-al → -aux

Plural -aux Ending

Level 1

Singular: -al (pronounced /al/)
Plural: -aux (pronounced /o/)

How It Works

The -aux plural is a standard rule for masculine nouns ending in -al.

1. The Transformation
To form the plural, you drop the -al and add -aux.

  • un animal (an animal) → des animaux (animals)
  • un journal (a newspaper) → des journaux (newspapers)


2. Pronunciation Shift
Unlike the standard plural -s which is usually silent, this change is audible. The entire -al ending (the /al/ sound) is replaced by the single vowel sound /o/. The final -x is silent unless followed by a vowel, where a liaison occurs, producing a /z/ sound.

3. Adjective Agreement & Feminine Forms
This rule also applies to most masculine adjectives ending in -al (e.g., national → nationaux). However, some common masculine adjectives are exceptions and usually take an -s (e.g., fatal, naval, natal, bancal, and banal in its everyday sense). Additionally, a few adjectives are flexible and can take either -s or -aux, such as final (finals or finaux), idéal, glacial, and jovial. Also, it is crucial to remember that this -aux rule only applies to masculine words. Feminine words ending in -ale simply take a standard -s (e.g., une fête nationale → des fêtes nationales). Because this -s is silent, the singular and plural forms sound exactly the same.

4. Noun Exceptions
A small group of common nouns take a standard -s instead of changing to -aux. Since this -s is silent, the singular and plural forms sound identical. The most frequent ones to remember are:

  • bal (ball/dance) → bals
  • carnaval (carnival) → carnavals
  • chacal (jackal) → chacals
  • festival (festival) → festivals
  • récital (recital) → récitals
  • régal (treat/delight) → régals


5. Other Patterns
Keep in mind that while most nouns ending in -ail take a regular -s (e.g., un détail → des détails), a few specific words undergo a similar transformation and change to -aux in the plural. Common examples include un travail (a job/work) → des travaux (works, such as roadworks, public works, or renovations, not 'jobs'), un vitrail (stained glass window) → des vitraux, un corail (coral) → des coraux, and un émail (enamel) → des émaux.

Examples (4)

  1. Les animaux du zoo sont très calmes.

    The zoo animals are very calm.

    Word by Word: The animals of the zoo are very calm.

    'Animal' is a masculine noun ending in -al, so it becomes 'animaux' in the plural.

  2. Il lit plusieurs journaux chaque matin.

    He reads several newspapers every morning.

    Word by Word: He reads several newspapers each morning.

    'Journal' changes to 'journaux' to indicate more than one.

  3. Les chevaux courent dans le champ.

    The horses are running in the field.

    Word by Word: The horses run in the field.

    'Cheval' (horse) is one of the most common words using the -aux plural.

  4. Nous allons à deux festivals cet été.

    We are going to two festivals this summer.

    Word by Word: We go to two festivals this summer.

    'Festival' is a common exception; it takes a regular -s instead of changing to -aux.

Common Mistakes

  • Applying the -aux rule to exceptions like 'festival'.

    Nous aimons les festivaux de musique.
    Nous aimons les festivals de musique.

    Words like festival, bal, and carnaval are exceptions and must take a regular -s.

  • Forgetting to change the spelling and keeping the 'l'.

    J'ai deux journals.
    J'ai deux journaux.

    You must drop the 'l' entirely before adding 'ux'.

How It Connects

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

-al → -auxLevel 1Plural -aux Ending

Learn This First

To understand the irregular -aux plural for -al nouns, a learner must first be familiar with the standard pluralization rule (-s) and the plural articles (les, des) used to mark the plural number in a sentence.