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Teaching guidelines +/- 15 minutes

Learn about German nouns and their plural forms, including common endings like -(e)n, -e, -er, -s, and cases with no ending change. Understand gender influences, vowel changes, and exceptions for more accurate and natural plural use in German.
  1. There are many exceptions in German plural formation, which is why it is important to learn the plural form of the noun at the same time.
EndungRegelBeispiel
-(e)nDie meisten femininen Nomen (Most feminine nouns)

die Katze - die Katzen

die Tür - die Türen

-e

Die meisten maskulinen Nomen (oft mit Umlaut) (Most masculine nouns (often with umlaut))

Viele einsilbige feminine Nomen (mit Umlaut) (Many monosyllabic feminine nouns (with umlaut))

der Hut - die Hüte

die Hand - die Hände

-er Viele einsilbige neutrale Nomen (oft mit Umlaut) (Many monosyllabic neuter nouns (often with umlaut))das Wort - die Wörter
-s

Nomen, die auf -a, -i, -o, -u oder -y enden (Nouns ending in -a, -i, -o, -u or -y)

Viele Wörter fremder Herkunft (Many words of foreign origin)

das Auto - die Autos

das Team - die Teams

Ohne Endung (Without ending)

Alle maskulinen und Neutralen Wörter auf -en (All masculine and neuter words ending in -en)

Die meisten Nomen auf -er (Most nouns ending in -er)

der Kuchen- die Kuchen

der Lehrer - die Lehrer

Exceptions!

  1. For feminine nouns ending in 'in', the 'n' is doubled -> die Studentin - die Studentinnen
  2. If a noun receives the ending -(e)n or -s, then a vowel change never occurs.

Exercise 1: Nomen und ihre Pluralformen

Instruction: Fill in the correct word.

Show translation Show answers

Frauen, Antworten, Länder, Fragen, Städte

1. Die Stadt (mit Umlaut):
Die ....
(The cities)
2. Die Frage:
Die ....
(The questions.)
3. Die Antwort:
Die ....
(The answers.)
4. Die Frau:
Die ....
(The women)
5. Das Land (mit Umlaut) :
Die ....
(The countries)

Exercise 2: Multiple Choice

Instruction: Choose the correct solution

1. Das ist ___ Hund meines Freundes.

(That is ___ dog of my friend.)

2. Ich sehe ___ Katze im Garten.

(I see ___ cat in the garden.)

3. Wir wohnen in ___ Deutschland.

(We live in ___ Germany.)

4. Sie hat ___ Stuhl gekauft.

(She bought ___ chair.)

5. Das Mädchen liest ___ Buch.

(The girl is reading ___ book.)

6. Die Lehrer geben ___ Schülern Aufgaben.

(The teachers give ___ students tasks.)

Nouns and Their Plural Forms in German

In this lesson, you will learn how to form the plural of German nouns, an essential part of mastering the language at the A1 beginner level. German pluralization can be challenging because it depends on the gender and ending of the noun, and there are several common patterns as well as exceptions.

Common Plural Endings

  • -(e)n: Most feminine nouns form their plural by adding '-n' or '-en'. For example, die Katze - die Katzen (the cat - the cats), and die Tür - die Türen (the door - the doors).
  • -e (often with umlaut): Many masculine nouns and some feminine ones add '-e' with an umlaut change. Examples include der Hut - die Hüte (the hat - the hats) and die Hand - die Hände (the hand - the hands).
  • -er (often with umlaut): Many short neuter nouns take '-er'. For example, das Wort - die Wörter (the word - the words).
  • -s: Nouns ending in vowels like -a, -i, -o, -u, or -y and many loanwords use '-s'. Examples are das Auto - die Autos (the car - the cars) and das Team - die Teams (the team - the teams).
  • No ending: Some masculine and neuter nouns, especially those ending in '-en' or '-er', do not change in the plural. For example, der Kuchen - die Kuchen (the cake - the cakes) and der Lehrer - die Lehrer (the teacher - the teachers).

Additional Notes

For feminine nouns ending with '-in', the plural doubles the 'n', like die Studentin - die Studentinnen (the female student - the female students). Also, nouns forming their plural with '-(e)n' or '-s' do not experience vowel changes (Umlaut) in the plural.

Key Differences from English

Unlike English, where most plurals are simply formed by adding '-s' or '-es', German plurals require learning various endings depending on noun gender and word ending. Some plurals involve vowel changes, which don’t exist in English. For example, Hand changes to Hände with an umlaut, but in English “hand” becomes “hands” without changing the vowel.

Useful phrases include:

  • Singular: "der Tisch" (the table) — Plural: "die Tische" (the tables)
  • Singular: "die Lampe" (the lamp) — Plural: "die Lampen" (the lamps)
  • Singular: "das Buch" (the book) — Plural: "die Bücher" (the books)

Understanding these patterns will help you recognize and use German plurals correctly in everyday conversations and written German.

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Sophie Schmidt

International Administration Management

Würzburger Dolmetscherschule

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Last Updated:

Tuesday, 15/07/2025 00:46