Language/French/Grammar/"C'est"-or-"Ce-sont"
Impersonal expressions
- The pronoun "ce" is the apparent subject of the verb "être", but the real subject is a word (or group of words) after the verb.
- These expressions, constructed with the pronoun "ce" (or abbreviated "c'") and "être", are called impersonal expressions.
Example
- Ce sont eux qui les ont emmenés à l'école. Oui, c'est bien nous qui les avons emmenés.
They were the ones who took them to school. Yes, it is we who took them.
"être" agrees with "ce"
Usually, "être" agrees with "ce" (apparent subject).
Examples
- Ce n'est pas moi, mais c'est lui qui fait la vaisselle.
It's not me, but he's the one who does the dishes.
- C'est vous qui avez crié.
It was you who shouted.
- Est-ce toi qui as commencé ?
Are you the one who started it?
Agreement with the real subject in the 3rd person plural
However, in the case where the real subject (actually doing the action) is a noun or noun in the third person plural, then the verb "être" agrees with its real subject in the 3rd person plural, except in some cases (see below):
Examples
- Ce sont tes parents qui attendent devant la porte.
It's your parents who are waiting in front of the door.
In spoken French, it is sometimes accepted to link the verb to the apparent subject "ce" when the real subject is "eux" or "ceux" or an enumeration yet in the 3rd person plural.
- Ce sont toujours eux qui commencent à crier.
In the spoken language, it can sometimes be accepted to say :
- C'est toujours eux qui commencent à crier.
They are always the ones who start to scream.
- Quels sont vos sports favoris ? Pour moi, ce sont le jogging et le football.
In the spoken language it may sometimes be accepted to say:
- Pour moi, c'est le dessin et la musique.
What are your favourite hobbies ? For me it is jogging and soccer.
Frozen expressions
Some expressions tend to stay in the present tense more and more often.
Example:
- "qui paiera la facture ? C'est moi !" NOT "ce sera moi !"
who will pay the bill? It's me!
Finally, some expressions are frozen by use:
- si ce n'est,
if not
- si ce n'était
if it were not
- n'est-ce pas?
is it not?
- est-ce que
is it
- serait-ce
would it be
- fût-ce
was it
- c'est-à-dire
that's to say
Summary
| c'est | ce sont | ce sont (c'est) | frozen expressions |
|---|---|---|---|
| in general | real subject in 3rd person plural | preferably "ce sont" but the spoken language sometimes admits 'c'est' when the actual subject is 'eux', 'ceux' or an enumeration | si ce n'est, si ce n'était, n'est-ce pas, est-ce que, serait-ce, fût-ce, c'est-à-dire, etc. |