Concordancia con ser
1) In clauses with the verb ser, if either the subject or the complement (el atributo) is plural, then ser should agree with the plural element; this contrasts with English, where the norm is agreement with the subject in all cases. However, some argue that what follows the verb ser in these cases is in fact the subject (copulativas inversas).1
"Cuando el sujeto y el atributo son dos sustantivos que difieren en número, lo normal es establecer la concordancia con el elemento plural".2
-El mayor problema son los robos — The main problem is the burglaries (The burglaries are the main problem)
-La respuesta fueron insultos y amenazas — The response was threats and insults
-La verdadera señal de que la navidad se acerca son las ofertas de trabajo — The real sign that Christmas is approaching is the job offers
-Esa gente son unos animales — Those people are animals [Véase la gente es/son]
2) When identifying a person, the verb ser must agree with the subject. In English the subject is usually 'it'.
-¿Quién fue? ¿Fuiste tú? — Who was it? Was it you?
-Alguien me ha robado dinero de la hucha -Fueron ellos — Someone has stolen money from my money box - It was them
-No han sido ellos / Ellos no han sido — It wasn't them
-Ábreme. Soy yo — Open the door. It's me [I'm me??]
3) In cleft sentences of the type ser + yo/tú/etc. + quien/el que + verbo (see copulativas enfáticas de relativo), the verb should agree with the relative pronoun (quien/quienes). However, in spoken Spanish it is not uncommon to hear the verb conjugated in agreement with the subject.2
-Soy yo quien tiene que limpiarlo — I'm the one / It's me who has to clean it
-Fuiste tú quien dijo eso — You're the one / It was you who said that
-Fueron ellos los que se encargaron de eso — They're the ones who took care of that
-Fui yo quien llamé — I was the one / It was me who called
4) As discussed previously, with the construction ser de los que+verb, the RAE recommends conjugating the verb in agreement with the element los que, i.e. third-person plural. However, in practice, it is common to conjugate in third-person singular.3
-Eres uno de los que empezaron a trabajar en los años 90 — You're one of the ones who started to work in the 90s
-Yo no soy de los que piensan eso — I'm not one of those who think that
-Juan es de los que sigue(n) creyendo en Dios — Juan is one of those people who still believe in God
- See also: concordancia sujeto-verbo
En La Prensa
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Concordancia con verbo ser
