User:1998alexkane/German Plural

Masculine Nouns

Masculine nouns usually form the plural by adding the suffix -e. One-syllable masculine nouns often add umlaut to the stressed vowel (where possible), but not always.

der Hund – die Hunde
der Arzt – die Ärzte

The e-plural

The majority of masculine and neuter nouns form the plural with -e. For example:

In addition feminine nouns ending in -nis or -sal form the plural with -e.

The e-plural with umlaut

Many nouns form the plural by adding an umlaut and adding -e.

Many masculine nouns:

Masculine nouns with –̈e plural

Altar (“altar”)
Anwalt (“attorney”)
Arzt (“physician”)
Ast (“branch”)
Bach (“brook, stream”)
Balg (“hide, bellows”)
Ball (“ball”)
Band (“volume”)
Bart (“beard”)
Bass (“bass”)
Bauch (“abdomen, belly”)
Baum (“tree”)
Belag (“surface, covering”)
Bischof (“bishop”)
Block (“block, bloc”)
Brand (“a fire”)
Brauch (“custom”)
Bruch (“break, fraction”)
Bund (“alliance”)
Busch (“bush”)
Chor (“choir, chorister”)
Choral (“hymn”)
Damm (“dam”)
Dampf (“vapor”)
Darm (“intestine”)
Diebstahl (“theft”)
Draht (“wire”)
Druck (“pressure”)
Duft (“smell, scent”)
Dunst (“haze”)
Fall (“case, fall, drop”)
Fang (“capture, fang”)
Floh (“flea”)
Fluch (“curse”)
Flug (“flight”)
Fluss (“river, flow”)
Frack (“tailcoat”)
Frosch (“frog”)
Frost (“frost”)
Fuchs (“fox”)
Fuß (“foot”)
Gang (“motion, way”)
Gast (“guest”)
Gaul (“nag”)
Genuss (“enjoyment”)
Geruch (“odour”)
Gesang (“song”)
Geschmack (“taste”)
Grund (“reason, land”)
Gruß (“greeting”)
Hahn (“rooster, tap”)
Hals (“neck, throat”)
Hang (“slope, bias”)
Herzog (“duke”)
Hof (“yard, court”)
Hub (“lifting”)
Hut (“hat”)
Kahn (“small boat”)
Kamm (“comb, ridge”)
Kampf (“fight”)
Kanal (“channel”)
Kaplan (“chaplain”)
Kardinal (“cardinal (Cath.)”)
Kauf (“purchase”)
Kauz (“screeching owl”)
Klang (“sound, tone”)
Kloß (“lump, dumpling”)
Klotz (“block”)
Knopf (“button, knob”)
Koch (“cook”)
Kopf (“head”)
Korb (“basket”)
Krampf (“cramp”)
Kran (“crane”)
Kranz (“wreath, ring”)
Kropf (“crop (of birds)”)
Krug (“jug”)
Kuss (“kiss”)
Latz (“bib”)
Lauf (“a run, (gun) barrel”)
Lohn (“wage, reward”)
Markt (“market”)
Marsch (“march”)
Mops (“pug”)
Napf (“small bowl”)
Palast (“palace”)
Papst (“pope, expert”)
Pass (“pass”)
Pfahl (“stake”)
Pflock (“stake, peg”)
Pflug (“Plow”)
Plan (“plan, project”)
Platz (“place, square”)
Rang (“rank”)
Rat (“advice, council”)
Raum (“space, room”)
Rausch (“frenzy”)
Rock (“skirt”)
Rumpf (“torso”)
Saal (“large room”)
Sack (“sack”)
Saft (“juice”)
Sarg (“coffin”)
Satz (“sentence, jump”)
Saum (“hem”)
Schacht (“mineshaft”)
Schaft (“shaft”)
Schatz (“treasure”)
Schaum (“foam, froth”)
Schlag (“blow, hit”)
Schlauch (“hose, tube”)
Schluss (“conclusion”)
Schnaps (“booze”)
Schopf (“(shock of) hair”)
Schoß (“lap, womb”)
Schrank (“cabinet”)
Schub (“thrust, (med.) phase”)
Schuss (“shot”)
Schwamm (“sponge, fungus”)
Schwan (“swan”)
Schwank (“funny story”)
Schwanz (“tail”)
Schwarm (“swarm”)
Schwung (“swing, momentum”)
Schwur (“oath”)
Sohn (“son”)
Span (“chip, shaving”)
Spaß (“fun, joke”)
Spruch (“quote, decision”)
Sprung (“jump, crack”)
Stab (“staff”)
Stall (“stable, sty”)
Stamm (“trunk, stem, tribe”)
Stand (“position”)
Stock (“stick, storey”)
Storch (“stork”)
Stoß (“push”)
Strand (“beach”)
Strang (“thread, chord”)
Strauß (“bouquet”)
Strom (“stream”)
Strumpf (“stocking”)
Strunk (“stalk”)
Stuhl (“chair”)
Stumpf (“stump”)
Sturm (“storm”)
Sturz (“fall”)
Sumpf (“swamp”)
Tanz (“dance”)
Tenor (“tenor”)
Ton (“tone”)
Topf (“pot”)
Trank (“potion”)
Traum (“dream”)
Trog (“trough”)
Turm (“tower”)
Trumpf (“trump”)
Vogt (“steward”)
Wall (“rampart”)
Wanst (“belly”)
Wolf (“wolf”)
Wuchs (“growth, form”)
Wunsch (“wish”)
Wurf (“throw, litter”)
Zahn (“tooth”)
Zaum (“bridle”)
Zaun (“fence”)
Zoll (“customs”)
Zopf (“plait of hair”)
Zug (“train, pull”)
-lass
-trag
-wand

