...perfect for (the) people who don't want to take up too much space in their bag.

[LE AVOCADO]

Hi everybody,
I am reading an article about how to select a good tripod for travel. There is a sentence:

The last option is a gorilla pod, perfect for the people who don't want to take up too much space in their bag and who don't want to lug around a full size tripod.

I think that this sentence refer to any people who don't want to take up too much space in their bag, not specific people (because when I read this sentence I don't know who they are ).
Could you please help me explain why "the people" is used here in stead of "people"

Here is the link of the article:

She Travelled the World - A solo traveller discovering the world.

A solo traveller discovering the world. She Travelled the World is a blog full of itineraries, travel guides, backpacking tips and more.

www.shetravelledtheworld.com

Thank you.

 

[tedmc]

I think the definite article is optional as it could go either way - being specific in referring to a photography enthusiasts as a particular group, or referring to people in general.

 

[LE AVOCADO]

being specific in referring to a photography enthusiasts

Sorry, I would like to ask a little off topic, why can definite article "a" go together with plural form "enthusiasts"?

The last option is a gorilla pod, perfect for the people who don't want to take up too much space in their bag and who don't want to lug around a full size tripod.

==>I can understand that why I can omit "the", but I still don't understand why we can consider "the people who don't want"... as specific people.

I have a similar sentence:
I love (the) people who always smile.
==>Here including "the" is wrong because there are no specific people here. Right?
But why the sentence in my 1st post, I can consider "the people who don't want..." as specific.

 

[tedmc]

Sorry, the "a" is a typo; it shouldn't be there.

 

[Barque]

perfect for the people who don't want to take up too much space in their bag and who don't want to lug around a full size tripod.

The writer could have dropped "the" and said ... perfect for people who ...

You can read "the" as "those". Perfect for those people who...

I still don't understand why we can consider "the people who don't want"... as specific people.

The writer believes there are some people with those characteristics--not wanting to use too much space and not wanting to carry a full-size tripod. You may not know who they are, but if they exist, they are specific people.

I have a similar sentence:
I love (the) people who always smile.
==>Here including "the" is wrong because there are no specific people here. Right?

Here, it sounds better without "the" because you're being more general. "The" sounds a little more acceptable in the gorilla pod sentence because it was specifically about photography enthusiasts.