{"id":134839,"date":"2023-06-20T17:52:49","date_gmt":"2023-06-20T21:52:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/learn\/plural-in-spanish\/"},"modified":"2025-03-26T16:52:33","modified_gmt":"2025-03-26T20:52:33","slug":"plural-in-spanish","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/spanish\/plural-in-spanish\/","title":{"rendered":"Forming the Spanish Plural (Rules & Examples)"},"content":{"rendered":"

In English, you can add an “s” or “es” to make most words plural.\u00a0But forming the plural in Spanish is a bit different.<\/p>\n

Don’t worry, though, it’s not too difficult. The Spanish plural can still be summarized in just eight simple rules.<\/p>\n

[fluentu-toc]<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The Plural in Spanish<\/h2>\n

The plural, also referred to as \u201cnumber\u201d in Spanish, is very similar to the plural in English. The endings of each noun indicate whether the noun (a person, place, idea or thing) is single (just one) or is in company (more than one). This is the beauty of numbers in grammar: it only has two variations, one and more than one!<\/p>\n

The plural also takes into account the gender of the noun.\u00a0 Keeping track of gender and number while trying to think of words in a foreign language can make you feel overwhelmed and inadequate. The words may swirl around in your head and pair up erroneously, deflating your motivation.<\/p>\n

Although it’s all a completely normal part of learning the language, particularly if you’re teaching yourself<\/a>, these next eight rules should help untie the knot that formed in your cabeza<\/em><\/strong> (singular, feminine noun for “head”).<\/b><\/p>\n

8 Rules for Forming the S<\/b>panish Plural <\/b><\/b><\/h2>\n

1. Match the article to the noun in both gender and number<\/h3>\n

Words in Spanish are very organized. They cannot be separated from their kind or they will lose meaning. Whenever you are forming a sentence, you must make sure the article agrees with its noun in both gender and number.<\/p>\n

This means that if the word is singular, the article must also be singular. If the noun is feminine, its article must be feminine as well.<\/p>\n

Also, the articles differ depending on whether they’re definite<\/strong> or indefinite. <\/strong><\/p>\n

Definite articles are used when both speaker and listener have identified the noun. In English, the word “the<\/strong>” is used as the only variation.<\/p>\n

Indefinite articles are used when the nouns are used in \u201cgeneral and broad\u201d terms. In English the indefinite articles are \u201ca<\/strong>\u201d or \u201can<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t
Type of Article<\/th>Definite Articles<\/th>Indefinite Articles<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
masculine, singular<\/td> el <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td> un <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
masculine, plural<\/td> los <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td> unos <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
feminine, singular<\/td> la <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td> una <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
feminine, plural<\/td> las <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td> unas <\/a>\n <\/em><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

*Although it may seem like too many articles to remember, they follow the same pattern: male, female, singular, plural. Even easier, they all have the same endings except for “un”<\/em> and “el<\/em>!“<\/em><\/p>\n

2. Add an “s” to nouns that end in vowels<\/b><\/h3>\n

Spanish nouns can be plural or singular. Nouns that end in vowels are made plural by adding an “s” to the end. Here are some examples:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t
Singular<\/th>Plural<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
el ni\u00f1o <\/a>\n <\/em> (the boy)<\/td> los ni\u00f1os<\/strong><\/em> <\/a>\n (the boys)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
la ni\u00f1a <\/a>\n <\/em> (the girl)<\/td> las ni\u00f1as<\/strong><\/em> <\/a>\n (the girls)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
la casa <\/a>\n <\/em> (the house)<\/td> las casas<\/strong><\/em> <\/a>\n (the houses)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
el zapato <\/a>\n <\/em> (the shoe)<\/td> los zapatos<\/strong><\/em> <\/a>\n (the shoes)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

