Mastering the rules and exceptions- Lingoda
The plural is one of the first noun categories you will have to master in German. After all, some things just can’t stand alone. In English, we almost always form the plural by adding -s to the singular. It’s not quite so easy in German.
There is no one universal rule you can follow to form all plural nouns in German. Instead, there are many different cases to consider. What’s the gender of the noun? Does it end with a suffix? Is it a single-syllable word? A foreign word? A name?
All of these questions can help to determine the correct plural form. And yet, even if you follow all the available rules and hints, exceptions still apply. So, if you want to learn how to find the correct plural for any given German word, read on.
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The most common German plural rules
English plural nouns are relatively easy to spot, as most end with -s. German plural forms are more diverse, as the following examples help to illustrate:
- Handtaschen (several handbags)
- Schuhe (two shoes)
- Rucksäcke (backpacks)
- Pullis (sweaters)
- Kinder (children)
- Fahrerinnen (female driver/drivers)
German nouns in the plural may take any of the following endings:
- -(e)n
- -e
- -s
- -er
- no suffix at all
So, how do we decide which ending to choose? This is where the rules come in. For starters, let’s focus on two general rules: gender rules and suffix rules.
Gender rules
You can always tell the gender of a German noun by its definite article.
The majority of masculine (der) and neuter (das) nouns take the -e plural. Notice also that the definite article changes to die in the plural:
der Hund (the dog) – die Hunde (the dogs)
das Spiel (the game) – die Spiele (the games)
Nearly all feminine nouns take the -(e)n plural. Notice that the feminine and plural forms share the same definite article (die), so no change is needed:
die Frau (the woman) – die Frauen (the women)
die Katze (the cat) – die Katzen (the cats)
Suffix rules
If you’ve been studying German for a while, you probably know how to form adjectives by adding a suffix to a noun. But a suffix can also simply be the ending of a noun. (For example: das Kindchen.)
Nouns that end with the same suffix nearly always take the same plural ending, regardless of the noun’s gender.
Common suffixes and their plural endings are:
| Suffix | Plural ending | Examples |
| –nis -ling -ig -lich | -e | Geheimnis(s)e (secrets) Schwächlinge (wimps) Käfige (cages) |
| -tum | -er + umlaut | Alter-tum – Alter-tümer (ancient times) |
| -e | -(e)n | Katzen (cats)Frauen (women) |
| -chen -lein | no change | das Kindchen – die Kindchen (the little child – the little children) das Kindlein – die Kindlein (the little child – the little children) |
| -er (m/n) -el (m/n) -n | no change | der Fahrer – die Fahrer (the driver – the drivers) das Kabel – die Kabel (the cable – the cables) |
German plurals by noun type
Let’s put all we’ve learned about German plural nouns into one chart.
| Gender | Suffix | Plural ending | Example |
| feminine | many single-syllable nouns | -e (+ umlaut) | Gans (goose) – Gänse (geese) |
| -e -in -ion -ik -heit -keit -schaft -tät -ung | -(e)n | Freundschaft (friendship) – Freundschaften (friendships) | |
| -a -i -o -u -y | -s | Mama (mom) – Mamas (moms) | |
| masculine | -eur -ich -ier -ig -ling -ör | -e | Feigling (coward) – Feiglinge (cowards) |
| most single-syllable nouns | -e +umlaut | Brand (fire) – Brände (fires) | |
| -e -ent -ant -ist -or | -(e)n | Student (student) – Studenten (students) | |
| -a -i -o -u -y | -s | Kakadu (cockatoo) – Kakadus (cockatoos) | |
| -el -en -er | no change | Rechen (rake) – Rechen (rakes) | |
| neuter | Many single-syllable nouns | -(e)r (some with umlaut) | Kind (child) – Kinder (children) |
| -a -i -o -u – y | -s | Kino (movie theater) – Kinos (movie theaters) | |
| -chen -lein | no change | Hündchen (puppy) – Hündchen (puppies) |
Note:
Exceptions to the German plural rules
It’s not enough that there is no uniform rule for plural formation in German. To make things even more difficult for language learners, German also contains plenty of exceptions to the above rules. These include:
- nouns that exist only in the plural, e.g. Eltern (parents)
- nouns that have different plural forms with different meanings, e.g.
Bank (bank and bench) – Banken (banks) and Bänke (benches)
- words that do not form a plural in English, e.g. Immobilien (real estate)
- the plural of foreign loanwords, e.g. Partys
Plural forms in German
The plural in German does not conform to a single rule. Which plural ending is used depends, in most cases, on the grammatical gender and the suffix of the noun.
Sometimes, the root vowel changes to an umlaut in the plural ending. Other times, an extra -e or -s is added. And then there are the exceptions.
Though it’s not the most satisfying answer, the best and safest way to learn German plurals is simple: memorize them!
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Sandra Köktas
Sandra lives in Istanbul, together with her kids, cat and dog. As a historian she thrives exploring this ancient city with her two- and four-legged loved ones. Together, they also love to go on adventures through all of Turkey and its neighboring countries. The perfect opportunity to put all the language learning into practice. If she’s not on the road, Sandra is busy putting her experiences into writing as a freelance copywriter for the travel industry and everything related to language, culture and family. Her particular interest lies in providing information on animal welfare with her website contentrundumstier.de
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