German Grammar
German Plural Formation
German forms plurals in five main ways, with each different endings and often with umlaut changes. German plural patterns depend on gender, word ending, and word origin. As article, all plural nouns in German use die. German plurals are irregular but follow some patterns:
Pattern 1: Adding -e (with possible umlaut)
This pattern is used for most masculine nouns and many neuter ones. Masculine nouns ending in a consonant typically follow this pattern. Some rare female ones also follow this pattern. Monosyllabic nouns often add an umlaut.
| Singular | Plural |
|---|---|
| der Stier | die Stiere |
| der Stuhl | die Stühle |
| der Ball | die Bälle |
Pattern 2: Adding -n/-en
About 90% of all feminine nouns follow this pattern. If they end in -e, -el, -er, -ung, -heit, -keit, -schaft, -ion, -ik, and -tät, they use this pattern. Add -n if the word ends in -e, -el, or -er; otherwise add -en. Some rare masculine nouns also follow this rule.
| Singular | Plural | English |
|---|---|---|
| die Blume | die Blumen | flower(s) |
| die Frau | die Frauen | woman/women |
| die Schwester | die Schwestern | sister(s) |
Special cases: Feminine nouns ending in -in double the n: die Lehrerin → die Lehrerinnen.
Pattern 3: Adding -er (with possible umlaut)
This pattern is primarily used for monosyllabic neuter nouns and a few masculine nouns. It is never used for feminine nouns. The stem vowel often takes an umlaut. Many words for people, children, and family members use this pattern.
| Singular | Plural | English |
|---|---|---|
| das Kind | die Kinder | child(ren) |
| das Buch | die Bücher | book(s) |
Pattern 4: Adding -s
This pattern is used for words ending in vowels other than -e (-a, -i, -o, -u, -y), foreign words and loanwords (especially from English and French), abbreviations and acronyms, and family names. No umlauts are added with this pattern.
| Singular | Plural | Category |
|---|---|---|
| das Auto | die Autos | Foreign word |
| das Hotel | die Hotels | Foreign word |
| das WC | die WCs | Abbreviation |
Pattern 5: No Change (with possible umlaut)
Masculine and neuter nouns ending in -er, -en, -el don't add an ending but may add an umlaut. Diminutives (ending in -chen and -lein) never add an ending or umlaut. This pattern includes many professions, tools, and instruments.
| Singular | Plural | English | Change? |
|---|---|---|---|
| der Lehrer | die Lehrer | teacher(s) | None |
| der Apfel | die Äpfel | apple(s) | Umlaut only |
| das Mädchen | die Mädchen | girl(s) | None |
| der Garten | die Gärten | garden(s) | Umlaut only |
Special Plural Cases
Foreign words borrowed from Latin or Greek (ending in -ma, -um, or -us) use the plural endings -en or -a.
| Singular | Plural |
|---|---|
| das Museum | die Museen |
| das Thema | die Themen |
| der Kaktus | die Kakteen |
| das Praktikum | die Praktika |
Some nouns are not countable and do not have a plural.
No plural form:
- • das Obst (fruit)
- • die Milch (milk)
- • der Hunger (hunger)
Other nouns are always plural and do not have a singular form.
No singular form:
- • die Leute (people)
- • die Ferien (vacation)
- • die Eltern (parents)
- • die Geschwister (siblings)