-es

Plural in ES

Level 1

Words ending in unstressed -a commonly change it to -es in the plural.

How It Works

A regular feminine pattern is taula/taules, noia/noies and alta/altes. Replace the final -a rather than adding s after it. The plural affects articles and adjectives too: una taula alta becomes unes taules altes.

Spelling may change before e to keep the consonant sound: amiga/amigues, roca/roques, plaça/places and llengua/llengües. These are spelling adjustments within the same word, not a change to a different gender or meaning.

Do not use this pattern for every word containing a. The relevant ending is normally an unstressed final -a; words with another ending follow their own plural pattern. Masculine words ending in unstressed -a, such as problema, also have plurals in -es.

Examples (3)

  1. Les portes són obertes.

    The doors are open.

  2. Tinc dues amigues catalanes.

    I have two Catalan friends.

  3. Aquestes places són petites.

    These squares are small.

How It Connects

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

-esLevel 1Plural in ES

Learn This First

Recognize plural agreement in the whole noun phrase.