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Learn the important exceptions for forming plurals in Dutch, including vowel changes as in lid → leden, vowel lengthening like gat → gaten, and plurals ending in -eren, such as ei → eieren.
  1. Sometimes the vowel changes in the plural. For example: lid → leden.
  2. Short vowels are sometimes pronounced as long vowels: gat → gaten.
  3. Some words form a plural with -eren: ei → eieren.
Enkelvoud (Singular)Meervoud (Plural)Uitzondering (Exception)

het lid (the member)

het schip (the ship)

de stad (the city)

de leden (the members)

de schepen (the ships)

de steden (the cities)

Klinkerverandering (Vowel change)

het dak (the roof)

het gat (the hole)

het glas (the glass)

de dag (the day)

de daken (the roofs)

de gaten (the holes)

de glazen (the glasses)

de dagen (the days)

Van korte naar lange klinker (From short to long vowel)

het kind (the child)

het ei (the egg)

de kinderen (the children)

de eieren (the eggs)

Meervoud op -eren (Plural in -eren)

de broer (the brother)

de oom (the uncle)

de broers (the brothers)

de ooms (the uncles)

Meervoud op -s (Plural ending in -s)

Exercise 1: Uitzonderingen bij het meervoud

Instruction: Fill in the correct word.

Show translation Show answers

ooms, eieren, leden, steden, schepen, broers, bladeren, kinderen

1. De broer:
Mijn 2 ... eten erg graag Belgische frietjes.
(My two brothers really like Belgian chips.)
2. Het kind:
De ... willen vandaag Chinees eten proberen.
(The children want to try Chinese food today.)
3. De oom:
Mijn ... bestellen vaak fastfood.
(My uncles often order fast food.)
4. Het schip:
We zagen veel ... in de haven van de stad.
(We saw many ships in the city's harbour.)
5. De stad:
We probeerden iets nieuws en trokken naar verschillenden ....
(We tried something new and traveled to different cities.)
6. Het blad:
Er lagen oude ... op de grond van het bos.
(There were old leaves lying on the forest floor.)
7. Het ei:
In zijn pasta zaten 2 ....
(There were 2 eggs in his pasta.)
8. Het lid:
Ik heb de ... van de club gisteren nog gezien.
(I saw the members of the club yesterday.)

Exercise 2: Multiple Choice

Instruction: Choose the correct sentence in which the plural is correctly applied according to the exceptions in Dutch.

1.
'Lids' is geen correct meervoud; de juiste vorm is 'leden'.
'Ledens' is geen correct meervoud van 'lid'; het moet 'leden' zijn.
2.
'Schepende' is geen juist meervoud van 'schip'; 'schepen' is correct.
'Schip' is enkelvoud; hier is het meervoud 'schepen' nodig.
3.
'Ei' is enkelvoud; hier moet het meervoud 'eieren' worden gebruikt.
'Eies' is geen correct meervoud van 'ei'.
4.
Foutief enkelvoud; het correcte meervoud is 'dagen'.
'Dag' is enkelvoud; hier moet het meervoud 'dagen' staan.

Exceptions in Dutch Plural Formation

This lesson focuses on important exceptions in forming the plural of Dutch nouns. While many Dutch plurals follow regular rules, some words change their vowels or endings in special ways. Understanding these exceptions helps you recognize and use plural forms correctly in everyday language.

Vowel Change (Klinkerverandering)

Some nouns change their vowel sound in the plural. For example:

  • het lid → de leden
  • het schip → de schepen
  • de stad → de steden

Short to Long Vowel Changes

In other cases, a short vowel becomes a long vowel in the plural:

  • het dak → de daken
  • het gat → de gaten
  • het glas → de glazen
  • de dag → de dagen

Plural Ending -eren

Certain words form the plural by adding -eren:

  • het kind → de kinderen
  • het ei → de eieren

Plural Ending -s

Other nouns simply take an -s ending:

  • de broer → de broers
  • de oom → de ooms

Key Points to Remember

  • Vowel changes in plurals are common and must be learned with the noun.
  • Pay attention to vowel length changes from short to long.
  • Some nouns have irregular plural endings like -eren, while others add -s.
  • These exceptions are important in contexts such as ordering, describing groups, or discussing quantities.

Differences Between English and Dutch Plurals

English mostly forms plurals by adding -s or -es, with comparatively fewer vowel changes. Dutch, however, often changes vowels in the plural, which can be confusing at first. For instance, child → children in English and similarly het kind → de kinderen in Dutch use unique plural forms but with different endings and vowel patterns. Learning these exceptions helps you speak and understand Dutch more naturally.

Useful Words and Expressions

  • Lid – member (singular), leden – members (plural)
  • Schip – ship, schepen – ships
  • Kind – child, kinderen – children
  • Dag – day, dagen – days

Practice recognizing these patterns and exceptions to improve your Dutch plural vocabulary and comprehension.

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Kato De Paepe

Business and languages

KdG University of Applied Sciences and Arts Antwerp

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Last Updated:

Saturday, 30/08/2025 16:59