Is "eso son..." correct grammar?

Question

Today I have read the phrase "eso son..." in two different articles. At first I thought it may have been a printing error, but when I googled "eso son...", I saw a huge number of examples.
Here are excerpts from my recent readings

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1) Microsoft cuenta como una licencia vendida las copias de Windows que vende a los fabricantes de PCs y tablets. Eso son los 100 millones de que habla Reller. Pero no significa que haya 100 millones de usuarios que realmente hayan comprado esos equipos y estén usando Windows 8.

2) Eso son 92.000 billones de dólares... y algo de cambio.

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Is there a reason that eso is singular? I would have expected esos son... not eso son. Would appreciate any insight. Thanks.

Answer 1

This is a matter of sentence structure due to grammar rules, ie:

The problem is the cars on the road that are many. In English this type of sentence with a singular subject must use a corresponding verb in singular even if the direct object is plural.

El problema son los coches en circulación que son muchos. In Spanish even if the subject is singular, the corresponding verb must match the plurality of the direct object.

Answer 2

In the first quote it's incorrectly written spanish, it should say "Esos son los 100 millones de los que habla Reller."

From the second quote it's because he's using it as a demonstrative adjective to refer to the result of the calculation rather than the amount of money.

I hope it clarifies a bit

"Eso" in the 1st is also correct - It refers to the subject matter of Microsoft´s sale of Windows to manufactures of PC and Tablet, but "haya millones de usuarios" should be "hayan" - 005faa61, Jul 23, 2013

It's not the correct way to say it because in that case it is referring to the amount and not to the action of calculation the amount as in the second quote. I mean you can say it like that, but that's not correct spanish - Kam99, Jul 23, 2013

wrote "calculation" instead of "calculating" sorry. To clarify in the first quote "esos" refers to the 100 millions, in the second quote in "Eso" the object is the result of the mathematical calculation, rather than the result (92.000 billones de dolares - Kam99, Jul 23, 2013

I respectfully disagree with Julian on one particular point. It should be haya millones de usuarios, not hayan. Though many people, including many native Spanish speakers, say hayan (or habían or hubieran, depending on the verb tense and mood) ... - sinmeta, Jul 24, 2013

when haber is used to mean "there is" or "there are", it should always be used in the singular, regardless of whether the object is singular or plural. This is a grammar rule in Spanish, but it is often not followed even by native speakers. - sinmeta, Jul 24, 2013

See http://www.spanishdict.com/answers/142572/conjugations-of-haber-in-the-impersonal-e.g.-hay - sinmeta, Jul 24, 2013

Sinmeta, I think you´re right - just another bad life-long habit : - ( ..... But good catch! - 005faa61, Jul 24, 2013

Answer 3

Interestingly enough, this topic was discussed here several years ago under the title/link: How does one determine the subject with linking verb : Lo mejor de ese cine son las butacas lujosas. That thread provides a clear answer to my question. Evidently this structure is applicable specifically to linking verbs, "ser" in particular.

Excerpt:

2.1.1. Para establecer correctamente la concordancia del verbo ser en las oraciones copulativas, ha de tenerse en cuenta lo siguiente:

a)...

b)...

c) Cuando el sujeto y el atributo son dos sustantivos que difieren en número, lo normal es establecer la concordancia con el elemento plural: «Mi infancia son recuerdos de un patio de Sevilla» (Machado Campos [Esp. 1907-17] 491); «Todo eso son falacias» (Ott Dientes [Ven. 1999]); «La primera causa de regresión de la especie son las alteraciones de su hábitat» (DNavarra [Esp.] 20.5.99).

c) When the subject and the complement are both nouns that differ in number, the normal thing is to establish agreement with the plural element. My childhood is memories of a patio in Sevilla; All that is untruths; The first cause of the decline of the species is the alterations of its habitat.

Thanks to all ;0)

Answer 4

Thanks to both Kamm99 and JulianChivi. I now understand the how previous subject determines if it is "eso" or "esos".

What I still struggle with is understanding why, as JulianChivi mentioned, the direct object determines if the verb is plural or singular. In "regular" sentences, the subject determines if the verb is singular or plural. Why is this different?