The word “here is” belongs to the category of invariable demonstratives in French. Its spelling never changes, regardless of the number or gender of the noun group that follows it. We write “here are the documents,” “here are some ideas,” “here are my colleagues” without ever adding a plural marker to the demonstrative itself.
Here is, a fixed demonstrative in the French language
The word “here is” results from the combination of “see” (imperative of the verb to see) and “here” (adverb of place). This verbal origin can be misleading: one might think it conjugates or agrees. This is not the case.
Once fixed as a demonstrative, “here is” has lost all inflection. It functions as a syntactic tool that introduces an element, just like “there is” or “it is.” French grammar classifies it alongside “there is,” another invariable demonstrative formed on the same model (“see” + “there”).
Mastering the spelling of here are in the plural is based on this fundamental principle: the plural is never marked on “here is”, but only on the elements that accompany it.
Plural of the noun group after here is: where to place agreement markers
When “here is” precedes a plural noun, the plural marker applies to two elements: the article (or determiner) and the noun. The demonstrative remains intact.
- Definite plural article + plural noun: “Here are the results of the survey.” The article “the” and the -s of “results” carry the plural marker.
- Indefinite plural article + plural noun: “Here are some interesting proposals.” The determiner “some” and the -s of “proposals” are sufficient to express the number.
- Possessive or demonstrative determiner + plural noun: “Here are my comments” or “Here are these documents.” The determiner and the noun agree, “here is” remains the same.
If a qualifying adjective accompanies the noun, it also agrees in gender and number with that noun. We write “here are the new instructions” and not “here are the new instruction.”
The case of pronouns placed before here is
French allows placing a personal pronoun before “here is”: “here they are,” “here we are,” “here I am.” In this construction, the pronoun carries the plural marker when it refers to several people or objects. The demonstrative, however, does not change.
We write “here they are” to refer to several elements, “here it is” or “here she is” in the singular. The distinction relies entirely on the pronoun, not on “here is.”
Frequent confusions between here is and similar verb forms
The similarity between “here is” and certain forms of the verb “to see” causes recurring errors. Three cases deserve special attention.
The first trap concerns partial homophony with “see” (present indicative or imperative). A hurried writer might write “see the results” thinking they are using the demonstrative, while they produce an imperative sentence that changes the meaning.
The second trap relates to the ending. Some writers add an -s to “here is” by analogy with the conjugation (“I see,” “you see”). This spelling “here are” does not exist. No inflected form of “here is” is attested in the French language.
The third trap appears with the cedilla. The c in “here is” is pronounced [s] before the i, without needing a cedilla. Writing “here is” would be a mistake: the cedilla is not used before i in any standard French word, since the c already produces the [s] sound in this position.
Agreement of the verb and adjective when here is introduces the subject
In certain constructions, “here is” introduces what constitutes the logical subject of a proposition. The verb agreement rule then follows the number of the introduced noun, not the demonstrative.
Take “Here are the candidates who have been selected.” The verb “have been selected” agrees with “candidates” (masculine plural), not with “here is.” The past participle “selected” also takes the masculine plural marker.
With a feminine plural noun, all agreements follow: “Here are the solutions that have been proposed.” The participle “proposed” agrees with “solutions.” The demonstrative plays no role in the agreement chain.
Here is followed by a list
When “here is” opens a list, the verb that follows the enumeration agrees with all the subjects listed. “Here is the report, the annexes, and the summary that accompany the file”: the verb “accompany” is in the plural because the three elements form a compound subject.
Distinction between here is and there is in the plural: same rule, different usage
“There is” follows exactly the same logic of invariability as “here is.” Both demonstratives never take a plural marker. The difference between them lies in meaning, not grammar.
- “Here is” traditionally designates what is close or what is about to be presented (notion of proximity or announcement).
- “There is” refers to what is further away or what has just been mentioned (notion of recall or distance).
- In common usage, “there is” tends to replace “here is” in spoken language, but both remain correct in writing.
Remembering that “here is” and “there is” follow the same rule of invariability simplifies memorization. If one does not take an -s, the other does not either.
The only real difficulty with “here is” in contact with the plural lies in an unjustified agreement reflex. The demonstrative functions as a transparent tool word: it presents, it does not agree. All the grammatical load of number rests on the determiner, the noun, the adjective, and the verb that revolve around it.