ROADMAP · A1 · Basic communication in daily life
Pluralbildung
I see the books.
EXPLANATION
German plural forms are not built with one single ending. You need to recognise the common patterns and learn the plural with each noun.
In German, nouns have different plural patterns, and you usually learn the plural together with the noun: der Tisch, -e. The article is always die in the plural, no matter what the singular article is. The main patterns at A1 are -e often with umlaut, -er often with umlaut, -(e)n for many feminine nouns, -s for loanwords and nouns ending in a vowel, and zero plural. Nouns ending in -er, -el, -en often keep the same ending in the plural; some of them also get an umlaut, for example der Lehrer – die Lehrer, der Vater – die Väter, die Mutter – die Mütter. These are tendencies, not strict rules, so some nouns must simply be memorised.
STRUCTURE
Singular noun + plural ending -e; sometimes with umlautThis pattern is very common with many masculine nouns.
- der Tisch – die Tischethe table – the tables
- der Stuhl – die Stühlethe chair – the chairs
- der Hund – die Hundethe dog – the dogs
Singular noun + plural ending -er; often with umlautThis pattern is common with many neuter nouns.
- das Buch – die Bücherthe book – the books
- das Haus – die Häuserthe house – the houses
- das Kind – die Kinderthe child – the children
Singular noun + plural ending -(e)nMany feminine nouns use this pattern.
- die Frau – die Frauenthe woman – the women
- die Lampe – die Lampenthe lamp – the lamps
- der Name – die Namenthe name – the names
OVERVIEW
Common plural patterns at A1
| Pattern | Example singular | Plural | Typical nouns | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| -e | der Tisch | die Tische | many masculine nouns | often with umlaut |
| -er | das Buch | die Bücher | many neuter nouns | often with umlaut |
| -(e)n | die Frau | die Frauen | many feminine nouns | very common |
| -s | das Auto | die Autos | loanwords, nouns ending in a vowel | often from English |
| kein Suffix | der Lehrer | die Lehrer | some nouns, often masculine | sometimes with umlaut |
COMMON MISTAKES
Die Kinder lesen neue Bucher.
Die Kinder lesen neue Bücher.
Bucher is a wrong spelling and an incorrect plural form. The noun das Buch has the irregular plural die Bücher with -er and an umlaut, so you must write Bücher in this sentence.
Auf dem Tisch stehen die Tasse.
Auf dem Tisch stehen die Tassen.
After die in plural, the noun must also be plural. Tassen is correct; Tasse is singular.
Wir brauchen fünf Auto.
Wir brauchen fünf Autos.
Loanwords like Auto usually take -s in the plural. The singular form is wrong after fünf.
Die Mann warten draußen.
Die Männer warten draußen.
The noun Mann has the irregular plural Männer (it adds -er and takes an umlaut), so with the plural article die and the plural verb warten you must use Männer, not singular Mann.
USAGE NOTES
- Always learn the plural together with the noun: der Tisch, -e; das Buch, -er; die Frau, -(e)n.
- The plural article is always die. This is true for all genders.
- Umlaut often appears in plural forms, but not every noun gets one. Compare Tische and Stühle.
- Do not confuse plural -s with English spelling. In German, it is common with Auto, Handy, Kino.
RELATED
Pick the answer that completes the sentence
Im Klassenzimmer stehen viele ＿＿ . (Tisch)
In the classroom there are many tables.