More than one, five ways.
German has no single plural ending.
Some nouns add -e or -n.
Some add -er, some -s.
Some change nothing at all.
The article of every plural is die, whatever the gender. That is the good news. The ending you have to learn with the word, which is why every word page here shows it.
| Ending | Example |
|---|---|
| -e (often with ¨) | der Tisch – die Tische, der Stuhl – die Stühle |
| -(e)n | die Lampe – die Lampen, die Frau – die Frauen |
| -er (often with ¨) | das Kind – die Kinder, das Buch – die Bücher |
| -s | das Auto – die Autos, das Handy – die Handys |
| no ending (sometimes ¨) | das Zimmer – die Zimmer, der Vater – die Väter |
A few patterns help. Feminine nouns mostly take -n or -en. Words from English and words ending in a vowel other than -e take -s. Masculine and neuter nouns in -er, -el, -en, -chen usually add nothing.
Look closer
Die Äpfel sind heute billig.
The apples are cheap today.التفاح رخيص اليوم.Die Äpfel
der Apfel becomes die Äpfel: an umlaut and no ending.
sind
The verb in the plural: sind.
heute
When.
billig.
How they are.
In the dative plural, add an -n if the plural doesn't already end in -n or -s: mit den Kindern.
Ich habe zwei Brüder.I have two brothers.عندي أخوان.
Die Kinder spielen im Garten.The children are playing in the garden.الأطفال يلعبون في الحديقة.
Everything in this article
Nouns with no plural
Some nouns are only singular: das Obst, das Gemüse, die Milch, das Geld, der Hunger.
Nouns with no singular
Some are only plural: die Eltern, die Geschwister, die Leute, die Ferien, die Lebensmittel.
Numbers and the plural
After a number, measures stay singular: zwei Kilo, drei Euro, fünf Grad. Other nouns go plural: zwei Kinder.
Words in this article
Practise it
This topic belongs to step 6 of the learn path.