In this lesson, we discussed the various ways in which we can pluralize words in German. The following is an exhaustive list of the ways in which you can do this:

1. The -er suffix
   1. Most commonly used with short/neuter words. It usually adds an umlaut to the main vowel. Examples:
      1. (Child) Das Kind -> Die Kinder
      2. (Man) Der Mann -> Die Männer
2. The -e suffix
   1. Most commonly used with masculine nouns. Sometimes neuter nouns also take it. Masculine nouns usually add the umlaut while the neuter nouns don’t. Examples:
      1. (Day) Der Tag -> Die Tage
      2. (Chair) Der Stuhl -> Die Stühle
      3. (Boat) Das Boot -> Die Boote
3. The -n/-en suffix
   1. Mostly used with feminine nouns
   2. The suffix is decided based on how the word sounds.
      1. Words ending with a vowel sound take the -n suffix, while others take the -en suffix. Examples:
         1. (Cat) Die Katze -> Die Katzen
         2. (Neighbour) Der Nachbar (sounds like nach-baa) -> Die Nachbarn
         3. (Woman) Die Frau (sounds like frow) -> Die Frauen
4. The -s suffix
   1. Wasn’t covered in the lesson, but is usually used for words that have been borrowed from foreign languages. Examples:
      1. (Car) Das Auto -> Die Autos
      2. (Hotel) Das Hotel -> Die Hotels
   2. It’s also used for nouns that end with the vowels -a, -i, -o, -u, or -y. Examples:
      1. (Cinema) Das Kino -> Die Kinos
      2. (Grandma) Die Omi -> Die Omis
5. The no suffix group
   1. Wasn’t covered in the lesson, but is commonly used for masculine and neuter nouns that end in unstressed suffixes like -el, -en, or -er. Examples:
      1. (Apple) Der Apfel -> Die Äpfel
      2. (Room) das Zimmer -> die Zimmer
      3. (Car) Der Wagen -> Die Wagen

Some more patterns

• Female nouns ending in -el or -er usually add an umlaut to the root vowel without changing the ending. Examples:
  • (Daughter) Die Tochter -> Die Töchter
  • (Mother) Die Mutter -> Die Mütter
• Short, monosyllabic neuter words often take the -er ending with the umlaut. Examples:
  • (Book) Das Buch -> Die Bücher
  • (House) Das Haus -> Die Häuser

Note: Even with all these rules and patterns, there will always be exceptions. Examples:

• (Bed) Das Bett -> Die Betten: Takes an -en ending (and doesn’t add the umlaut to the root vowel) despite being a short, monosyllabic neuter word
• (Eye) Das Auge -> Die Augen: Takes an -n (and doesn’t add an umlaut to the root vowel) ending despite being a short, monosyllabic neuter word