Questions & Answers about Je suis étudiant et nous sommes amis.
How do I know to use sommes here?
Sommes is the specific form of the verb être (to be) that matches the plural pronoun nous (we). Just like you use suis with Je (I am), you will always use sommes when saying nous (we are). Why doesn't the French sentence say "un étudiant" or "des amis"?
In English, we say "I am a student", but French usually drops articles like un (a) or des (some) after the verb être when stating someone's profession, status, or relationship. You just say Je suis étudiant (literally "I am student") and nous sommes amis (literally "we are friends"). Why does amis have an 's' at the end?
Because the subject nous (we) is plural! In French, nouns that describe the subject after the verb "to be" must agree in number. Since there is more than one person in "we", you add an 's' to ami to make it plural. Is the 's' at the end of sommes pronounced?
Usually, the 's' at the end of sommes is silent. However, because the very next word (amis) starts with a vowel sound, you blend the two words together in speech. This is called a liaison, and it makes the connection sound like "somme-Z-ami". How would this sentence change if women were speaking?
If a woman is speaking, she would add an 'e' to her status, making it Je suis étudiante. If the group of friends is entirely female, amis also gets an extra 'e' to become amies. The pronouns and verbs (Je suis and nous sommes) stay exactly the same regardless of gender! Learn Je suis étudiant et nous sommes amis and more in French
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