3. Add “es” to nouns that end in consonants<\/h3>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t
Singular<\/th>Plural<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
el color<\/em> <\/a>\n (the color)<\/td> los colores<\/strong><\/em> <\/a>\n (the colors)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
el bot\u00f3n<\/em> <\/a>\n (the button)<\/td> los botones<\/strong><\/em> <\/a>\n (the buttons)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
el rey<\/em> <\/a>\n (the king)<\/td> los reyes<\/strong><\/em> <\/a>\n (the kings)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
el mes<\/em> <\/a>\n (the month)<\/td> los meses<\/strong><\/em> <\/a>\n (the months)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
el profesor<\/em> <\/a>\n (the professor)<\/td> los profesores<\/strong><\/em> <\/a>\n (the professors)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

4. Add “es” and drop the accent over the “o” if the noun ends in “i\u00f3n”<\/h3>\n

Accent marks exist in Spanish to add stress to the syllable that they (literally) accentuate. It\u2019s a little like putting up balloons on your mailbox the day of your birthday party, so your guests will know which is your house. You add a distinctive mark to it in order to stress, or accentuate, where you live. This is exactly what accent marks do for words in Spanish; they add attention to the place where more stress\/strength is required.<\/p>\n

Sometimes, the accent mark is no longer needed when a word becomes plural. Luckily there are simple rules to follow regarding Spanish accent marks<\/a>, but we’ll spell out one specific case here.\u00a0<\/p>\n

When a word ends in -i\u00f3n<\/em>, drop the accent over that last “o<\/em>” when the word becomes plural. Take a look at these examples:<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t
Singular<\/th>Plural<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
el avi\u00f3n<\/em> <\/a>\n (the plane)<\/td> los aviones<\/strong><\/em> <\/a>\n (the planes)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
la conversaci\u00f3n<\/em> <\/a>\n (the conversation)<\/td> las conversaciones<\/strong><\/em> <\/a>\n (the conversations)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
la secci\u00f3n<\/em> <\/a>\n (the section)<\/td> las secciones<\/strong><\/em> <\/a>\n (the sections)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
la televisi\u00f3n<\/em> <\/a>\n (the television)<\/td> las televisiones<\/strong><\/em> <\/a>\n (the televisions)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

\u00a05. If a noun ends in “z”, add “es” and change the “z” to “c”<\/h3>\n

Some words are a little more sensitive, sophisticated or picky (whatever you want to call it) than others. When a singular noun ends in “z<\/em>“, change the “z<\/em>” to “c<\/em>” and add “es<\/em>” to make it plural.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t
Singular<\/th>Plural<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
el l\u00e1piz<\/strong><\/em> <\/a>\n (the pencil)<\/td> los l\u00e1pices<\/strong><\/em> <\/a>\n * (the pencils)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
la actriz<\/strong><\/em> <\/a>\n (the actress)<\/td> las actrices<\/strong><\/em> <\/a>\n (the actresses)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
la voz<\/strong><\/em> <\/a>\n (the voice)<\/td> las voces<\/strong><\/em> <\/a>\n (the voices)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

*The word l\u00e1piz keeps its accent mark in the plural because its accent doesn’t fall on the last syllable.<\/p>\n

6. Nouns ending in “c” or “g”, change “c” \u2192 “qu” and “g” \u2192 “gu”, respectively<\/h3>\n

Similarly, when singular nouns end in “c<\/em>,” their final letter changes to “qu<\/em>” before adding “-es.”<\/em>\u00a0 And when singular nouns end in “g<\/em>,” their final letter changes to “gu<\/em>” before adding “-es.<\/em>“<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t\n\t
Singular<\/th>Plural<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
el frac<\/strong><\/em> <\/a>\n (the tailcoat)<\/td> los fraques<\/strong><\/em> <\/a>\n (the tailcoats)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
el zigzag<\/strong><\/em> <\/a>\n (the zigzag)<\/td> los zigzagues<\/strong><\/em> <\/a>\n (the zigzags)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

