-en
Regular Plural
To make most Dutch nouns plural, add -en. This applies to words ending in a consonant or a stressed vowel. Crucially, all plural nouns use the article de.
How It Works
The -en plural is the primary way to pluralize nouns in Dutch. However, adding this suffix often triggers specific spelling rules because it creates an 'open syllable.'
1. The Article Change
Regardless of whether a word is a de-word or a het-word in the singular, it always uses de in the plural. For example: het boek becomes de boeken.
2. Spelling Adjustments
Because Dutch spelling is based on open and closed syllables, you must watch out for three things:
- Vowel Dropping: Long vowels (aa, ee, oo, uu) lose one letter in the plural. Example: boot (boat) → boten. Note that some words ending in -aar also follow this rule, like leraar → leraren.
- Consonant Doubling: Short vowels in stressed syllables need a double consonant to stay short. Example: kat (cat) → katten. Note: If the final syllable is unstressed, the consonant is not doubled. Example: monnik (monk) → monniken; perzik (peach) → perziken.
- Voicing (f → v, s → z): This change often occurs when the consonant follows a long vowel, a diphthong, or the consonants l and r. Example: brief → brieven; huis → huizen. Important: There are many common exceptions where the 's' or 'f' remains, such as kaars → kaarsen, mens → mensen, eis → eisen, and dans → dansen. If the vowel is short, the consonant stays and is doubled: stof → stoffen.
3. Choosing -en vs -s
While -en is the default, nouns ending in unstressed syllables like -el, -er, -en, -em, -aard, and -erd usually take the -s plural instead (e.g., tafel → tafels). This also applies to nouns ending in an unstressed -e, like tante → tantes, and all diminutives (e.g., meisje → meisjes).
4. Special Plurals
- Trema (Diaeresis): For words ending in -ie, the plural depends on word stress. If the stress is on the final syllable, add -ën (e.g., knie → knieën). If the stress is earlier, just add -n and place a trema on the existing e (e.g., bacterie → bacteriën). Most words in -ee take -ën (e.g., zee → zeeën), while a few words in -ee take -s (e.g., dominee → dominees).
- Vowel Lengthening: Some common words change their vowel sound in the plural. Examples include stad (city) → steden, schip (ship) → schepen, and dag (day) → dagen.
- -heid to -heden: Nouns ending in -heid always change to -heden in the plural. Example: mogelijkheid → mogelijkheden.
- Apostrophe-s: Words ending in a long, single vowel (a, o, u, i, y) take -'s. Example: auto → auto's.
- -eren: A small group of words use -eren. Common examples include kind → kinderen, ei → eieren, and lied → liederen.
Examples (5)
- Ik heb twee honden.
I have two dogs.
Word by Word: I have two dogs.
Hond ends in a consonant and takes the standard -en ending.
- De boten liggen in het water.
The boats are lying in the water.
Word by Word: The boats lie in the water.
Boot (long 'oo') loses one 'o' in the plural (boten) to follow spelling rules.
- Er zitten drie katten op het dak.
There are three cats on the roof.
Word by Word: There sit three cats on the roof.
Kat (short 'a') doubles the 't' (katten) to keep the vowel sound short.
- Ik schrijf veel brieven.
I write many letters.
Word by Word: I write many letters.
Brief ends in 'f', which changes to 'v' before adding -en (brieven).
- De huizen zijn erg oud.
The houses are very old.
Word by Word: The houses are very old.
Huis ends in 's', which changes to 'z' before adding -en (huizen).
Common Mistakes
Forgetting to double the consonant for short vowels.
Ik heb twee katen.Ik heb twee katten.Without the double 't', the 'a' would sound long (like 'ka-ten'). To keep it short, you must double the consonant.
Using 'het' for plural neuter nouns.
Het boeken zijn hier.De boeken zijn hier.In Dutch, all plural nouns use the definite article 'de', even if the singular was 'het'.
Changing 'f' to 'v' or 's' to 'z' after a short vowel.
Ik koop twee stovven.Ik koop twee stoffen.The change from 'f' to 'v' (or 's' to 'z') only happens after long vowels, diphthongs, or consonants like 'l' and 'r'. After a short vowel, the consonant stays the same and is doubled to keep the vowel sound short.
How It Connects
Learn This First
To learn the -en plural, learners must first understand basic noun usage and, most importantly, the Dutch spelling rules that govern how words change when suffixes are added.
- Basic Spelling Rules
Dutch pluralization often requires applying specific spelling rules, such as doubling vowels or consonants, to maintain the correct pronunciation when adding the -en suffix.
Foundations - de + NounDe-Words (Common Gender)
A basic understanding of how nouns are used in their singular form is necessary before learning how to transform them into their plural forms.
Level 1
Related Patterns
- de + Plural NounEvery Plural Takes De
Explains why all plural nouns use the article 'de' regardless of their singular gender.
Level 1 - Spelling Changes in Plurals
Covers the specific rules for vowel dropping and consonant doubling in plurals.
Level 1 - F Becomes V, S Becomes Z
Focuses on the transformation of final f/s into v/z in plural forms.
Level 1 - -s (meervoud)Plural with -s
The other regular plural ending used for words with unstressed endings.
Level 1 - Open and Closed Syllables
The underlying phonological logic that dictates spelling changes in the -en plural.
Foundations - -erenPlural with -eren
A small group of irregular plurals that take -eren instead of just -en.
Level 1
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
Words in This Pattern
Practice -en in Bubblegum
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