United States is", how weird, I think I've done wrong for years...^^


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## jon_ess

I'm not completely sure about the timing, but I believe that we said "the United States are..." until the American Civil War.  At that point, due to the reunification of all the states, I think it became "the United States is...".


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## Sue Elisabeth

Should one say "the US* is* forced to align itself with" or "the US *is* forced to align themselves" ? Is the US always considered as a singular noun, even if there are 50 states ?


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## sound shift

I would use the former: "The USA is forced to align itself with ...". "Themselves" would require "are", not "is", and I have never seen or heard "the USA are ....".


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## jierbe31

The verb used with the United States should be in the singular, I take it from a trust-worthy native American.
Although it's a federation of 50 states, it must be considered as one unique nation.
Hence "the US *is* forced to align *it*self...".


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## arcron_21

The United States hasn't been plural sense the Civil War. Back then the states were consider individual territories, but after the war became united as one.


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## petit_tambour

I'm not sure of the right pronun to use with […] "USA" : _the USA *is* facing_ or _*are*_ facing a financial crisis ? What is the right pronun, it or they ?

thanks for your help !


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## travlr23

If I'm understanding you correctly, you want the _English_ equivilant of these pronouns?

[…]

For U.S.A., the use of "is" (singular) is correct. We would never say "the USA are facing a crisis." I know it is confusing because there is more than one state, but we think of it as one homogenous entity; "the country as a whole *is*..."


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## Smithy73

I once heard in a film a long time ago that before Abraham Lincoln and the civil war everyone said: "The USA are" but afterwards everyone said "The USA is". The message being that he united the country.


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## travlr23

I agree with that.


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## petit_tambour

ok, thank you very much for all your answers !


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