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Ce sont des stylos et des crayons.

Ce sont des stylos et des crayons.
These are pens and pencils.
From Lesson 7:Plural nouns and indefinite articles (des... -s)·French

Questions & Answers about Ce sont des stylos et des crayons.

Why is there a des before both stylos and crayons? In English we just say "pens and pencils".
In French, you usually cannot leave out the article (words like a, an, the, or some) before a noun. Des is the plural of un or une. While in English we can just say "pens," in French you need des stylos (literally "some pens"). You also have to repeat the article for every noun in a list, which is why it is des stylos et des crayons.
Do I pronounce the s at the end of stylos and crayons?
No, the s added to make a regular noun plural is almost always silent in spoken French. You only know the word is plural because you hear the word des right before it!
Why does the sentence start with Ce sont? Shouldn't "These" be a plural word?
Ce sont is the plural version of c'est ("it is" or "this is"). Even though the things you are pointing at are plural (pens and pencils), the pointing word ce stays singular, and the verb changes to match the plural items: sont (are). So, ce sont is the standard way to say "these are" or "those are" when identifying things.
How do I know if a noun gets an s to become plural?
Most regular nouns in French follow the exact same rule as English: just add an s to the end! Since stylo and crayon are regular nouns, they simply become stylos and crayons. You will learn a few exceptions later, but adding an s is the most common way to make a plural.

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