Forming Plurals in Spanish
Simple rules for making Spanish nouns plural, including words ending in -z and words that change their accent.
Spanish plurals follow clear rules.
Basic rules
| Ending | Plural ending | Example |
|---|---|---|
| a vowel | add -s | casa → casas |
| a consonant | add -es | ciudad → ciudades |
| -z | change to -ces | lápiz → lápices |
More examples
- libro → libros
- mujer → mujeres
- papel → papeles
- luz → luces
- pez → peces
Accent changes
The written accent may appear or disappear so that the stress stays in the same place:
- canción → canciones (accent dropped)
- jardín → jardines
- joven → jóvenes (accent added)
- examen → exámenes
Words ending in -s
Words that already end in -s and are stressed on the last syllable add -es, as in autobús → autobuses. If the stress falls earlier, they stay the same:
- el lunes → los lunes
- la crisis → las crisis
Mixed gender plurals
A group with at least one male uses the masculine plural:
- los hermanos can mean brothers, or brothers and sisters.
- los padres can mean fathers, or parents.
Articles and adjectives
The article and adjective also become plural:
- el coche rojo → los coches rojos
- la casa blanca → las casas blancas
Tips
- Vowel: add -s. Consonant: add -es.
- Change z to c.
- Watch the accent.
- Use the dictionary to check plural forms.
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