Language/Esperanto/Grammar/Plurals

Esperanto Grammar - Plurals

Hi Esperanto learners! 😊
In this lesson, we will talk about plurals in Esperanto. Plurals are used in every language, and Esperanto is no exception. They indicate that you're talking about more than one thing or person. So let's take a deeper look at how plurals work in Esperanto.

Consider exploring these related pages after completing this lesson: Gender, Future Tense, Nouns & Give your Opinion.

Basic rules

In Esperanto, the basic rule for forming the plural is very simple: just add "-j" at the end of the noun. For example:

Esperanto	Pronunciation	English
domo	'domo'	house
domoj	'domoy'	houses

Note that the consonant before "j" is pronounced, and the "j" itself is pronounced like the "y" in "yes."

Another example:

Esperanto	Pronunciation	English
libro	'libro'	book
libroj	'libroy'	books

Now let's see a dialogue:

• Person 1: Mi ŝatas legi libron. ('mee SHA-tas LE-gee LEE-bron') (I like to read a book.)
• Person 2: Kial ne legi multajn librojn? ('KEY-al neh LE-gee MOOL-tine LEE-broyne?') (Why not read many books?)

As you can see, by adding "-j" at the end of the noun, you're pluralizing it, and it's very simple to do. However, there are some cases where additional rules come into play.

Special cases

There are a few special cases where you need to pay attention to the ending of the noun before adding "-j" to form the plural.

Nouns ending in "-o"

For example, if the noun ends in "-o," but the previous letter is a consonant, you need to add "-j" and change the "-o" to "-oj." For example:

Esperanto	Pronunciation	English
boto	'BO-to'	boat
botoj	'BO-toy'	boats

But if the noun ends in "-oj," then just add "-j" to form the plural. For example:

Esperanto	Pronunciation	English
abomeno	'a-bo-MEH-no'	abomination
abomenoj	'a-bo-MEH-noy'	abominations

Nouns ending in "-a" or "-e"

If a noun ends in "-a" or "-e," add "-j" after the vowel to form the plural. For example:

Esperanto	Pronunciation	English
lanterno	'lan-TER-no'	lantern
lanternoj	'lan-TER-noy'	lanterns
biero	'BE-ro'	beer
bieroj	'BE-roy'	beers

Nouns ending in "-io"

If a noun ends in "-io," change the "-io" to "-i" and add "-j" to create the plural. For example:

Esperanto	Pronunciation	English
vorto	'VOR-to'	word
vortoj	'VOR-toy'	words
regiono	're-GIO-no'	region
regionoj	're-GIO-noy'	regions

Now let's see a dialogue using special cases:

• Person 1: Vidu tiun belan hundon kun grandaj orelmuffoj! ('VEE-du TEE-oohn BEL-an HOON-don kun GRAND-aj o-rel-MOOF-o(y)!') (Look at that beautiful dog with big earmuffs!)
• Person 2: Jes, li estas haviginta multajn ĝojigaĵojn al ni. ('YES, lee EH-stas ha-vee-GINT-ah MOOL-tine JOY-ee-gah-JOY-ne al nee.') (Yes, he has brought us many joyful things.)

Irregular nouns

As in any language, there are some irregular nouns in Esperanto that don't follow the standard rules for plurals. Here are a few examples:

Esperanto	Pronunciation	English
viro	'VEE-ro'	man
homoj	'HO-moy'	men
virino	'vee-REE-no'	woman
virinoj	'vee-REE-noy'	women
infano	'in-FA-no'	child
infanaro	'in-fa-NA-ro'	children

As you can see, the plural forms of these irregular nouns don't follow the "-j" rule, so it's important to memorize them.

Now let's see a dialogue using irregular nouns:

• Person 1: Kie estas la infanoj? ('KEY-eh EH-stas la in-FA-noy?') (Where are the children?)
• Person 2: Ili estas tie kun la viroj kaj virinoj. ('EE-lee EH-stas TEE-eh kun la VEE-roy kaj veer-EE-noy.') (They are over there with the men and women.)

Recap

To sum up, here are the rules for forming plurals in Esperanto:

1. Add "-j" to the end of the noun to form the plural. 2. If the noun ends in "-o" preceded by a consonant, change it to "-oj" and add "-j". 3. If the noun ends in "-io," change it to "-i" and add "-j." 4. If the noun ends in "-a" or "-e," add "-j" after the vowel. 5. Memorize irregular nouns.

To improve your Esperanto Grammar, you can also use the Polyglot Club website. Find native speakers and ask them any questions!

Sources

• The Sixteen Rules of Esperanto Grammar
• Esperanto/Grammar Rules - Wikiversity
• Esperanto grammar - Wikipedia

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Other Lessons

• Interrogative Sentences
• Prepositions
• Present Tense
• Plural
• Questions
• Adjectives
• PREPOSITIONS
• THE NEGATIVE
• THE INTERROGATIVE