People is the ordinary word for more than one person, the plural of person (one person, two people), while persons appears mainly in official texts: laws, rules and signs in lifts. In speech, letters and essays, say people, and use a plural verb with it: people are, people say.
people or persons — can you pick the right one?
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one person; two/many/most + people; people + are/were/say; persons (official notices and rules); a people, peoples (= nation, nations)
- About twenty people came to the meeting, which was more than we expected.
- Only one person in our group had been to Japan before.
- The notice in the lift says it can carry no more than eight persons.
What changed
First versionI'd like to book a table for four persons at seven o'clock.
RevisionI'd like to book a table for four people at seven o'clock.
Persons looks like the regular plural of person, so after a number it can seem the more precise choice. But that's not how you talk to restaurant staff: you need people. You can also say it more briefly: a table for four.
Peoples, with -s, doesn't mean “people” but “nations”: the peoples of Central Asia. So many peoples instead of many people changes the meaning to “many nations”.
Your turn
At the party last night I met a lot of friendly ___ from my new university.
Show the answer
people — This is a story about a party and new friends, ordinary everyday speech, so the answer is people. Persons sounds like a line from a police report or a set of instructions, and a native speaker wouldn't use it in a story like this.
Write about your class, your team at work or your group of friends. Say how many people are in it and what you do together.
There are seven people in my English class, and on Fridays we all go for coffee after the lesson.
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