7. When the noun ends in “s” or “x” and the last syllable is unstressed, only change the article to plural<\/h3>\n

There are some words that remain the same in both the plural and the singular. In these cases, the only change occurs in the noun’s article.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t
Singular<\/th>Plural<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
el an\u00e1lisis<\/em> <\/a>\n (analysis)<\/td> los<\/strong> an\u00e1lisis<\/em> <\/a>\n (analyses)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
el lunes<\/em> <\/a>\n (Monday)<\/td> los<\/strong> lunes<\/em> <\/a>\n (Mondays)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
el martes<\/em> <\/a>\n (Tuesday)<\/td> los<\/strong> martes<\/em> <\/a>\n (Tuesdays)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
el mi\u00e9rcoles<\/em> <\/a>\n (Wednesday)<\/td> los<\/strong> mi\u00e9rcoles<\/em> <\/a>\n (Wednesdays)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
el jueves<\/em> <\/a>\n (Thursday)<\/td> los<\/strong> jueves<\/em> <\/a>\n (Thursdays)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
el viernes<\/em> <\/a>\n (Friday)<\/td> los<\/strong> viernes<\/em> <\/a>\n (Fridays)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
el t\u00f3rax<\/em> <\/a>\n (thorax)<\/td> los<\/strong> t\u00f3rax<\/em> <\/a>\n (thoraxes)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

*As you can see, most days of the week don’t change in the plural.<\/strong><\/p>\n

8. When the plural refers to two or more nouns of different genders, use the masculine plural<\/h3>\n

1 Male Plural + 2 Female Plurals = 3 Male Plurals<\/b><\/p>\n

The Spanish language is programmed to be m<\/strong>asculine <\/b>by default. No matter what the ratio of males to females is, if there’s one male in the mix, the word will automatically be in the masculine gender in the plural form.<\/p>\n

When there’s a mixed group, however, the meaning of the word is neutralized. In other words, it’s understood that there are females and males in the mix.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\n\t\n\t\n\t
Mixed Gender Group<\/th>Pluralization of Mixed Gender Group<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
4 perros<\/strong><\/em> <\/a>\n + 8 perras<\/strong><\/em> <\/a>\n
\n(4 male dogs + 8 female dogs)<\/td>		 12 perros<\/strong><\/em> <\/a>\n (12 dogs)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
10 gatas<\/strong><\/em> <\/a>\n + 1 gato<\/strong><\/em> <\/a>\n
\n(10 female cats + 1 male cat)<\/td>		 11 gatos<\/strong><\/em> <\/a>\n (11 cats)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
2 ni\u00f1os<\/strong><\/em> <\/a>\n + 3 ni\u00f1as<\/strong><\/em> <\/a>\n (2 boys + 3 girls)<\/td> 5 ni\u00f1os<\/strong><\/em> <\/a>\n (5 children)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n

Practical Tips and General Advice<\/h2>\n

Keeping track of the \u2013o, -os, -a, -as<\/em> endings can be confusing and frustrating at first. Simply remember that Rome was not built in a day and that mistakes pave the pathway to wisdom. So, embrace them and learn from them.<\/p>\n

Above all, release any and all expectations of perfection and keep your goals simple, small and daily. Releasing expectations allows you to experience unlimited possibilities at a slower yet ultimately more rewarding pace.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re looking for other ways to practice plurals, surrounding yourself with the language can help train your ears to hear the concept in practice.<\/p>\n

Watching movies or TV shows<\/a> in Spanish can help you further familiarize yourself with the Spanish plurals. Using programs that specialize in immersion for learners can also help you dive in.<\/p>\n

For example, the FluentU<\/a> program uses authentic Spanish videos to provide context for your learning and immerse you in the language so that you can learn Spanish plurals directly from native speakers.

FluentU<\/strong> takes authentic videos\u2014like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks\u2014and turns them into personalized language learning lessons.<\/p>\r\n

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You can try FluentU for free for 2 weeks. Check out the website or download the iOS app<\/a> or Android app.<\/a><\/p>\r\n

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