Irregular Plurals

Level 2Sounds Like nepravilno množestveno čislo

A few very common nouns do not follow the usual plural endings: човек → хора (people), дете → деца (children), око → очи (eyes), ухо → уши (ears), ден → дни (days).

How It Works

1. The most common irregular plurals.

  • човек (person) → хора (people) → хората
  • дете (child) → деца (children) → децата
  • око (eye) → очи (eyes) → очите
  • ухо (ear) → уши (ears) → ушите
  • ден (day) → дни (days) → дните
  • брат (brother) → братя → братята
  • ръка (hand, arm) → ръце → ръцете
  • крак (leg, foot) → крака → краката
  • цвете (flower) → цветя → цветята

2. Agreement. Adjectives and verbs agree with the plural as usual: малки деца (small children), Децата спят. (The children are asleep.) For the article endings, see the plural articles -те and -та.

3. Counting people: души. After an exact number, people are usually counted with the word души, not хора: двама души (two people), десет души (ten people), няколко души (a few people). You will also often hear човека (пет човека, five people), which is now accepted as well. Хора is the everyday plural for "people" in general: много хора (many people), хиляди хора (thousands of people). With an adjective in between, хора is also fine after a number: десет млади хора (ten young people).

4. Counting days. After a number, both два дни and the count form два дена are correct, and both are common.

5. Counting children. Дете is neuter, so it is counted with две: две деца (two children), три деца.

Examples (6)

  1. Тук има много хора.

    There are a lot of people here.

    Хора is the plural of човек.

  2. Децата играят в парка.

    The children are playing in the park.

    Деца plus the plural article -та gives децата.

  3. Тя има зелени очи.

    She has green eyes.

    Очи is the plural of око.

  4. Ушите ми измръзнаха от студа.

    My ears got frozen from the cold.

    Уши plus the article -те gives ушите.

  5. Ще остана три дни.

    I will stay for three days.

    Дни is the plural of ден; три дена is also correct.

  6. На масата седяха десет души.

    Ten people were sitting at the table.

    After an exact number, people are counted with души.

Common Mistakes

  • Adding a regular ending to човек.

    В залата има много човеки.
    В залата има много хора.

    The plural of човек is a different word: хора.

  • Giving дете the -ета ending of words like момче.

    Имам две детета.
    Имам две деца.

    Момче becomes момчета, but дете becomes деца.

  • Counting people with хора right after a number.

    На срещата дойдоха двама хора.
    На срещата дойдоха двама души.

    After a number, use души for people: двама души, десет души. Keep хора for "people" in general, as in много хора.

How It Connects

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Irregular PluralsLevel 2

Learn This First

Irregular plurals follow the regular plural patterns.

Words in This Pattern

хорадетеокоуходен