fowkys

[simple dirge]

Please be patient

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[elder geyser]

C'est is used casually/orally for ce sont

[weak spruce]

So, can I use it for formality?

[woeful pilot]

https://vitrinelinguistique.oqlf.gouv.qc.ca/21603/la-grammaire/le-verbe/accord-du-verbe-avec-le-sujet/cas-particuliers-daccord-du-verbe/accord-et-emploi-de-cest-et-ce-sont its like that because that's just how it be

[woeful pilot]

seems to me like "ce sont nous" just isn't said

[weak spruce]

Not even in literature? Essays? I might have to write an essay, so formality could be useful

[woeful pilot]

the only books with "ce sont nous" in them are literally saying that it's forbidden to say. Here's one from 1871

https://www.google.com/search?q="ce sont nous"&tbm=bks&lr=lang_fr

so no, it's not used anywhere except in grammar books telling you not to say it

[weak spruce]

yes, thats pretty convincing to me lol

thank you so much!

[woeful pilot]

of course !

[weak spruce]

actually, thank you both

[elder geyser]

Oh hm

I'm pretty sure I've seen it before

But certainly not a regular usage

[woeful pilot]

i mean

https://books.google.com/ngrams/graph?content=ce+sont+nous%2C+c'est+nous&year_start=1800&year_end=2022&corpus=fr&smoothing=3

[elder geyser]

The point stands that "c'est" is also used casually/orally for cases where "ce sont" is normally required

But yeah, interesting

Tmyk

[woeful pilot]

This is the first book that I found that seems to actually 'ce sont nous', on page 5

so it is said very rarely

[weak spruce]

I found this one too
https://www.google.com.br/books/edition/Manuel_d_orthographe_raisonnée_en_60_le/q7U0wquTyxYC?hl=pt-BR&gbpv=1&dq="ce+sont+nous"&pg=PA352&printsec=frontcover

it says that "c'est nous" is the correct form

[elder geyser]

Yes the link posted earlier was a governing body of french

[weak spruce]

its pretty old tho

[elder geyser]

I'm certainly not disagreeing with the OQLF, just remarking that I'm pretty sure I've seen native speakers use "ce sont", albeit rarely

[woeful pilot]

could be overcorrection?

[elder geyser]

Certainly could be

[hybrid turret]

it's often a formality distinction, as in "c'est / ce sont nos amis", both valid

however "ce sont nous" is always going to be wrong

[woeful pilot]

ce sommes nous

[hybrid turret]

lol

[strong furnace]

WAIT WHAT????

CE SONT NOUS IS NOT GRAMMATICAL??????