Plural (Plural Nouns)
English forms almost every plural with -s. German has several plural patterns, and the plural has to be learned with each noun: der Tisch – die Tische, die Lampe – die Lampen, das Buch – die Bücher. The good news: in the plural, all three genders share one article, die (den in the dative).
The main plural patterns
| Plural ending | Singular | Plural | Typical nouns |
|---|---|---|---|
| no ending | der Lehrer | die Lehrer | masculine and neuter nouns in -er, -el, -en; all nouns in -chen and -lein |
| umlaut only | der Bruder | die Brüder | some masculine nouns in -er, -el, -en; die Mutter, die Tochter |
| -e | der Tag | die Tage | many masculine and neuter nouns |
| umlaut + -e | der Stuhl | die Stühle | many masculine nouns with a, o, u; some short feminine nouns (die Hand – die Hände) |
| -er | das Kind | die Kinder | short neuter nouns |
| umlaut + -er | das Buch | die Bücher | short neuter nouns with a, o, u, au; a few masculine nouns (der Mann – die Männer) |
| -n | die Lampe | die Lampen | feminine nouns in -e, -el, -er |
| -en | die Zeitung | die Zeitungen | feminine nouns in -ung, -heit, -keit, -schaft, -ion, -tät, and many others (die Frau – die Frauen) |
| -s | das Auto | die Autos | words from other languages, abbreviations |
Ich habe zwei Brüder und drei Schwestern.I have two brothers and three sisters.
Die Kinder spielen im Garten.The children are playing in the garden.
Wir brauchen neue Stühle.We need new chairs.
Common mistake
Ich habe zwei Bruders. is wrong; correct: Ich habe zwei Brüder.
Bruder is a masculine noun ending in -er: it takes an umlaut and no ending. The -s plural is used mainly for words from other languages, such as Autos, Hotels, Handys.
Rules of thumb
- Feminine nouns ending in -e, -el or -er add -n: die Tasche – die Taschen, die Schwester – die Schwestern. Exceptions: die Mutter – die Mütter, die Tochter – die Töchter.
- Feminine nouns ending in -ung, -heit, -keit, -schaft, -ion and -tät add -en: die Zeitung – die Zeitungen.
- Feminine nouns ending in -in add -nen: die Lehrerin – die Lehrerinnen.
- Masculine and neuter nouns ending in -er, -el, -en, -chen or -lein have no plural ending, but some masculine ones take an umlaut: der Lehrer – die Lehrer, das Mädchen – die Mädchen, der Vater – die Väter.
- In the dative plural, nouns add -n unless they already end in -n or -s: mit den Kindern, but mit den Autos.
Singular in German, plural in English, and the other way round
Some nouns are singular in German but plural in English: die Brille (glasses), die Hose (trousers), die Schere (scissors). Others are plural in German but singular or uncountable in English: die Möbel (furniture), die Lebensmittel (food, groceries), die Hausaufgaben (homework).
Meine Brille ist kaputt.My glasses are broken.
Deine Hose ist zu lang.Your trousers are too long.
Die Möbel sind neu.The furniture is new.
Die Hausaufgaben sind fertig.The homework is done.
Some nouns are normally used only in the singular, for example das Obst (fruit), die Milch (milk) and der Durst (thirst). Others appear almost only in the plural: die Eltern (parents), die Leute (people), die Geschwister (brothers and sisters).
Check yourself
Written by: Fatih Ün, German teacher · Last updated: