Topic 3A1beginner⏱️ 20 min read

Nouns and Plurals

Nomen und Plural

🎯 What You'll Learn

✓Learn the 5 main plural patterns in German
✓Understand that plural always uses 'die' as article
✓Recognize plural endings: -e, -en, -er, -s, no change
✓Know when to add umlauts in plurals

📖 Introduction

German nouns form plurals in several ways, unlike English which mostly adds -s. You need to learn the plural form with each noun. All plural nouns use 'die' regardless of their singular gender.

💡 Explanation

Five main plural patterns:

1. Add -e: der Tisch → die Tische 2. Add -en/-n: die Frau → die Frauen 3. Add -er (often with umlaut): das Kind → die Kinder 4. Add -s (foreign words): das Auto → die Autos 5. No change (often with umlaut): der Lehrer → die Lehrer

Important: ALL plurals use 'die', no matter what gender the singular was!

📋 Key Rules

Plural with -e

Many masculine and neuter nouns add -e. Often adds umlaut.

Examples:

• der Tisch → die Tische (table/tables)
• der Tag → die Tage (day/days)
• die Hand → die Hände (hand/hands)

Plural with -en or -n

Most feminine nouns use -en or -n. This is the most common pattern.

Examples:

• die Frau → die Frauen (woman/women)
• die Zeitung → die Zeitungen (newspaper/newspapers)
• die Tür → die Türen (door/doors)

Plural with -er

Many neuter nouns and some masculine ones add -er, usually with umlaut

Examples:

• das Kind → die Kinder (child/children)
• das Buch → die Bücher (book/books)
• der Mann → die Männer (man/men)

Plural with -s

Foreign words and some modern German words add -s

Examples:

• das Auto → die Autos (car/cars)
• das Hotel → die Hotels (hotel/hotels)
• das Baby → die Babys (baby/babies)

No change (sometimes with umlaut)

Nouns ending in -er, -el, -en often don't change, but may add umlaut

Examples:

• der Lehrer → die Lehrer (teacher/teachers)
• der Apfel → die Äpfel (apple/apples)
• das Fenster → die Fenster (window/windows)

📝 Examples in Context

🇩🇪 der Hund → die Hunde

🇬🇧 the dog → the dogs

💡 Masculine, add -e

Context: Pattern 1: -e ending

🇩🇪 die Katze → die Katzen

🇬🇧 the cat → the cats

💡 Feminine, add -n

Context: Pattern 2: -en/-n ending

🇩🇪 das Kind → die Kinder

🇬🇧 the child → the children

💡 Neuter, add -er

Context: Pattern 3: -er ending

🧠 Memory Tips

💡 Always learn the plural with the noun

Memorize: der Tisch, die Tische (not just 'Tisch'). Write it on flashcards!

💡 All plurals = 'die'

No matter if singular was der, die, or das - plural is ALWAYS 'die'.

💡 Foreign words often add -s

If it sounds foreign (Auto, Hotel, Kilo), it probably adds -s in plural.

⚠️ Common Mistakes

❌

Adding -s to everything

✅

Don't use -s for German words! 'Die Tisches' is wrong - it's 'die Tische'.

❌

Using wrong article in plural

✅

'Der Kinder' is wrong. All plurals use 'die' - so 'die Kinder'.

✏️ Practice Sentences

Ich habe zwei Bücher.

I have two books.

📚 das Buch → die Bücher (plural with -er and umlaut)

Die Kinder spielen im Park.

The children play in the park.

📚 das Kind → die Kinder (plural with -er)