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Spanish Grammar Bank
HOW TO USE SPANISH PLURALS
When forming the plural in Spanish, nouns and adjectives must necessarily agree in number with the subject they reference.
Two markers are used in Spanish when forming the plural of nouns and adjectives: -s or -es. The choice between the two markers is determined by specific grammatical rules.
FOR NOUNS & ADJECTIVES
The general rule in Spanish when forming the plural of nouns and adjectives is to add -s to the noun or adjective that ends in a vowel and -es to the ones that end in a consonant.
There are however exceptions to the general rule that must be considered as well.
Nouns or adjectives that end in a vowel
Although there are exceptions, these are the general rules when forming the plural of nouns and adjectives that end in a vowel:
• If a noun or adjective ends in an unstressed vowel (vocal átona) such as -a, -e, -i, -o, and -u, the plural is formed by adding -s to the end of the word.
• If a noun or adjective ends in a stressed vowel (vocal tónica), such as -a, -e, or -o, the plural is formed by adding -s to the end of the word.
• If a noun or adjective ends in a stressed vowel (vocal tónica) like í or ú, both plural forms -s and -es are acceptable, although the use of –es is considered more gentrified and therefore preferred.
| Singular | Plural | |
|---|---|---|
| noun or adjective that ends in an unstressed vowel (-a, -e, -i, -o, -u) |
casa
(house) |
casas
(houses) |
|
estudiante
(student) |
estudiantes
(students) | |
|
taxi
(taxi) |
taxis
(taxis) | |
|
grupo
(group) |
grupos
(groups) | |
|
tribu
(tribe) |
tribus
(tribes) | |
|
jefe
(boss) |
jefes
(bosses) | |
| noun or adjective that ends in a stressed vowel -a, -e, or -o |
mamá
(mom) |
mamás
(moms) |
|
sofá
(sofa) |
sofás
(sofas) | |
|
papá
(dad) |
papás
(dads) | |
|
dominó
(domino) |
dominós
(dominos) | |
|
café
(coffee) |
cafés
(coffees) | |
|
bebé
(baby) |
bebés
(babies) | |
| noun or adjective that ends in a stressed vowel í or ú |
bisturí
(scalpel) |
bisturíes
(scalpels) |
|
rubí
(ruby) |
rubíes
(rubies) | |
|
tabú
(taboo) |
tabúes
(taboos) | |
|
hindú
(Hindu) |
hindúes
(Hindus) | |
|
tisú
(tissue) |
tisúes
(tissues) |
Nouns or adjectives that end in a consonant
Although there are exceptions, these are the general rules when forming the plural of nouns and adjectives that end in a consonant:
• If a noun or adjective ends in the consonant -y and is preceded by a vowel, the plural is formed by adding -es to the end of the word.
However, if referring to more recently incorporated words, mostly borrowed from English, ending in the consonant -y, the plural is formed by dropping the -y and adding -is to the end of the word.
• If a noun or an adjective is monosyllabic (or polysyllabic and carries an accent in the last syllable) and ends in the consonants -s or -x, the plural is formed by adding -es to the end of the word.
However, in the rest of the cases, the plural form is known as invariable, meaning, it remains unaltered and is written in the same form as the singular.
• If a noun or adjective ends in the consonants -l, -r, -n, -d, -z, and -j and is NOT preceded by another consonant, the plural is formed by adding -es to the end of the word.
• If a noun or adjective ends in consonants different from -l, -r, -n, -d, -z, -j, -s, -x, or -ch, the plural is formed by adding -s to the end of the word.
