TOPIC · Nouns (Nomen)

How to form the plural of nouns in German

A1A2B1B2

After this lesson, you can recognise the common German plural patterns and form the correct plural for many nouns.

This lesson shows you the main patterns for forming the plural of German nouns. You will see typical endings, frequent exceptions, and some nouns that only exist in the singular or in the plural.

Core ideas

The definite article in the plural is almost always die: die Bücher, die Kinder, die Leute.
The plural ending is normally added without an extra Umlaut; Umlaut appears only with certain words.
The gender (der/die/das) is visible in the singular, not in the plural.

Plural with “-n/-en”

This type is very common, especially with feminine nouns.

Singular	Plural	Note
die Frau	die Frauen	almost all on “-e”: die Lampe – die Lampen
die Blume	die Blumen	feminines very often with “-n”
die Studentin	die Studentinnen	feminines in “-in”: always “-innen”
der Junge	die Jungen	some masculines in “-e”
der Kollege	die Kollegen	masculines in “-e”
das Auge	die Augen	a few neuters

Nouns ending in -e (especially feminine) almost always take -n.

Plural with “-e” (often with Umlaut)

Many masculine and some neuter nouns take -e; often an Umlaut is added.

Singular	Plural	Note
der Tisch	die Tische	no Umlaut
der Tag	die Tage	no Umlaut
der Freund	die Freunde	no Umlaut
der Baum	die Bäume	with Umlaut
der Stuhl	die Stühle	with Umlaut
die Nacht	die Nächte	rare feminine example
das Buch	die Bücher	neuter with Umlaut

You cannot predict the Umlaut rule safely; it is best to learn it together with each noun.

Plural with “-er” (often with Umlaut)

Many short neuters form the plural with -er; often the stem vowel changes to Umlaut.

Singular	Plural	Note
das Kind	die Kinder	no Umlaut
das Dorf	die Dörfer	Umlaut
das Wort	die Wörter	specific meaning: separate words
das Buch	die Bücher	sometimes grouped as “-er”-type, important is the Umlaut pattern

Plural with “-s”

-s is mainly used for:

loanwords
nouns ending in a vowel (except “-e”)
abbreviations and combinations with numbers or letters

Singular	Plural	Note
das Auto	die Autos	ends in “-o”
das Sofa	die Sofas	ends in “-a”
das Hotel	die Hotels	loanword
die Kamera	die Kameras	loanword
die CD	die CDs	abbreviation

Zero plural (no ending)

Some nouns have no plural suffix; sometimes only an Umlaut appears.

Singular	Plural	Note
der Lehrer	die Lehrer	person nouns in “-er”
der Computer	die Computer	many in “-er”
das Mädchen	die Mädchen	diminutives in “-chen/-lein”
der Apfel	die Äpfel	no suffix, but Umlaut

Irregular loanwords

Some loanwords keep a Latin or Greek plural.

Singular	Plural	Note
das Praktikum	die Praktika	common in university vocabulary
das Museum	die Museen	German Umlaut is possible, but unusual
das Semester	die Semester	zero plural

In everyday language, “Germanised” forms may appear, but the forms here are standard.

Only singular / only plural

Only singular (Singularetantum)

These words normally have no plural:

das Wasser, die Milch, das Obst, der Staub
die Musik, die Luft

Only plural (Pluraletantum)

These words exist only in the plural:

die Leute, die Eltern, die Ferien, die Kosten

Study tips

Learn new nouns always with their article and plural: “der Tisch, die Tische”.
Watch for typical groups (e.g. feminines with “-n”, neuters with “-er”).
Use a dictionary to check Umlaut patterns.