A1Word classes

Plural nouns

What changes in “Brüder” and “Kinder”?

Take a look

der Tisch → die Tische

the table → the tables

Take a look

der Tisch → die Tischethe table → the tables
das Kind → die Kinderthe child → the children
die Frau → die Frauenthe woman → the women
das Auto → die Autosthe car → the cars
der Apfel → die Äpfelthe apple → the apples

The rule

When you talk about more than one thing, you need the plural. German has several patterns: der Bruder becomes die Brüder, das Kind becomes die Kinder, and die Woche becomes die Wochen. Some nouns stay the same; others gain an ending or change a vowel. You cannot always predict the form. Learn the plural whenever you learn a new noun.

Remember: Learn the plural with each noun.

Goes with lesson 2, 3, 10 of the course.

What differs for you

English usually marks a plural with -s, although it also has irregular words. German uses several common plural endings, and a vowel may change too: “Bruder” becomes “Brüder”, while “Kind” becomes “Kinder”. The English habit of adding one default ending will not reliably choose the German form. Learn the plural alongside each new noun.

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The forms

Singular and plural

Einzahl	Mehrzahl
der Bruder	die Brüder
das Kind	die Kinder
die Woche	die Wochen
das Haus	die Häuser

Common mistakes

*die Brudersdie Brüder.
*die Kindsdie Kinder.

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Quick check

Form the plural.der Stuhl → die ___
Form the plural.das Buch → die ___
Choose the correct plural form.die Lampe → die ___
Form the plural.das Baby → die ___
Correct the mistake.Die Hünde spielen im Park.
Choose the correct plural form.der Mann → die ___

The answers appear after “Check”.

The same exercises come back in the course — there Langula remembers what you know and asks again at the right moment. Learn German free →

← Grammar

Word classes

A1Der, die, das and ein, eineWhy do different words appear before nouns?A1Personal pronounsPersonal pronouns replace nouns and indicate the person.A2Adjective endingsWhy “einen roten Mantel” but “eine freundliche Person”?A2Groß, größer, am größtenWhat does “am liebsten” mean compared with “gern”?A2Mein, dein, sein: whose is it?Whose passport does “Ihren Reisepass” refer to?B2NominalizationNominalization means turning verbs or adjectives into nouns.

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