Language/German/Grammar/Plurals

German Grammar - Plurals

Hi German learners! 😊
In this lesson, we are going to learn how to form plurals in German.

Forming Regular Plurals

Most nouns in German have a regular plural form. To form the plural of a noun, usually, you need to add -n or -en at the end of the word. Below are some examples:

German	Pronunciation	English
Baum (tree)	[baʊm]	trees
Stadt (city)	[ʃtat]	cities
Name (name)	[naːmə]	names
Buch (book)	[bʊχ]	books

As you can see, the plural form is not always predictable. That is why it is important to memorize the plural forms of nouns and review them regularly. A good way to practice is to use flashcards or quizzes.

Forming Plurals with Umlauts

Some German nouns form their plurals by changing the vowel in the stem and adding -e or -er. This process is called umlaut. Umlaut is represented by two dots above the vowel (ä, ö and ü).

Here are some examples of German nouns that form their plurals by umlaut:

German	Pronunciation	English
Mann (man)	[man]	men
Kind (child)	[kɪnt]	children
Haus (house)	[haʊs]	houses
Fuß (foot)	[fuːs]	feet

As you can see, the vowel in the stem changes, and -er or -e is added at the end of the word.

Plurals with -s and -es

There are also German nouns that form their plurals by adding -s or -es at the end of the word. This usually occurs with nouns that end in -s, -ss, -ß, -x, -z, or -tz.

Here are some examples:

German	Pronunciation	English
Bus (bus)	[bʊs]	buses
Großvater (grandfather)	[ɡroːsˈfaːtɐ]	grandfathers
Straß (street)	[ʃtʁaːs]	streets
Box (box)	[bɔks]	boxes

Notice that when the noun ends in -s, -ss, -ß, -x, -z, or -tz, you need to add -es to form the plural. Otherwise, you can simply add -s at the end of the word.

Irregular Plurals

There are some German nouns whose plural form does not follow any specific pattern. These words must be memorized separately. Here are some examples:

German	Pronunciation	English
Ball (ball)	[bal]	balls
Buch (book)	[bʊχ]	books
Löwe (lion)	[løːvə]	lions
Kind (child)	[kɪnt]	children
Mann (man)	[man]	men
Frau (woman)	[fʁaʊ]	women

Although it may seem difficult, it is important to memorize the plural forms of irregular nouns since they are used frequently in German.

Plurals of Compound Nouns

Compound nouns are nouns that are formed from two or more words. When forming the plural of a compound noun, usually only the last word of the compound takes the plural ending. Here are some examples:

German	Pronunciation	English
der Apfelbaum (apple tree)	[deːɐ̯ ˈʔapfəlbaʊm]	apple trees
das Kinoeintrittskarte (cinema ticket)	[das ˈkiːnoˌaɪntʁɪtskaʁtə]	cinema tickets
die Hühnersuppe (chicken soup)	[diː ˈhʏnɐzʊpə]	chicken soups

Dialogue

To better understand plurals in German, let's see a dialogue.

• Person 1: Ich habe einen Hund. (I have a dog.)
• Person 2: Oh, wie süß! Wie viele Hunde hast du? (Oh, how cute! How many dogs do you have?)
• Person 1: Ich habe zwei Hunde. (I have two dogs.)

Tips for Learning German Plurals

To help you learn German plurals, here are some tips:

• Practice regularly with flashcards or quizzes.
• Memorize the plural forms of irregular nouns.
• Listen to German songs or watch movies or TV shows in German.
• Find a German-speaking language partner on Polyglot Club to practice conversation and ask questions.
• Make a list of new words you learn and review them daily.

With practice and patience, you can improve your German grammar skills and form plurals correctly.

Sources

• Plural Nouns in German Grammar
• German Plurals: Your Essential Guide | German with Laura
• German Grammar: German Noun Plural Forms - Grammatik der ...

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Related Lessons

• Indefinite Articles in German
• Imperative Tense
• Definite Articles in German
• Objects
• Nouns
• Past Participle in German
• How to Use Be
• Inflections of adjectives
• Past Tense
• Common Mistakes