Plural Nouns in German Grammar
A plural noun in German Grammar expresses that there is more than one person, object, idea etc. To form plural nouns in German, we can add –n/-en, -e, -r/-er, or -s to the end of the noun. The rules for plural noun formation in German grammar are listed below.
Plural Nouns in German Grammar
A plural noun expresses that there is more than one person, object, idea etc. To form plural nouns in German, we can add -n/-en, -e, -r/-er, or -s to the end of the noun. The rules for plural noun formation in German grammar are listed below.
Example
Plural Noun Endings in German Grammar
German plurals are formed by adding -n/-en, -e, -r/-er, -s. Some nouns are the same in their singular and plural forms e.g. die Löffel whilst others are mostly used in the singular e.g. die Milch or plural form e.g. die Eltern. The ending of a nouns give us a clue as to which plural ending to use.
Below is a summary of word endings and their typical plural endings. Be aware that there are many exceptions to these rules.
Add -n/-en
Here is a list of German noun endings that form the plural with -n or -en:
- masculine nouns with the endings -e, -ent, and, -ant, -ist, -or
Example: der Student – die Studenten .
- feminine nouns with the endings -e, -in, -ion, -ik, -heit, -keit, -schaft, -tät, -ung
Example: die Nation – die Nationen
in the case of feminine nouns that end in -in, the n is doubled
die Lehrerin – die Lehrerinnen .
- the endings -ma, -um, -us in foreign words are usually replaced by -en
Example: das Thema – die Themen .
Add -e
Here is a list of German noun endings that form the plural with -e:
- masculine nouns with the endings -eur, -ich, -ier, -ig, -ling, -ör
Example: der Friseur – die Friseure .
- many single-syllable feminine nouns
Example: die Hand – die Hände .
an umlaut is added to the plural form
Add -r/-er
Here is a list of German noun endings that form the plural with -r or -er:
- many single-syllable neuter nouns
Example: das Wort – die Wörter .
an umlaut is often added to the plural form
-
- To note: feminine nouns never form the plural with -r/-er.
Add -s
Here is a list of German nouns endings that form the plural with -s:
- masculine, feminine, and neuter nouns with the endings -a, -i, -o, -u, -y
Example: der Opa – die Opas .
das Auto – die Autos .
die Mutti – die Muttis .
das Hobby – die Hobbys .
- family names
Example: die Lehmanns .
No Plural Ending
Here is a list of German noun endings that don’t change in the plural form:
- masculine nouns with the endings -el, -en, -er
Example: der Löffel – die Löffel .
- neuter nouns with the endings -chen, -lein
Example: das Mädchen – die Mädchen .
Singular or Plural
- Most nouns can be used in the singular and the plural.
Example: der Geldschein – die Geldscheine .
die Münze – die Münzen .
- Some nouns tend to be used only in the singular.
Example: das Geld, der Hunger, die Milch .
There is a plural form, “die Gelder”, but this has a different meaning.
- Some nouns are used only in the plural.
Example: die Eltern, die Leute, die Ferien .
At last also you can improve your German with Learning German App online. In addition you can download the Best German Keyboard for fast and accurate translation. Good luck .
