Table of Contents
Understanding Plural Forms in German
In this chapter you learn how German nouns form the plural. You do not need to know all rules perfectly. At A1 level you should mostly recognize common plural patterns and learn the plural together with each new noun.
Singular and plural at a glance
Every noun in German has a singular form and one or more possible plural forms. The plural is used when you talk about more than one person, thing, or idea.
Examples:
| Singular | English | Plural | English |
|---|---|---|---|
| der Tisch | the table | die Tische | the tables |
| die Lampe | the lamp | die Lampen | the lamps |
| das Buch | the book | die Bücher | the books |
Important:
- All plural nouns use the article “die” in the nominative and accusative: die Tische, die Lampen, die Bücher.
- You must always learn the plural together with the noun, because there is no single, regular rule.
In this chapter we focus on the most common plural endings and patterns that you will see again and again.
The plural with -e
Many masculine and some neuter nouns form the plural with -e. Sometimes there is also an umlaut (ä, ö, ü).
Examples without umlaut:
| Singular | Plural | English |
|---|---|---|
| der Tisch | die Tische | table, tables |
| der Tag | die Tage | day, days |
| der Stuhl | die Stuhle | chair, chairs |
| das Bild | die Bilder | picture, pictures |
Examples with umlaut:
| Singular | Plural | English |
|---|---|---|
| der Ball | die Bälle | ball, balls |
| der Apfel | die Äpfel | apple, apples |
| der Hund | die Hunde | dog, dogs (no umlaut) |
| das Buch | die Bücher | book, books |
| das Dach | die Dächer | roof, roofs |
There is no simple rule that tells you when the umlaut appears. You must learn it with the noun. However, many short masculine and neuter nouns get an umlaut in the plural.
Pattern: Many masculine and neuter nouns form the plural with “-e”, sometimes with an umlaut.
Always memorize examples like:
der Tag – die Tage, der Ball – die Bälle, das Buch – die Bücher.
The plural with -er
Some neuter and a few masculine nouns form the plural with -er. These usually take an umlaut when the noun has a, o, or u.
Typical examples:
| Singular | Plural | English |
|---|---|---|
| das Kind | die Kinder | child, children |
| das Buch | die Bücher | book, books |
| das Haus | die Häuser | house, houses |
| das Wort | die Wörter | word, words |
| das Dorf | die Dörfer | village, villages |
| der Mann | die Männer | man, men |
Most nouns with -er plural are neuter. A very common masculine exception is der Mann – die Männer.
Pattern: Many neuter nouns form the plural with “-er”, usually with an umlaut.
Examples: das Haus – die Häuser, das Wort – die Wörter, das Kind – die Kinder.
The plural with -n or -en
Many feminine nouns and some masculine and neuter nouns form the plural with -n or -en. You can think of this as “n-plural”.
Very common for feminine nouns:
| Singular | Plural | English |
|---|---|---|
| die Lampe | die Lampen | lamp, lamps |
| die Tasche | die Taschen | bag, bags |
| die Blume | die Blumen | flower, flowers |
| die Frage | die Fragen | question, questions |
| die Straße | die Straßen | street, streets |
Other examples:
| Singular | Plural | English |
|---|---|---|
| der Student | die Studenten | (male) student(s) |
| der Kollege | die Kollegen | (male) colleague(s) |
| das Auge | die Augen | eye, eyes |
| das Zimmer | die Zimmer | room, rooms (no -n) |
For many feminine nouns ending in -e, the plural is simply -n. For other feminine nouns, it is -en. You do not need to distinguish this at A1 level. Just learn the correct full plural form.
Pattern: Most feminine nouns have an -n or -en plural.
Examples: die Lampe – die Lampen, die Blume – die Blumen, die Frage – die Fragen.
The plural with -s
The plural with -s is common with:
- Many loanwords from other languages.
- Abbreviations, names, and some modern words.
- Many words that end in a vowel (other than -e).
Examples:
| Singular | Plural | English |
|---|---|---|
| das Auto | die Autos | car, cars |
| das Hotel | die Hotels | hotel(s) |
| das Radio | die Radios | radio(s) |
| das Taxi | die Taxis | taxi(s) |
| die Party | die Partys | party, parties |
| das Handy | die Handys | mobile phone(s) |
| der Chef | die Chefs | boss(es) |
This plural is usually easy to recognize for English speakers.
Pattern: Loanwords and many nouns ending in a vowel often form the plural with “-s”.
Examples: das Auto – die Autos, die Party – die Partys, das Radio – die Radios.
Plurals with no ending
Some nouns do not change in the plural. Only the article “die” shows that the noun is plural.
Examples:
| Singular | Plural | English |
|---|---|---|
| der Lehrer | die Lehrer | teacher(s) (male/mixed) |
| der Fahrer | die Fahrer | driver(s) |
| das Zimmer | die Zimmer | room(s) |
| das Fenster | die Fenster | window(s) |
Many masculine nouns ending in -er, -en, or -el, and many neuter nouns ending in -er or -el, have no plural ending. Some of them may get an umlaut, but many do not.
