-er (flertal)

Plural -er

Level 2

The -er suffix is the 'default' plural ending in Danish, used by many nouns. It is the equivalent of the English '-s'.

How It Works

The -er plural is the most productive pattern in Danish, meaning new words entering the language usually follow this rule. Here is how it works in practice:

  • Consonant endings: Many nouns ending in a consonant add -er. For example: en bil (a car) → biler (cars).
  • Stressed vowel endings: Nouns ending in a stressed vowel usually add -er (e.g., en by → byer), though common exceptions like 'sko' (shoe) take no ending.
  • Unstressed -e endings: If a noun already ends in an unstressed -e, you only add -r. For example: en uge (a week) → uger (weeks).
  • Syncope (E-drop): Some nouns ending in unstressed -el or -en drop the internal e in the plural, but the pattern is lexical. For example: en cykel (a bike) → cykler; aften allows aftener and aftner.
  • Consonant doubling: Many nouns ending in a single consonant after a short stressed vowel double that consonant before an ending; spelling exceptions must be learned. For example: en ven (a friend) → venner (friends).
  • Vowel changes (Umlaut): A few common nouns change their stem vowel. For example: en bog (a book) → bøger (books).

Note that this pattern applies to both common gender and neuter gender nouns.

Examples (6)

  1. Jeg har to biler.

    I have two cars.

    Word by Word: I have two cars.

    The noun 'bil' ends in a consonant, so we add '-er' to make it plural.

  2. Der er mange byer i Danmark.

    There are many cities in Denmark.

    Word by Word: There are many cities in Denmark.

    The noun 'by' ends in a stressed vowel, so we add '-er'.

  3. Jeg har to cykler.

    I have two bicycles.

    Word by Word: I have two bicycles.

    Cykel drops its internal e to form cykler. Do not apply this automatically to every word ending in el/en.

  4. Ugen har syv dage, men jeg arbejder i fem uger.

    The week has seven days, but I work for five weeks.

    Word by Word: The week has seven days, but I work in five weeks.

    Since 'uge' ends in an unstressed -e, we only add '-r' to form the plural 'uger'.

  5. Jeg har mange venner.

    I have many friends.

    Word by Word: I have many friends.

    The 'n' in 'ven' doubles because the vowel is short and stressed.

  6. Vi læser mange bøger.

    We read many books.

    Word by Word: We read many books.

    The noun 'bog' is irregular; it changes the 'o' to 'ø' and adds '-er'.

Common Mistakes

  • Adding -er to words that already end in -e.

    Jeg har to ugeer.
    Jeg har to uger.

    If a word ends in -e, you only add -r. You should never have a double 'ee' in this plural ending.

  • Forgetting to double the consonant.

    Mine vener er søde.
    Mine venner er søde.

    Ven doubles n in venner; vener is a different word meaning veins. Consonant doubling is a common spelling pattern, not a rule for every final consonant.

  • Over-applying -er to all nouns.

    Jeg ser to mander.
    Jeg ser to mænd.

    While -er is the most common, some high-frequency words use different patterns like vowel changes or the -e ending.

How It Connects

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-er (flertal)Level 2Plural -er

Learn This First

To understand how to form the plural with -er, you first need to be familiar with basic Danish nouns, their genders (common and neuter), and their indefinite articles (en/et), as these form the base to which the plural suffix is added.

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Words in This Pattern

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