Gente vs. personas vs. pueblo
In Spanish, while gente, personas, and pueblo can all be translated as people, they are not interchangeable. Each word carries a distinct meaning and is used in different contexts, from talking about a general crowd to referring to a nation with a shared identity.
Gente
A1Gente is a singular, collective noun that refers to people in general, as an unspecified group or crowd. Think of it as the people or folk. Grammatically, it is treated as a singular entity (e.g., la gente es, not las gentes son).
Hay mucha gente en el centro comercial hoy.
(There are a lot of people in the mall today.)
La gente de este barrio es muy amigable.
(The people from this neighborhood are very friendly.)
A la gente le encanta celebrar el carnaval.
(People love to celebrate carnival.)
No me gusta la gente que tira basura en la calle.
(I don't like people who throw trash on the street.)
Personas
A1Personas is the plural of persona (person) and is a countable noun. It is used when referring to specific, individual human beings who can be counted. This is the most direct and neutral term for multiple individuals.
Solo tres personas se presentaron al examen.
(Only three people showed up for the exam.)
La lista incluye los nombres de veinte personas.
(The list includes the names of twenty people.)
Necesitamos contratar a dos personas más para el proyecto.
(We need to hire two more people for the project.)
Todas las personas involucradas en el accidente están bien.
(All the people involved in the accident are okay.)
Pueblo
B1Pueblo refers to people in the sense of a community, a nation, or the common populace who share a culture, history, or identity. It carries a strong sense of a unified group. Note that pueblo also commonly means town or village.
El pueblo mexicano celebra el Día de los Muertos con gran devoción.
(The Mexican people celebrate the Day of the Dead with great devotion.)
El líder habló sobre la voluntad de su pueblo.
(The leader spoke about the will of his people.)
Muchos artistas se inspiran en las tradiciones de su pueblo.
(Many artists are inspired by the traditions of their people.)
El gobierno debe trabajar para el bienestar del pueblo.
(The government must work for the well-being of the people.)
Summary
In short: use gente for an unspecified, collective group of people (a crowd). Use personas for a specific, countable number of individuals. Use pueblo for a community of people with a shared identity, such as a nation or the populace.