Some feminine nouns:

Feminine nouns with –̈e plural

Angst (“fear”)
Axt (“axe”)
Bank (“bench”)
Braut (“bride”)
Brust (“breast”)
Faust (“fist”)
Frucht (“fruit”)
Gans (“goose”)
Geschwulst (“swelling”)
Gruft (“vault, tomb”)
Hand (“hand”)
Haut (“skin”)
Kluft (“cleft”)
Kraft (“strength”)
Kuh (“cow”)
Kunst (“art”)
Laus (“louse”)
Luft (“air”)
Lust (“pleasure”)
Macht (“might”)
Magd (“maid”)
Maus (“mouse”)
Nacht (“night”)
Naht (“seam”)
Not (“need”)
Nuss (“nut”)
Sau (“sow”)
Schnur (“chord”)
Stadt (“city”)
Sucht (“addiction”)
Wand (“wall”)
Wurst (“sausage”)
Zunft (“guild”)
-brunst
-flucht
-kunft

One neuter noun: Floß (“raft”).

The n-plural

The majority of feminine nouns form the plural with -en. For these nouns ending in -el, er, or e, only -n is added to the end. These never add umlaut except for Werkstatt.

Masculine and neuter nouns ending in unstressed -on or -or. Ex.
- Professor – Professoren
- Elektron – Elektronen
Note that the stress shifts in the plural
A small group of neuter nouns have this plural ending:

Neuter nouns with –en plural

Auge (“eye”)
Bett (“bed”)
Chromosom (“chromosome”)
Ende (“end”)
Hemd (“shirt”)
Jewel(-en) (“jewel”)
Insekt (“insect”)
Interesse (“interest”)
Ohr (“ear”)
Organell (“organelle”)
Requisit (“prop”)
Schott (“bulkhead”)
Statut (“statute”)
Verb (“verb”)

A small group of masculine nouns have this plural ending:

Masculine nouns with –en plural

Dorn (“Thorn”)
Konsul (“consul”)
Lorbeer (“laurel”)
Mast (“mast”)
Muskel (“muscle”)
Nerv (“nerve”)
Pantoffel (“slipper”)
Papagei (“parrot”)
Pastor (“pastor”)
Pfau (“Peacock”)
Psalm (“psalm”)
Schmerz (“pain”)
See (“lake”)
Staat (“state”)
Stachel (“prickle”)
Strahl (“ray”)
Typ (“bloke”)
Untertan (“subject”)
Vetter (“cousin”)
Zeh (“toe”)
Zins (“interest”)

Weak Nouns

A groups of masculine nouns add -(e)n in every case except the masculine singular. This includes nearly every masculine noun ending in -e.

Replacing the ending with -en

Some nouns, especially those of foreign origin remove their ending and replace it with -en

A few feminine nouns replacing -a with -en Ex. Firma – Firmen

Feminine nouns ending in -a with –en plural

Ära (“era”)
Arena (“arena”)
Ballerina (“ballerina”)
Basilika (“basilica”)
Firma (“firm”)
Liga (“league”)
Skala (“scale”)
Toga (“toga”)
Tuba (“tuba”)
Tundra (“tundra”)
Valuta (“(foreign) currency”)
Veranda (“veranda”)
Villa (“villa”)
Viola (“viola”)

Feminine nouns ending in -sis and -xis form the plural with -sen and -xen respectively. For example:
- Basis – Basen
Masculine nouns ending in -us and neuter nouns ending in -um. For example:
- Zentrum – Zentren
- Rhythmus – Rhythmen
A few other foreign nouns:

Nouns replacing ending with –en plural

Epos (“epic poem”)
Fresko (“fresco”)
Konto (“account”)
Lexikon (“reference book”)
Plektron (“plectrum”)
Risko (“risk”)
Stadion (“stadium”)
Mythos (“myth”)

The r-plural

Many neuter nouns and a few masculine nouns form the plural with -er. These nouns always add umlaut if possible (the stressed vowel is a, o, au, or u).

Maskuline: Geist, Gott, Leib, Mann, Mund, Rand, Ski/Schi, Strauch, -tum (ex. Reichtum), Wald, Wurm.
Neuter:

The zero-plural

Nearly all masculine and neuter nouns ending in -en, -er, -el, -chen, or -lein have no plural suffix.

Two neuter nouns (Kloster and Wasser), two feminine nouns (Mutter and Tochter), and the following masculine nouns form the plural solely by adding umlaut.

The s-plural

Most words borrowed from English or French form the plural by adding -s. In addition acronyms and other parts of speech used as nouns form the plural with -s.

die CD – die CDs
der Pkw – die Pkws
der Akku – die Akkus
der Cousin – die Cousins
der Job – die Jobs
das Handy – die Handys
das Lebewohl – die Lebewohls

The s-Plural is used for the identification of family members:

die Müllers (multiple people with the last name Müller)

but:

der Müller – die Müller (occupation)