I was rereading some old texts and I've been wondering about this for a long time. Like "c'est les enfants" or "c'est mes amies"... technically that's not grammatically correct? My French teacher in high school told me it was wrong but everyone speaks like that in conversation. So do I really have to be careful when I write or is it just something that's changed over time?
Technically "c'sont" is the correct form with a plural, so your teacher was right. The thing is that "c'est" has become so dominant in speech that there's kind of a debate between the purists and reality. In writing, especially in something formal, you should really use "c'sont les enfants" and "c'sont mes amies". In speech nobody cares and no one will judge you, but an essay or a professional email where you put "c'est" before a plural - that'll stand out.
Actually it depends a lot on the context. In speech everyone says "c'est" even with plurals, that's true, but in formal writing you really should use "c'sont". Like in a work email, an essay or something official, your teacher was right to correct you. That said, it's not that the language changed - it's just that spoken and written French diverge on this, and that's normal. The difference is you have more control over what you write, so you might as well follow the rule when you have time to proofread, whereas in speech nobody's going to judge you for it.
The trap is thinking that because everyone says "c'est" in speech, you can write it everywhere. In reality, "c'sont" is the correct form with a plural, and if you don't use it in anything remotely formal (work email, essay, school assignment), it's gonna show. Speaking casually with friends, no problem at all, but in any written context where someone's gonna judge you on grammar, it's better to force yourself to say "c'sont les enfants" rather than "c'est les enfants". Language does evolve yeah, but not fast enough for you to ignore the officially accepted rule.
It's a funny thing because "c'est" with a plural has become so common that at this point it looks more like a natural evolution of the language than a "mistake" 😅 Your teacher was right from a strict grammar standpoint ("c'sont" is technically correct), but honestly the line between "bad grammar" and "living language" is pretty blurry. In formal or academic writing you really should use "c'sont", it does you a favor. But spoken? Nobody's gonna judge you if you say "c'est les enfants" - it's so widespread that it's basically become the spoken norm now.
Personally I'm careful about it because I've already gotten comments when I wrote it wrong. The real trap that others didn't really bring up is that it really depends on what you say after "it is". If you say "it is children" that's clearly casual speech, but "it is the children who are running" sounds better because the verb after already makes it plural. Technically yes "they are" is correct with a plural, your teacher was right, but honestly if you need to write something a bit formal (email, homework, work stuff) use "they are" and you won't have any problems. Nobody's going to judge you for it anyway when you're speaking.
Your teachers weren't wrong, but this is one of those cases where the rule and actual practice have really diverged. Grammatically, "c'sont" should agree with the plural, period. But nobody does it in speech, and even in writing now it's become so common that it flies almost everywhere except in really formal stuff.
What changes everything is context. If you're writing a work email, an important letter, an essay for school, you'd better stick with "c'sont" so you don't look like you're phoning it in. But in a WhatsApp message, a forum post, a social media comment? Nobody's gonna get upset about it. Even on a CV or a job application I'd say it's fine to keep the rule, just to not give off a bad impression.
What's cool about French is that the language doesn't change all at once. "C'est" has been gaining ground for years, and maybe in like ten years the dictionaries will start accepting both forms officially. For now it's just one of those things where "correct" grammar and everyday French don't see eye to eye, and it's okay to handle it based on who's gonna read it.
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