Question 1

Why is the verb plural (sont venus) instead of singular? Doesn't ainsi que mean 'as well as'?

Accepted Answer

Yes, ainsi que means 'as well as'. In French, when ainsi que connects two subjects and isn't separated by commas, it acts like et (and). Therefore, the compound subject is considered plural, and the verb takes the plural form sont.

Question 2

Could I say aussi que to mean 'as well as' here?

Accepted Answer

No, aussi que is a direct translation trap for English speakers. To say 'as well as' or 'along with', you must use ainsi que. You will only see aussi ... que when making a direct comparison, like Il est aussi grand que moi (He is as tall as me).

Question 3

Why does the past participle venus have an s at the end?

Accepted Answer

Because the verb venir uses the auxiliary verb être in the passé composé, its past participle must agree with the subject. The subject here is plural. Since there is at least one masculine noun in the group (mon frère), the masculine plural form venus is used.

Question 4

What would happen to the grammar if I put commas around ainsi que ma sœur?

Accepted Answer

If you wrote Mon frère, ainsi que ma sœur, est venu, the phrase between the commas becomes an aside (a parenthetical addition). In that case, the main grammatical subject is just Mon frère, so the verb becomes singular (est venu). Without commas, it acts as a compound plural subject.

Mon frère ainsi que ma sœur sont venus.

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