German Plural Nouns — The Five Patterns
After this lesson you can form the plural of most nouns and recognise the five endings.
Do this first: der, die, das
German Plural Nouns — The Five Patterns
German has five ways of making a plural, and the article always becomes die. The vowel often changes too — that is the umlaut doing the work.
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Kulturnotiz
German dictionaries print the plural right beside the article — Buch, das, -es, Bücher — because native speakers regard the plural as part of the word's identity, not a rule you apply. That is the habit to copy: when you write a new noun in your notebook, write all three parts. Das Buch, die Bücher. It costs one extra second and saves you the guesswork every time.
Common questions
+Is there a rule for German plurals?
Only tendencies. Feminine nouns take -(e)n almost without exception; neuter nouns often take -er; loanwords take -s; nouns ending in -er, -en or -el usually add nothing. Beyond that, learn the plural with the word.
+Which article do plurals take?
Always die, whatever the singular gender was. Der Hund, das Buch and die Frau all become die in the plural.
+When does the umlaut appear?
Mostly with the -e and -er patterns, and with some no-ending nouns like Apfel → Äpfel. It never appears with -s, and almost never with -(e)n.
+Why do some nouns look identical in the plural?
Nouns ending in -er, -en or -el often add no ending at all: das Fenster → die Fenster. The article is what tells you it is plural, which is one more reason to learn articles properly.