Plural nouns

What changes in “Brüder” and “Kinder”?

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.

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 Bruders → die Brüder.
*die Kinds → die Kinder.

Quick check

der Stuhl → die ___
Form the plural.
Answer
Stühle — Ending -e with umlaut
das Buch → die ___
Form the plural.
Answer
Bücher — Ending -er with umlaut
die Lampe → die ___
Choose the correct plural form.
1. Lampen
2. Lampes
3. Lampee
4. Lämpen
Answer
Lampen — Feminine nouns ending in -e take -n
das Baby → die ___
Form the plural.
Answer
Babys — Loanword: plural with -s
Die Hünde spielen im Park.
Correct the mistake.
Answer
Die Hunde spielen im Park. — Hund takes -e, no umlaut
der Mann → die ___
Choose the correct plural form.
1. Mannen
2. Männer
3. Mans
4. Männe
Answer
Männer — Ending -er with umlaut

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

Terms

Noun: A word for a person, thing, or idea: child, table, joy.
Plural: The form for more than one person or thing: two dogs.

BeforeNouns, verbs and adjectives AfterPresent tense: regular verbs

Word classes

Der, die, das and ein, eine A1Why do different words appear before nouns?→Personal pronouns A1Personal pronouns replace nouns and indicate the person.→Adjective endings A2Why “einen roten Mantel” but “eine freundliche Person”?→Groß, größer, am größten A2What does “am liebsten” mean compared with “gern”?→Mein, dein, sein: whose is it? A2Whose passport does “Ihren Reisepass” refer to?→Nominalization B2Nominalization means turning verbs or adjectives into nouns.→

Learn German, don’t just read about it

The sentences on this page are part of the free course — with pronunciation and repetition.

Start for free