In this lesson, we will talk about the plural in Spanish, and how to easily form it (no matter the ending of the noun), followed by examples.
We use the plural when talking about more than one of a given noun, and as in English, nouns in Spanish change their form in the plural, and the adjective, article and pronoun used are also affected.
The plural form depends on the endings, in this guide, we will talk about the main forms.
Form 1: Words ending in a vowel which doesn’t have an accent: add “s”
Examples:
- El hombre – los hombres
- La gata – las gatas
- El libro – los libros
- La mesa – las mesas
Form 2: Words ending in a consonant: add “es”
Examples:
- El professor – los profesores
- El mes – los meses
- La flor – las flores
Note: you can practice what you’ve learned here, and learn how to pronounce each of the words in our Memrise course here, don’t know how to use the platform or sign up? we’ve got you covered in this easy-to-follow tutorial here.
Form 3: Words ending in “z”: replace “z” with “c” and add ”es”
Examples:
- La luz – las luces
- El juez – los jueces
Form 4: Foreign words
For some foreign words that come from English for example, and ending in a consonant, add “s”
Example: el crac – los cracs
Form 5: words ending in “s” with an unstressed final
These nouns do not change in the plural
Examples:
- El lunes – los lunes
- El jueves – los jueves
Form 6: words ending in an accented vowel
To most words ending with an accented vowel, we add “s”, and these ending in í and ú they usually have two possible plural endings: -s and –es
Examples:
- El café – los cafés
- El marroquí – los marroquís or los marroquíes
Spanish Plural Noun Formation Study Guide
Quiz
Instructions: Answer the following questions in 2-3 sentences.
- What is the general rule for forming the plural of nouns ending in a vowel in Spanish? Provide one example.
- How do you form the plural of nouns ending in a consonant in Spanish? Give one example.
- Explain the exception to the rule for forming plurals of nouns ending in “s”. Provide an example.
- How do you form the plural of nouns ending in “z” in Spanish? Illustrate with an example.
- What is the rule for forming the plural of foreign words ending in a consonant? Give one example.
- What are the two possible plural endings for nouns ending in an accented “í” or “ú”? Provide an example for each.
- What happens to the articles and adjectives when a noun becomes plural in Spanish?
- Provide one example of a Spanish noun that does not change its form in the plural.
- What online resource does the article suggest for practicing Spanish plural noun pronunciation?
Short Answer Key
- For nouns ending in a vowel without an accent, add “s” to form the plural. For example, “libro” (book) becomes “libros” (books).
- For nouns ending in a consonant, add “es” to form the plural. For example, “flor” (flower) becomes “flores” (flowers).
- Nouns ending in “s” with an unstressed final syllable do not change their form in the plural. For example, “lunes” (Monday) remains “lunes” in the plural.
- For nouns ending in “z”, replace the “z” with “c” and add “es” to form the plural. For example, “luz” (light) becomes “luces” (lights).
- For foreign words ending in a consonant, add “s” to form the plural. For example, “crac” remains “cracs” in the plural.
- Nouns ending in an accented “í” or “ú” can have two possible plural endings: “-s” or “-es”. For example, “marroquí” (Moroccan) can be “marroquís” or “marroquíes” in the plural, and “bambú” (bamboo) can be “bambús” or “bambúes”.
- When a noun becomes plural, the articles and adjectives used with it must also agree in gender and number.
- “Lunes” is an example of a Spanish noun that remains the same in both its singular and plural forms.
- The article recommends using the Memrise course to practice the pronunciation of Spanish plural nouns.
Happy learning!
Oualid Cheddadi is a language enthusiast who created Lingualid with the mission to inspire independent language learners worldwide, regardless of the language they are learning. The name “Lingualid” is derived from the Portuguese word for “language,” “língua,” and the last three letters of Oualid’s name, “Lid.”
