Plural With -es

Level 1

Words that end in -r, -z or a stressed -s add -es: flor → flores, luz → luces, mes → meses, país → países.

How It Works

Words ending in -r. Add -es: flor → flores (flowers), muller → mulleres (women), mar → mares (seas), cor → cores (colours).

Words ending in -z. Add -es and change z to c, because Galician spells this sound c before e: luz → luces, vez → veces (times), rapaz → rapaces (boys), feliz → felices (happy).

Words ending in a stressed -s. When the last syllable ends in -s and carries the stress, add -es. This includes one-syllable words: mes → meses (months), país → países (countries), inglés → ingleses (English people), autobús → autobuses.

Watch the accent. The plural has one more syllable, so the accent rules apply again. Inglés needs an accent, but ingleses does not, because it is stressed on the next-to-last syllable and ends in a vowel. Países keeps its accent to show that a and í are separate syllables; see Accents in Vowel Sequences.

Unstressed -s does not change. o lapis → os lapis (pencils), o martes → os martes (Tuesdays). See Nouns With the Same Singular and Plural. Words ending in a consonant group such as o luns (Monday) do not change either.

Examples (6)

  1. Acende as luces, por favor.

    Turn on the lights, please.

    Luz → luces: add -es and change z to c.

  2. Estas flores son para a miña nai.

    These flowers are for my mother.

    Flor ends in -r, so it adds -es.

  3. Visitamos tres países este verán.

    We are visiting three countries this summer.

    País ends in a stressed -s. The accent stays to mark the separate í.

  4. Volvo dentro de dous meses.

    I am coming back in two months.

    Mes is one syllable ending in -s, so it adds -es.

  5. Na miña clase hai moitas mulleres.

    There are many women in my class.

    Muller → mulleres.

  6. Os turistas ingleses están no hotel.

    The English tourists are at the hotel.

    Inglés → ingleses: the accent disappears in the plural.

Common Mistakes

  • Keeping z before e.

    Acende as luzes.
    Acende as luces.

    Galician writes c, not z, before e and i, so luz becomes luces.

  • Adding only -s to a word ending in -r.

    Estas flors son para ti.
    Estas flores son para ti.

    Words ending in -r add -es: flor → flores.

  • Keeping the accent of the singular in the plural.

    Os turistas ingléses están no hotel.
    Os turistas ingleses están no hotel.

    Ingleses is stressed on the next-to-last syllable and ends in a vowel, so it takes no written accent.

How It Connects

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Plural With -esLevel 1

Learn This First

The -es plural extends the basic singular/plural distinction to other endings.

Learn Next

Patterns that build on this one.