In this grammar lesson you will learn how to make nouns plural in French.
In this lesson you will learn about:
- how to make most nouns plural
- how to make nouns that end in -s -x, and -z plural
- how to make nouns that end in -al plural
- how to make nouns that end in -eu -au, and -eau plural
- how plural nouns are used in sentences
- how you can quiz yourself on how to make nouns plural in French
- how to practice with flashcards for how to make nouns plural in French
- how and why you should use the courses of Language Atlas to learn French
Please refer to the French A1 Curriculum to get a better overview of French grammar, if you are curious about this fits in French A1.
By the end of the lesson you will know all about how to make nouns plural in French!
Table of Contents
How to Make Most Nouns Plural
To make most nouns plural, simply add -s at the end.
J’ai un chat et ma sÅ“ur a trois chats.
I have a cat and my sister has three cats.
Mon frère a une maison, mais j’ai trois maisons.
My brother has one house, but I have 3 houses.
Ils ont un enfant et j’ai deux enfants.
They have one child and I have 2 children.
Please note that you don’t pronounce the plural -s.
How to Make Nouns that End in -s -x, and -z Plural
If a noun ends with -s, -x, or -z, then you don’t need to do anything to make it plural. These nouns remain the same in the plural form.
Mon bras est musclé, mais leurs bras sont fins.
My arm is muscular, but their arms are thin.
L’animal a une noix, mais il a besoin de deux noix.
The animal has one nut, but he needs two nuts.
Mon nez est gros, mais leurs nez sont petits.
My nose is big, but their noses are small.
How to Make Nouns that End in -al Plural
To make nouns plural that end in -al, simply change the -al to -aux.
Avez-vous un animal de compagnie ? J’adore les animaux de compagnie.
Do you have a pet? I love pets.
J’ai un cheval ici et deux chevaux là .
I have one horse here and two horses there.
Vous avez un journal pour moi ? – Non, mais vous pouvez acheter des journaux au magasin là -bas.
Do you have a newspaper for me? – No, but you can buy newspapers at the store over there.
Most French nouns that end in -al can be pluralized like this, but there are a few exceptions.
These exceptions take an s in the plural form.
French singular | French plural | Translation (plural) |
un bal | des bals | balls |
un carnaval | des carnavals | carnivals |
un chacal | des chacals | jackals |
un festival | des festivals | festivals |
un récital | des récitals | recitals |
un régal | des régals | treats |
How to Make Nouns that End in -eu -au, and -eau Plural
To make nouns plural that end in -eu, -au, or -eau, simply add an -x.
Il a les cheveux bruns.
He has brown hair.
J’ai un tuyau ici et les autres tuyaux sont avec Eloïse.
I have one pipe here and the other pipes are with Eloise.
Un jour, je voudrais vivre dans ce château, ou dans un de ces autres châteaux.
One day, I would like to live in this castle, or one of those other castles.
Pauline, tu vas acheter un gâteau ? – Non, je voudrais acheter trois gâteaux.
Pauline, are you going to buy one cake? – No I would like to buy three cakes.
Most French nouns that end in -eu, -au, or -eau can be pluralized like this, but there are a few exceptions.
These exceptions take an s in the plural form.
French singular | French plural | Translation (plural) |
un bleu | des bleus | bruises |
un landau | des landaus | prams/strollers |
un pneu | des pneus | tyres/tires |
un sarrau | des sarraus | smocks |
Example Sentences on How to Make Nouns Plural in French
The final section of this lesson on how to make nouns plural in French is about seeing them in action.
This is valuable because you can improve your understanding on how to make nouns plural in French through examples.
This section contains all of the previous sentences, neatly organised in one place.
J’ai un chat et ma sÅ“ur a trois chats.
I have a cat and my sister has three cats.
Mon frère a une maison, mais j’ai trois maisons.
My brother has one house, but I have 3 houses.
Ils ont un enfant et j’ai deux enfants.
They have one child and I have 2 children.
Mon bras est musclé, mais leurs bras sont fins.
My arm is muscular, but their arms are thin.
L’animal a une noix, mais il a besoin de deux noix.
The animal has one nut, but he needs two nuts.
Mon nez est gros, mais leurs nez sont petits.
My nose is big, but their noses are small.
Avez-vous un animal de compagnie ? J’adore les animaux de compagnie.
Do you have a pet? I love pets.
J’ai un cheval ici et deux chevaux là .
I have one horse here and two horses there.
Vous avez un journal pour moi ? – Non, mais vous pouvez acheter des journaux au magasin là -bas.
Do you have a newspaper for me? – No, but you can buy newspapers at the store over there.
Il a les cheveux bruns.
He has brown hair.
J’ai un tuyau ici et les autres tuyaux sont avec Eloïse.
I have one pipe here and the other pipes are with Eloise.
Un jour, je voudrais vivre dans ce château, ou dans un de ces autres châteaux.
One day, I would like to live in this castle, or one of those other castles.
Pauline, tu vas acheter un gâteau ? – Non, je voudrais acheter trois gâteaux.
Pauline, are you going to buy one cake? – No I would like to buy three cakes.
Quiz Yourself on How to Make Nouns Plural in French
At the end of every lesson you can do a small quiz.
You will see the sentences of the previous chapter. It is up to you to give the correct answer.
You will either need to fill in the blanks, choose the correct multiple choice option, or both.
Once you are done the correct answer will be shown.
You can redo the quiz on how to make nouns plural in French as many times as you want!
Time’s up
How to Practice With Flashcards for This Lesson
Using flashcards is an absolute necessity when it comes to learning a language!
It is the best way to memorize what you learn, you can personalize your progression because it adapts to your actions, and all flashcards have audio to improve your hearing and pronunciation.
Please read our article on how to learn a new language for more information on flashcards and the best way to learn a new language.
There are two ways to practice with Flashcards for this lesson.
- Anki
- The Flashcards in our Courses
Anki is a free software with which you can create and practice flashcards.
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All the flashcards have text, images, explanations, and audio.
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The Courses of Language Atlas
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