Plural Formation (Pluralbildung)
German has five main ways to form the plural, and — unlike gender — there's no single default, so plurals should be learned along with each noun. The patterns are: add -e (often with an umlaut), add -er (with an umlaut wherever the vowel allows), add -(e)n, add -s (mostly loanwords), or add nothing at all (often with an umlaut). One thing is always true: every plural noun takes the article die, regardless of the noun's singular gender.
Measured in spoken German
≈19% of nouns are plural (≈81% singular).
The one constant: die in the plural
No matter whether a noun is der, die, or das in the singular, its plural article is die (in the nominative and accusative). So der Tisch → die Tische, das Kind → die Kinder, die Frau → die Frauen. Learn the plural ending, but never worry about plural gender.
der Tisch → die Tische
the table → the tables
das Kind → die Kinder
the child → the children
Pattern 1: -e (often + umlaut)
Adding -e is very common, especially with masculine and neuter nouns. Many take an umlaut on the stem vowel as well (a→ä, o→ö, u→ü).
der Tisch → die Tische
table → tables
-e, no umlaut
der Stuhl → die Stühle
chair → chairs
-e + umlaut
die Stadt → die Städte
city → cities
-e + umlaut
Pattern 2: -er (+ umlaut where possible)
The -er plural is typical of many neuter nouns (and a few masculine ones). Whenever the stem vowel is a, o, u, or au, it takes an umlaut.
das Kind → die Kinder
child → children
-er, no umlautable vowel
das Buch → die Bücher
book → books
-er + umlaut
der Mann → die Männer
man → men
-er + umlaut
Pattern 3: -(e)n
Adding -(e)n is the standard plural for most feminine nouns — including nearly all those ending in -e (add just -n) and the big -ung/-heit/-keit/-schaft families (add -en). These plurals never take an umlaut.
die Frau → die Frauen
woman → women
-en
die Blume → die Blumen
flower → flowers
just -n after -e
die Zeitung → die Zeitungen
newspaper → newspapers
-en
Pattern 4: -s (mostly loanwords)
The -s plural is used for many foreign/loanwords and for many nouns ending in a vowel other than -e. There's never an umlaut with the -s plural.
das Auto → die Autos
car → cars
das Hotel → die Hotels
hotel → hotels
das Baby → die Babys
baby → babies
Pattern 5: no ending (sometimes + umlaut)
Many masculine and neuter nouns ending in -er, -en, or -el add no ending in the plural — you tell singular from plural only by the article. Some of these take an umlaut.
der Lehrer → die Lehrer
teacher → teachers
no ending, no umlaut
das Fenster → die Fenster
window → windows
no ending
der Apfel → die Äpfel
apple → apples
no ending, but + umlaut
Dative plural: add -n
One extra rule worth knowing: in the dative plural, the noun gets an extra -n unless the plural already ends in -n or -s. So die Kinder → mit den Kindern, die Tische → auf den Tischen.
mit den Kindern
with the children
Kinder + n in the dative plural
auf den Tischen
on the tables
Tische + n
in den Autos
in the cars
no extra -n, plural already ends in -s
Examples
der Stuhl → die Stühle
chair → chairs
-e + umlaut
das Buch → die Bücher
book → books
-er + umlaut
die Frau → die Frauen
woman → women
-(e)n
das Auto → die Autos
car → cars
-s (loanword)
der Lehrer → die Lehrer
teacher → teachers
no ending
| Pattern | Umlaut? | Example singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|---|
| -e | often | der Stuhl | die Stühle |
| -er | where possible | das Buch | die Bücher |
| -(e)n | never | die Frau | die Frauen |
| -s | never | das Auto | die Autos |
| no ending | sometimes | der Lehrer | die Lehrer |
Common mistakes
- Assuming there's a default plural — there isn't; the ending must be learned with the noun.
- Keeping the singular article: all plurals are die (nominative/accusative), never der or das.
- Adding an umlaut where the pattern forbids it — -(e)n and -s plurals never take an umlaut.
- Forgetting the extra -n in the dative plural (mit den Kindern), except after plurals already ending in -n or -s.
Lookup tips
- Dictionaries list the plural after the noun (e.g. 'Buch, das, -es, Bücher') — memorize that form.
- Feminine nouns overwhelmingly take -(e)n; that's a safe first guess when you're unsure.
- -s plurals cluster around loanwords and nouns ending in a full vowel (Auto, Hotel, Baby).
Frequently asked questions
How do I know which plural ending a noun takes?
There's no single reliable rule, so learn the plural together with the noun. Some tendencies help: feminine nouns usually take -(e)n, many loanwords take -s, and lots of neuter nouns take -er (with umlaut).
Do all plurals really use 'die'?
Yes — in the nominative and accusative, every plural noun takes die regardless of its singular gender. (In the dative plural the article becomes den and the noun usually adds -n.)
When does the umlaut appear in the plural?
With the -e, -er, and no-ending patterns an umlaut is common (Stuhl→Stühle, Buch→Bücher, Apfel→Äpfel), but only if the stem vowel is a, o, u, or au. The -(e)n and -s plurals never take an umlaut.