Spanish Plurals
Adapted from The Animated Book of Spanish, an interactive Spanish grammar book.
| If the noun ends in… | Do this | Example |
|---|---|---|
| a vowel | add ‑s | libro → libros |
| a consonant | add ‑es | ciudad → ciudades |
| ‑z | change z to c, add ‑es | lápiz → lápices |
| an unstressed ‑s | no change | lunes → lunes |
On this page
Plural articles
The words for the and a change with the noun, and keep its gender.
- ,elthelosthe
- ,lathelasthe
- ,una, anunossome
- ,unaa, anunassome
With a noun:
- ,el librothe book, the bookslos libros
- ,la casathe house, the houseslas casas
- ,un amigoa friend, some friendsunos amigos
- ,una ideaan idea, some ideasunas ideas
Nouns ending in a vowel: add ‑s
Most nouns end in a vowel, and they just add ‑s. That includes vowels with an accent.
- ,el perrodoglos perros
- ,la mesatablelas mesas
- ,la nochenightlas noches
- ,el cafécoffeelos cafés
- ,el sofásofalos sofás
Nouns ending in a consonant: add ‑es
Nouns ending in a consonant add ‑es. A final ‑y counts as a consonant here.
- ,la ciudadcitylas ciudades
- ,el profesorteacherlos profesores
- ,el árboltreelos árboles
- ,el mesmonthlos meses
- ,el reykinglos reyes
- ,la leylawlas leyes
Nouns ending in ‑z: change it to ‑ces
Spanish almost never writes z before e, so a final ‑z becomes c before the ‑es. The sound doesn't change.
- ,el lápizpencillos lápices
- ,la luzlightlas luces
- ,la veztime (occasion)las veces
- ,la nariznoselas narices
- ,el pezfishlos peces
Accents that come and go
Adding ‑es adds a syllable, but the stress stays in the same place. So some words drop their written accent in the plural, and others need one they didn't have before. (For the full rules, see accent marks.)
When the stress is on the last syllable, the accent disappears:
- canción becomes cancionessongsaccent dropped
- inglés becomes inglesesEnglishmenaccent dropped
- autobús becomes autobusesbusesaccent dropped
When it's on the second-to-last syllable, an accent appears:
- joven becomes jóvenesyoung peopleaccent added
- examen becomes exámenesexamsaccent added
- imagen becomes imágenesimagesaccent added
Nouns that don't change
Nouns that already end in an unstressed ‑s or ‑x stay the same. Only the article shows that they're plural. This includes the weekdays and many compound nouns.
- ,el lunesMondaylos lunes
- ,la crisiscrisislas crisis
- ,el paraguasumbrellalos paraguas
- ,el cumpleañosbirthdaylos cumpleaños
Trabajo los lunes y los miércoles.
I work on Mondays and Wednesdays.
Olvidamos los paraguas en el coche.
We left the umbrellas in the car.
Nouns that are usually plural
Some things are normally plural in Spanish, even when you mean just one, much like pants and scissors in English.
- los pantalonespants
- los celosjealousy
- los auricularesheadphones
- las gafasglasses
- las tijerasscissors
- las vacacionesvacation
¿Dónde están mis gafas?
Where are my glasses?
Nos vamos de vacaciones en agosto.
We’re going on vacation in August.
Mixed groups and families
For a group of men and women, use the masculine plural. That's why some plurals have a broader meaning than the singular:
- ,el padrefatherlos padresfathers, or parents
- ,el hermanobrotherlos hermanosbrothers, or siblings
- ,el hijosonlos hijossons, or children
- ,el reykinglos reyeskings, or king and queen
Adjectives go plural too
Adjectives follow the same rules as nouns, and they always match the noun they describe. For more, see adjectives.
- SingularMi amigo es simpático.
My friend is nice.
PluralMis amigos son simpáticos.My friends are nice.
- SingularLa casa es grande.
The house is big.
PluralLas casas son grandes.The houses are big.
- SingularTengo un perro negro.
I have a black dog.
PluralTengo dos perros negros.I have two black dogs.
Common mistakes English speakers make
Adding only ‑s after a consonant
Incorrect:Visitamos tres ciudads.Correct:Visitamos tres ciudades.Nouns ending in a consonant add ‑es.
Keeping the z
Incorrect:Tengo dos lápizes.Correct:Tengo dos lápices.A final ‑z changes to c before ‑es.
Keeping the accent
Incorrect:Me gustan tus canciónes.Correct:Me gustan tus canciones.The extra syllable means the accent is no longer needed.
Adding an ending to a word that doesn’t change
Incorrect:Trabajo los luneses.Correct:Trabajo los lunes.Nouns ending in an unstressed ‑s stay the same. Only the article changes.
Forgetting to make the adjective plural
Incorrect:Las casas son grande.Correct:Las casas son grandes.Adjectives always match the noun, in number as well as gender.
Questions about Spanish plurals
How do you make nouns plural in Spanish?
If the noun ends in a vowel, add -s: libro → libros. If it ends in a consonant, add -es: ciudad → ciudades. If it ends in -z, change it to -ces: lápiz → lápices. The article changes too: el → los, la → las.
What is the plural of lápiz?
Lápices. Nouns ending in -z change the z to c before adding -es: la luz → las luces, la vez → las veces.
Do family names take a plural in Spanish?
No. The article goes plural, but the name stays the same: los García, los Martínez ("the Garcías," "the Martínezes").
Is gafas singular or plural?
Plural: Mis gafas son nuevas ("My glasses are new"). Like pantalones, tijeras, and vacaciones, it's normally used in the plural even for one thing.
Keep learning
Related
- Noun genderMasculine and feminine endings, LONERS and DIONZA, the exceptions, and el agua.
- AdjectivesMatching gender and number, where they go, buen and gran, and meaning changes.
- Stress and accent marksThe two stress rules, when a word needs an accent, and accents that tell words apart.
- PossessivesMi, tu, su, nuestro, the long forms mío and tuyo, possession with de, and clearing up su.