-s (Plural)

Plurals with -s

Level 1

Nouns ending in an unstressed -el, -er, -em, -en or -ie add -s: tafel → tafels, meisie → meisies.

How It Works

Unstressed endings take -s.

  • -el: tafel → tafels (tables), appel → appels (apples), bottel → bottels (bottles)
  • -er: kamer → kamers (rooms), vinger → vingers (fingers), suster → susters (sisters), dogter → dogters (daughters)
  • -em: besem → besems (brooms)
  • -en: teken → tekens (signs)
  • -ie: meisie → meisies (girls), familie → families (families), tannie → tannies (aunts)

Stress matters. If the last syllable is stressed, the noun usually takes -e instead: rivier → riviere (rivers), papier → papiere (papers). Compare KAmer → kamers with riVIER → riviere. See plurals with -e.

Short words to learn one by one. Some one-syllable nouns, many of them words for people, take -s: seun → seuns (sons), oom → ooms (uncles), broer → broers (brothers), man → mans (men).

Related endings. Nouns ending in a single i, o or u, or in a stressed a, add an apostrophe first: foto → foto's, ma → ma's (plurals with 's). An unstressed final a takes plain -s: ouma → oumas. Diminutives in -ie also take -s: hondjie → hondjies (plural of diminutives).

Examples (6)

  1. Die tafels is vol.

    The tables are full.

    Word by Word: The tables is full.

    Tafel ends in unstressed -el, so it takes -s.

  2. Ons huis het drie kamers.

    Our house has three rooms.

    Word by Word: Our house has three rooms.

    Kamer ends in unstressed -er: kamers.

  3. Die meisies sing saam.

    The girls are singing together.

    Word by Word: The girls sing together.

    Meisie ends in -ie: meisies.

  4. Hy het twee seuns en een dogter.

    He has two sons and one daughter.

    Word by Word: He has two sons and one daughter.

    Seun is a short word that takes -s.

  5. My ooms woon in Kaapstad.

    My uncles live in Cape Town.

    Word by Word: My uncles live in Cape Town.

  6. Die appels is ryp.

    The apples are ripe.

    Word by Word: The apples is ripe.

Common Mistakes

  • Adding -e to a noun with an unstressed ending.

    Die tafele is vol.
    Die tafels is vol.

    Tafel ends in an unstressed -el, so the plural is tafels.

  • Giving seun the usual -e plural.

    Hy het twee seune.
    Hy het twee seuns.

    Seun is one of the short nouns that take -s. Learn its plural with the word.

  • Using -s for a noun whose last syllable is stressed.

    Daar is twee riviers naby die dorp.
    Daar is twee riviere naby die dorp.

    The stress in rivier falls on the last syllable, so it takes -e: riviere.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

-s (Plural)Level 1Plurals with -s

Learn This First

The -s plural is the second main plural ending, after -e.

Words in This Pattern

-s