Meines Wissens ersteres.

Edit: Bin unsicher.

Kaninchen schreiben sich rabbits

double b

Or one might try to phrase it differently.

There are two rabbits and a cat

umgeht das Grammatikproblem. Ob die Katze mit dieser Zurücksetzung einverstanden ist, steht auf einem anderen Blatt..

I (also) think both are okay. The second one follows the rule I was taught (in the US) as a child - plural verb with a plural subject. But the first is considered acceptable by many native English speakers (including, I just saw, the Translation Bureau of Canada's Public Works and Government Services department!) , and many writers think it sounds more natural. (It doesn't to me, personally, unless you contract the "there" +"is", as Hecuba did, which, incidentally, you probably would not do in a formal written text).

BTW, the Canadian Translation Bureau also suggests the writer consider whether rewording would be better: A cat and two rabbits are on the table. (That way you wouldn't have to dis' the cat :)

Danke Seltene Erde (1378604)! Ein Typo hat sich eingeschlichen.

Hecuba - UK (250280) The formal answer is There is instead of there are, though I'm not sure if the formal is official / authorised

wienergriessler (925617) "When life is that easy..."

AE procrastinator (1268904) It was an exam, can only be one of the both.

An attached question, which one is correct?

Here comes the bus!

Here come the bus!

Nice Sunday to all!

> It was an exam, can only be one of the both => ... can only be one of the two.

> Here comes the bus!

> Here come the bus!

Only the first is correct - there is no ambivalence in this additional question.

#6 Hecuba - UK (250280) The formal answer is There is instead of there are, though I'm not sure if the formal is official / authorised

What do you mean by "the formal answer"? Do you mean that this is given as the "correct" answer to the exam question?

I would say that it's not a good exam question. The answer depends on such things as whether it's spoken or written, the context and the stylistic register.

Some grammar books teach this:

But note:

There are three chairs and a table in the room.

There’s a table and three chairs in the room.

The general rule is that the verb form matches the item(s) that it is adjacent to*:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningen...

*This is a simple explanation designed for learners, especially younger learners - a "general rule" that does not apply in all situations.

Informal English means relaxed, everyday English you use in the street, with your friends or family. In informal English, we often use the short form "there's" with a plural, so we would say "There's two rabbits!" or "There's a cat and two rabbits!". But the long form "There is a cat and two rabbits!" doesn't sound as good - it sounds like bad English.

Formal English means careful English that you use in important situations - e.g. an academic essay or an official report. In formal English, we don't use the short form "there's", so we would rewrite the sentence, e.g. "There are two rabbits and a cat".

So an exam in the UK would not have "There is a cat and two rabbits" as the correct answer.

I agree that this exam question is badly written if the "correct" answer is "there is a cat and two rabbits".

Here's another explanation for the USA, but with "was", which works slightly differently (there is no written short form):

With compound subjects in which all the coordinate words are singular, a singular verb often occurs, although the plural may also be used: There was (or were ) a horse and a cow in the pasture. When a compound subject contains both singular and plural words, the verb usually agrees with the subject closest to the verb, although a plural verb sometimes occurs regardless, especially if the compound has more than two elements: There were staff meetings and a press conference daily. There was (or were ) a glass, two plates, two cups, and a teapot on the shelf.https://www.dictionary.com/browse/there

This shows that "There were a horse and a cow in the pasture" or "There were a glass, two plates, two cups, and a teapot on the shelf" are "sometimes" used.