Language/French/Grammar/Subject-verb-agreement-—-Verb-“être”
Where two nouns are linked by the verb être, the verb normally agrees with the preceding subject, although some speakers will make it agree with what follows:
- Mon problème était mes enfants, car je n'avais personne pour les garder
My problem was my children, for I had no-one to look after them
When ce is the subject of être, there is a choice between using c'est or ce sont. Whereas most nouns and pronouns follow c'est, for example:
- C'est moi/nous
It's me/us
- C'est toi /vous /lui /elle
It's you/him/her
- C'est le facteur
It's the postman
In formal French, plural nouns and third person plural pronouns are supposed to follow ce sont:
- Ce sont mes parents
It's my parents
- Ce sont eux
It's them
However, most speakers (and even writers) of formal French use c'est in these cases these days:
- C'est mes parents
- C'est eux
Where numbers are involved, c'est is always used:
- C'est 1 000 euros que je vous dois
It's 1,000 euros that I owe you
The c'est/ce sont construction is often used with relative clauses, and it is important to remember that the verb in the relative clause agrees in person and number with the complement of c'est/ce sont:
- C'est moi qui suis le plus âgé
It's me who's the oldest
- C'est nous qui sommes les responsables
We are the ones responsible
- C'est vous qui avez pris ma serviette de bain
Ifs you who has taken my towel
- Ce sont elles qui ont fait cela
They are the ones who did that