Plural of nouns
German has several plural patterns. Learn each noun together with its plural.
The patterns
In the plural the article is always die. The ending of the noun shows which pattern it uses. The changed part is in bold. A ¨ means that the vowel gets an umlaut (a → ä, o → ö, u → ü, au → äu).
| pattern(Muster) | singular(Singular) | plural(Plural) |
|---|---|---|
| -e | der Tag | die Tage |
| ¨-e | der Stuhl | die Stühle |
| -en | die Frau | die Frauen |
| -n | die Lampe | die Lampen |
| -er | das Kind | die Kinder |
| ¨-er | das Buch | die Bücher |
| -s | das Auto | die Autos |
| no change(keine Veränderung) | der Lehrer | die Lehrer |
| umlaut only(nur Umlaut) | der Apfel | die Äpfel |
Helpful tendencies
These tendencies help you guess, but each one has exceptions:
- Most feminine nouns take -n or -en: die Frau → die Frauen, die Lampe → die Lampen.
- Nouns ending in -ung, -heit, -keit, -schaft take -en: die Zeitung → die Zeitungen.
- Feminine nouns ending in -in take -nen: die Lehrerin → die Lehrerinnen.
- Nouns ending in -er, -el or -en often stay the same, sometimes with an umlaut: das Zimmer → die Zimmer, der Bruder → die Brüder.
- Many newer words take -s: das Auto → die Autos, das Handy → die Handys.
Learn the plural with the word
Honest note: no rule predicts every plural. Treat the plural as part of the vocabulary and always learn the whole entry: der Tag, die Tage instead of only der Tag.
Dictionaries and this app list the plural next to every noun. When you are unsure, look it up.
Examples
Ich habe zwei Brüder.
I have two brothers.
Die Kinder spielen im Garten.
The children are playing in the garden.
Wir haben drei Katzen.
We have three cats.
In der Stadt gibt es viele Autos.
There are many cars in the city.
Meine Lehrer sind nett.
My teachers are nice.
Die Bücher sind neu.
The books are new.
Your turn
No stress: anything you miss comes back first next time.