Log inSign up

Ce sont des enfants.

Ce sont des enfants.
These are children.
From Lesson 7:Plural nouns and indefinite articles (des... -s)·French

Questions & Answers about Ce sont des enfants.

Why is it Ce sont and not Ces sont for "these are"?
In French, the expression for "it is" is c'est. When you need to say "these are" or "they are" before a noun, you use ce sont. The word sont is the plural "are", but the pronoun ce stays singular. You would only use the plural ces directly in front of a noun, like ces enfants (these children).
Why do we need des in this sentence when English just says "children"?
In English, we can just say "These are children" without a word before "children". In French, nouns almost always need an article (little words like a, the, or some). des is the plural indefinite article. It acts like the plural of un or une. You have to include it, even if it doesn't translate to anything in the English sentence!
Are the s letters at the end of des and enfants pronounced?
The s at the end of enfants is completely silent. However, the s in des is pronounced! Because enfants starts with a vowel, the s in des links to it with a Z sound. This sound link is called a liaison. You pronounce the two words together smoothly.
How do we make the noun enfant plural?
Just like in English, you make a regular French noun plural by adding an s to the end. So the singular enfant becomes the plural enfants. Remember that this added s is silent, so both words sound exactly the same when spoken on their own. The only way you hear that it is plural is by listening to the des before it!

Learn Ce sont des enfants and more in French

All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods, no signup needed.

  • ✓ Practice with interactive exercises
  • ✓ Track your progress with spaced repetition
  • ✓Learn at your own pace — completely free
Start learning French →