Examples with umlaut and no ending:
| Singular | Plural | English |
|---|---|---|
| der Vater | die Väter | father, fathers |
| der Bruder | die Brüder | brother, brothers |
| die Mutter | die Mütter | mother, mothers |
Here the plural is shown by the umlaut and the article “die”.
Pattern: Many nouns in -er, -el, -en do not add a plural ending, sometimes only an umlaut.
Examples: der Lehrer – die Lehrer, das Zimmer – die Zimmer, der Vater – die Väter.
The special -n plural for some nouns
Some nouns form the plural with -n in a special way. At A1 level you just notice common examples.
Examples:
| Singular | Plural | English |
|---|---|---|
| der Junge | die Jungen | boy, boys |
| der Kunde | die Kunden | customer(s) |
| der Kollege | die Kollegen | colleague(s) |
| der Herr | die Herren | gentleman, gentlemen |
These nouns often end in -e in the singular. Again, learn them as you meet them.
Irregular and unpredictable plurals
Some very common words have irregular plurals. They do not follow a clear pattern. You must learn them by heart.
Examples:
| Singular | Plural | English |
|---|---|---|
| der Mensch | die Menschen | person, people |
| der Mann | die Männer | man, men |
| die Frau | die Frauen | woman, women |
| das Museum | die Museen | museum, museums |
| der Sohn | die Söhne | son, sons |
| die Tochter | die Töchter | daughter, daughters |
With time and practice, these forms will become natural.
Rule: There is no single general rule for German plurals. Always learn: article + singular + plural together.
Example: der Tisch – die Tische, die Lampe – die Lampen, das Buch – die Bücher.
Learning strategy for plurals at A1
At beginner level, you should not try to calculate the plural every time. Instead, use simple strategies:
- When you learn a new noun, always write or say:
“der Tisch, die Tische”
“die Lampe, die Lampen”
“das Buch, die Bücher” - Notice the article and the plural pattern together.
- Use example sentences to remember plural forms.
Example sentences:
| German | English |
|---|---|
| Ein Tisch. Viele Tische. | One table. Many tables. |
| Eine Lampe. Drei Lampen. | One lamp. Three lamps. |
| Ein Buch. Zwei Bücher. | One book. Two books. |
| Ein Auto. Vier Autos. | One car. Four cars. |
The more you see and use the words, the easier it becomes.
Overview of common plural patterns
This table gives a simple overview of the most frequent plural endings you meet at A1.
| Ending | Typical for | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| -e | many masculine & neuter nouns | der Tag – die Tage, das Bild – die Bilder |
| -e + umlaut | many short masculine & neuter nouns | der Ball – die Bälle, das Buch – die Bücher |
| -er (+ umlaut) | many neuter nouns | das Haus – die Häuser, das Kind – die Kinder |
| -n / -en | most feminine nouns, some others | die Lampe – die Lampen, die Blume – die Blumen |
| -s | many loanwords, words ending in a vowel | das Auto – die Autos, die Party – die Partys |
| no ending (sometimes umlaut) | many nouns in -er, -el, -en | der Lehrer – die Lehrer, das Zimmer – die Zimmer, der Vater – die Väter |
Use this overview to recognize patterns, but always confirm with a dictionary or your vocabulary list.
Vocabulary list for this chapter
| German singular | Article | German plural | English meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tisch | der | Tische | table(s) |
| Lampe | die | Lampen | lamp(s) |
| Buch | das | Bücher | book(s) |
| Tag | der | Tage | day(s) |
| Stuhl | der | Stuhle | chair(s) |
| Bild | das | Bilder | picture(s) |
| Ball | der | Bälle | ball(s) |
| Apfel | der | Äpfel | apple(s) |
| Hund | der | Hunde | dog(s) |
| Dach | das | Dächer | roof(s) |
| Kind | das | Kinder | child, children |
| Haus | das | Häuser | house(s) |
| Wort | das | Wörter | word(s) |
| Dorf | das | Dörfer | village(s) |
| Mann | der | Männer | man, men |
| Blume | die | Blumen | flower(s) |
| Frage | die | Fragen | question(s) |
| Straße | die | Straßen | street(s) |
| Auto | das | Autos | car(s) |
| Hotel | das | Hotels | hotel(s) |
| Radio | das | Radios | radio(s) |
| Taxi | das | Taxis | taxi(s) |
| Party | die | Partys | party, parties |
| Handy | das | Handys | mobile phone(s) |
| Chef | der | Chefs | boss(es) |
| Lehrer | der | Lehrer | teacher(s) |
| Fahrer | der | Fahrer | driver(s) |
| Zimmer | das | Zimmer | room(s) |
| Fenster | das | Fenster | window(s) |
| Vater | der | Väter | father(s) |
| Bruder | der | Brüder | brother(s) |
| Mutter | die | Mütter | mother(s) |
| Junge | der | Jungen | boy(s) |
| Kunde | der | Kunden | customer(s) |
| Kollege | der | Kollegen | colleague(s) |
| Herr | der | Herren | gentleman, Mr., gentlemen |
| Mensch | der | Menschen | person, people |
| Frau | die | Frauen | woman, women |
| Museum | das | Museen | museum(s) |
| Sohn | der | Söhne | son(s) |
| Tochter | die | Töchter | daughter(s) |