Collective nouns name groups of people, animals, or things and often shape how you think about the group as a unit or as individuals.
Key Terms
A collective noun un nom collectif refers to a set or group considered as one entity, and these nouns can influence agreement and imagery.
Common Collective Nouns
Here are some frequent collective nouns for animals, people, and things that illustrate typical groupings in French.
Vocabulary
| French Word(s) | English Word(s) | |
|---|---|---|
| un troupeau | a flock / herd | |
| une meute | a pack | |
| un essaim | a swarm | |
| une armée | an army | |
| un groupe | a group | |
| une foule | a crowd | |
| un comité | a committee | |
| une équipe | a team |
A swarm of bees arrived near the hive.
Usage
Collective nouns are usually singular when the group acts as one unit, and they take singular agreement, but you can use plural agreement if you emphasize the individuals.
Agreement
Adjectives and verbs normally agree with the collective noun's grammatical number: singular for a single group and plural if the group is seen as members acting separately.
Summary
Collective nouns shape how you talk about groups in French, so learn common terms and pay attention to whether the group is treated as one unit or as individuals for agreement.
Last updated: Fri Oct 24, 2025