Plural of nouns
A1 Meervoud van zelfstandige naamwoorden 4 / 48
In short
Most Dutch nouns form the plural with -en; a smaller group uses -s (especially after -el/-em/-en/-er, vowels and diminutives). After a long single vowel you write -‘s (auto’s), a few nouns take -eren (kinderen), and some are irregular (steden).
The rule
The plural does not depend on gender: both de-words and het-words follow the same endings. Pick the ending by how the singular sounds and is spelled.
1. Default: add -en. Watch the spelling, because Dutch keeps vowel length:
- Short vowel in a closed syllable -> double the consonant: man -> mannen, bus -> bussen.
- Long vowel written double in a closed syllable -> drop one vowel: boom -> bomen, uur -> uren.
- Final -s between vowels becomes -z: huis -> huizen, glas -> glazen.
- Final -f between vowels becomes -v: brief -> brieven, wolf -> wolven.
- No change needed: boek -> boeken, dag -> dagen.
2. Add -s when the singular ends in:
- unstressed -el, -em, -en, -er: tafel -> tafels, bezem -> bezems, deken -> dekens, moeder -> moeders;
- a diminutive -je: meisje -> meisjes, huisje -> huisjes;
- many loanwords, often from English/French: film -> films, computer -> computers, garage -> garages.
3. Add -‘s (apostrophe + s) after a long single vowel (a, o, u, i) and after y, to keep the vowel long: auto -> auto’s, foto -> foto’s, taxi -> taxi’s, menu -> menu’s, baby -> baby’s. (Words in -e just take -s: café -> cafés.)
4. Add -eren with a small closed group of about a dozen nouns, learned as words: kind -> kinderen, ei -> eieren, blad -> bladeren, lied -> liederen, kalf -> kalveren (f -> v, as in rule 1), goed -> goederen.
5. Irregulars. Some change the vowel: stad -> steden, schip -> schepen, lid -> leden; koe -> koeien is a one-off. Latin words in -um often swap it for -a: museum -> musea, centrum -> centra; others simply take -s: album -> albums.
Forms & patterns
| Ending | When | Singular -> Plural |
|---|---|---|
| -en | default | boek -> boeken, dag -> dagen |
| -en + double consonant | short vowel, closed syllable | man -> mannen, bus -> bussen |
| -en + drop a vowel | long vowel written double | boom -> bomen, uur -> uren |
| -en, s -> z | final -s between vowels | huis -> huizen, glas -> glazen |
| -en, f -> v | final -f between vowels | brief -> brieven, wolf -> wolven |
| -s | -el/-em/-en/-er, -je, loanwords | tafel -> tafels, meisje -> meisjes, film -> films |
| -‘s | long single vowel (a/o/u/i/y) | auto -> auto’s, foto -> foto’s, taxi -> taxi’s |
| -eren | small fixed group | kind -> kinderen, ei -> eieren |
| irregular | vowel change / one-off | stad -> steden, schip -> schepen, koe -> koeien |
| -um -> -a | many Latin loanwords | museum -> musea, centrum -> centra |
Examples
| Nederlands | English |
|---|---|
| Ik heb twee boeken gekocht. | I bought two books. |
| De kinderen spelen in de tuin. | The children are playing in the garden. |
| We hebben drie auto’s. | We have three cars. |
| Er staan veel tafels in het café. | There are many tables in the café. |
| De meisjes lachen veel. | The girls laugh a lot. |
| Hoeveel eieren wil je? | How many eggs do you want? |
| Grote steden zijn vaak duur. | Big cities are often expensive. |
| Ik maak veel foto’s op vakantie. | I take many photos on holiday. |
Common mistakes
- mans -> mannen - short vowel needs a doubled consonant before -en, not -s.
- autos -> auto’s - after a long single vowel you must write an apostrophe + s.
- foto’en / fotos -> foto’s - vowel-final loanwords don’t take -en, and need the apostrophe.
- huisen -> huizen - final -s between vowels turns into -z.
- kinders / kinds -> kinderen - this is one of the fixed -eren words.
Tips
- Decide by sound first: if the noun ends in an unstressed -el/-em/-en/-er or in a diminutive -je, it almost always takes -s.
- “Apostrophe only after a, o, u, i and after y”: auto’s, foto’s, taxi’s, menu’s, baby’s - never after a consonant (films, not film’s).
- Spelling check for -en: keep the vowel length. Short vowel -> double the consonant (man->mannen); long double vowel -> drop one (boom->bomen).
- The -eren group is closed - memorise the frequent ones: kind, ei, blad, lied, kalf, goed.