| Singular | Plural | |
|---|---|---|
| noun or adjective that ends in the consonant -y and is preceded by a vowel |
rey
(king) |
reyes
(kings) |
|
ley
(law) |
leyes
(laws) | |
|
buey
(ox) |
bueyes
(oxen) | |
|
convoy
(convoy) |
convoyes
(convoys) | |
|
jersey
(jersey) |
jerséis
(jerseys) | |
|
espray
(spray) |
espráis
(sprays) | |
| noun or adjective that ends in the consonants -s or -x |
vals
(waltz) |
valses
(waltzes) |
|
tos
(cough) |
toses
(coughs) | |
|
francés
(French) |
franceses
(French) | |
|
compás
(compass) |
compases
(compasses) | |
|
crisis
(crisis) |
crisis
(crises) | |
|
tórax
(thorax) |
tórax
(thoraces) | |
| noun or adjective that ends in the consonants -l, -r, -n, -d, -z and -j and is NOT preceded by another consonant | pan] (bread) |
panes
(bread) |
|
color
(color) |
colores
(colors) | |
|
dócil
(docile) |
dóciles
(docile) | |
|
césped
(grass) |
céspedes
(grass) | |
|
reloj
(watch) |
relojes
(watches) | |
|
caliz
(chalice) |
cálices
(chalices) | |
| noun or adjective that ends in consonants other than -l, -r, -n, -d, -z, -j, -s, -x, or -ch |
crac
(ace) |
cracs
(aces) |
|
zigzag
(zigzag) |
zigzags
(zigzags) | |
|
esnob
(snob) |
esnobs
(snobs) | |
|
chip
(chip) |
chips
(chips) | |
|
mamut
(mammoth) |
mamuts
(mammoths) | |
|
cómic
(comic book) |
cómics
(comic books) |
FOR ARTICLES & PRONOUNS
In Spanish, there must be a coincidence in number and gender between the noun and the adjectives, articles, and pronouns accompanying said noun in a given phrase.
So, when referring to forming the plural, articles, and pronouns must agree in number with the noun they refer to.
When forming the plural of articles (definite and indefinite) and personal pronouns in Spanish, the following given set of rules must be followed:
Definite articles
When forming the plural of definite articles, el (singular) becomes los (plural) for masculine and la (singular) becomes las (plural) for feminine.
| Article | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| definite article masculine | el | los |
| definite article feminine | la | las |
Examples:
| Singular | Plural | English Translation |
|---|---|---|
| el edificio | los edificios | the building/s |
| el coche | los coches | the car/s |
| el hombre | los hombres | the man/men |
| la escalera | las escaleras | the staircase/s |
| la mesa | las mesas | the table/s |
| la mujer | las mujeres | the woman/women |
Indefinite articles
When forming the plural of indefinite articles, un (singular) becomes unos (plural) for masculine, and una (singular) becomes unas (plural) for feminine.
| Article | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| indefinite article masculine | un | unos |
| indefinite article feminine | una | unas |
Examples:
| Singular | Plural | English Translation |
|---|---|---|
| un día | unos días | a day / some days |
| un ordenador | unos ordenadores | a computer / some computers |
| un bolígrafo | unos bolígrafos | a ballpen / some ballpens |
| una flor | unas flores | a flower / some flowers |
| una puerta | unas puertas | a door / some doors |
| una librería | unas librerías | a bookstore / some bookstores |
Personal pronouns
Personal pronouns change their forms when shifting from singular to plural.
| Singular | Plural | English Translation |
|---|---|---|
| yo | nosotros/as | I / we |
| tú | vosotros/as | you (informal) / you all |
| él/ella | ellos/ellas | he-she / they |
| Usted | Ustedes | you (formal) / you all |
Examples:
| Singular | Plural | English Translation |
|---|---|---|
| Yo soy medico. | Nosotros somos medicos. | I am a doctor. / We are doctors. |
| Tú lees a menudo. | Vosotros leéis a menudo. | You read often. / They read often. |
| Él es mi hijo. | Ellos son mis hijos. | He is my son. / They are my sons. |
| Ella es buena estudiante. | Ellas son buenas estudiantes. | She is a good student. / They are good students. |
| Usted es mi mejor cliente. | Ustedes son mis mejores clients. | You are my best client. / You are my best clients. |
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FAQs
How do you form the plural of nouns in Spanish?
To form the plural, add -s to nouns that end in a vowel (e.g., gato becomes gatos), and -es to nouns that end in a consonant (e.g., ciudad becomes ciudades).
What happens with nouns that end in -z when forming the plural?
When a noun ends in -z, the z changes to c before adding -es (e.g., luz becomes luces).
Do adjectives change in the plural form?
Yes, adjectives must agree in number with the nouns they describe, so they also change to the plural by adding -s or -es depending on the ending.
Are there any exceptions when forming plurals?
Some nouns, especially those borrowed from other languages, remain unchanged in the plural, such as el álbum (plural: los álbumes), while some nouns like el agua use the article las in the plural even though the word is feminine.
How do definite and indefinite articles change?
Some nouns, especially those borrowed from other languages, remain unchanged in the plural, such as el álbum (plural: los álbumes), while some nouns like el agua use the article las in the plural even though the word is feminine.
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