Menschen, Leute or Personen?
a2Menschen means human beings and carries weight, Leute is the everyday crowd and has no singular at all, Personen is the neutral counting word of forms, announcements and statistics.
Menschen
The human being, singular „der Mensch“. In the plural it appears wherever the matter is serious: Millionen Menschen, kranke Menschen.
Der Mensch braucht Schlaf.Human beings need sleep.
Leute
A group in everyday speech, always plural. There is no „ein Leute“; use „eine Person“ or „ein Mensch“ instead.
Viele Leute waren auf dem Fest.A lot of people were at the party.
Personen
Neutral and countable: ein Tisch für vier Personen, der Aufzug fasst acht Personen. The standard in forms and announcements.
Der Aufzug fasst acht Personen.The lift holds eight people.
The mistake
Bei dem Unfall sind zwei Leute gestorben.
Bei dem Unfall sind zwei Menschen gestorben.
„Leute“ is colloquial and sounds careless in serious news. There it is „Menschen“, or „Personen“ in official language.
Rule of thumb
Forms and counting: Personen. News and gravity: Menschen. Conversation and everyday life: Leute.
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