📖 Explanation: What is the Plural in German?
Forming the plural (Plural) of nouns in German can be tricky because there are several possible endings: -e, -er, -en/-n, -s, or sometimes no ending at all. Many nouns also add an umlaut (ä, ö, ü) to the vowel in the plural form, especially monosyllabic ones.
Unlike English, German plurals don’t always follow strict rules, and the definite article in plural is always die (regardless of gender).
The best way is to learn the plural form together with the noun, but these patterns cover most cases and help you guess correctly often!
📋 Table: Main Plural Endings with Examples
| Ending | Often with Umlaut? | Typical Nouns | Examples | Plural Form |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| -e | Yes (common) | Many masculine monosyllabic nouns | der Tag (day) die Hand (hand) | die Tage die Hände |
| -er | Yes (almost always) | Many neuter monosyllabic nouns | das Haus (house) das Kind (child) | die Häuser die Kinder |
| -en / -n | No | Weak masculine nouns, many feminine | der Name (name) die Frau (woman) die Universität | die Namen die Frauen die Universitäten |
| -s | No | Foreign words, abbreviations | das Auto (car) das Hobby | die Autos die Hobbys |
| No ending | No (usually) | Nouns ending in -el, -er, -chen, -lein | der Löffel (spoon) das Mädchen (girl) | die Löffel die Mädchen |
🔑 Rules and Tips for Forming Plurals (Pluralregeln)
Here are the most common patterns grouped by ending:
I. Plural with -en or -n
- Most feminine nouns ending in -e, -ung, -heit, -keit, -schaft, -tät, -ion: die Blume → die Blumen, die Freiheit → die Freiheiten
- Weak masculine nouns (often people/professions ending in -e, -ent, -ant, -ist, -or): der Student → die Studenten, der Journalist → die Journalisten
- Foreign nouns ending in -um, -ma, -us (drop the ending sometimes): das Thema → die Themen, das Drama → die Dramen
II. Plural with -e (often + umlaut for a, o, u)
- Many one-syllable masculine nouns: der Wald → die Wälder, der Tisch → die Tische
- One-syllable feminine nouns (almost always + umlaut): die Nacht → die Nächte, die Maus → die Mäuse
- Some masculine ending in -eur, -ier, -ling, -ig: der Friseur → die Friseure
III. Plural with -er (almost always + umlaut)
- Many one-syllable neuter nouns: das Buch → die Bücher, das Land → die Länder
- Some masculine: der Mann → die Männer, der Geist → die Geister
- Neuter nouns ending in -tum or -ment: das Eigentum → die Eigentümer, das Dokument → die Dokumente.
IV. Plural with -s
- Borrowed words ending in a vowel (a, i, o, u, y): das Kino → die Kinos, der Opa → die Opas
- Abbreviations and foreign words: das Handy → die Handys, der Chef → die Chefs
- Names/family names: die Müllers
V. Plural with no change (article changes to die)
- Nouns ending in -el, -en, -er (mostly masculine/neuter): der Löffel → die Löffel.
- Nouns ending in -el, -en, -er (mostly masculine/neuter): der Apfel → die Äpfel (umlaut possible), der Garten → die Gärten
- Diminutives: das Mädchen → die Mädchen, das Büchlein → die Büchlein
These rules work for about 80-90% of nouns, but there are exceptions (e.g., das Herz → die Herzen). Practice and memorize the tricky ones – you’ll get the hang of it!