-s
Plural Ending -s
In German, the plural ending -s is primarily used for words borrowed from other languages (like English or French), abbreviations, and many words that end in a vowel other than 'e'.
How It Works
The -s plural is one of the five main ways to form a plural in German. While it is the most common plural in English, it is specific to certain categories in German:
- Loanwords: Words taken from English or French often keep an -s plural (e.g., das Team → die Teams).
- Full Vowel Endings: Many nouns ending in -a, -i, -o, -u, or -y take -s, but not all (die Firma → die Firmen) (e.g., das Auto → die Autos, das Hobby → die Hobbys).
- Abbreviations: Acronyms like der PKW (car) or die CD become die PKWs and die CDs.
- Family Names: To refer to a whole family, you add -s (e.g., die Müllers).
A unique rule for this plural is that it never adds an extra '-n' in the dative case. For example, you say 'mit den Autos', not 'mit den Auton'.
Examples (5)
- Die Autos stehen in der Garage.
The cars are in the garage.
Word by Word: The cars stand in the garage.
'Auto' ends in a full vowel 'o', so it takes the -s plural.
- Ich habe viele Hobbys.
I have many hobbies.
Word by Word: I have many hobbies.
Note that in German, 'Hobby' becomes 'Hobbys' with a 'y', unlike the English 'hobbies'.
- Die Kinos sind heute geschlossen.
The cinemas are closed today.
Word by Word: The cinemas are today closed.
'Kino' is a loanword ending in 'o', requiring the -s ending.
- Wir brauchen zwei Taxis.
We need two taxis.
Word by Word: We need two taxis.
Nouns ending in 'i' like 'Taxi' use the -s plural.
- Die Müllers kommen heute zu Besuch.
The Müllers are coming to visit today.
Word by Word: The Müllers come today to visit.
When referring to a family by their last name, the -s ending is used.
Common Mistakes
Using an apostrophe before the -s (Deppenapostroph).
Die Auto's sind neu.Die Autos sind neu.In German, you never use an apostrophe to form a plural. This is a common mistake influenced by English.
Adding a dative -n to an -s plural.
Ich spiele mit den Babysn.Ich spiele mit den Babys.While most German plurals add an '-n' in the dative case, nouns that already end in '-s' (or '-n') do not add anything extra.
Over-applying the -s ending to native German words.
Ich sehe zwei Hunds.Ich sehe zwei Hunde.English speakers often try to use -s for everything. Native German words usually use -e, -er, or -(e)n endings instead.
How It Connects
Learn This First
To understand the plural -s ending, you first need to know that German nouns are always capitalized and that the definite article 'die' is used to mark the plural form regardless of the original gender.
Related Patterns
- -e (Plural)Plural Ending -e
The -e ending is the most common plural for masculine and many feminine native German words.
Level 1 - -(e)nPlural Ending -(e)n
The -(e)n ending is the standard plural for most feminine nouns and weak masculine nouns.
Level 1 - Dative Case Articles
Understanding the dative case is important because -s plurals are unique in not taking the usual dative plural -n ending.
Level 2 - Noun Gender
Knowing the gender of the singular noun helps determine which plural pattern it is likely to follow.
Level 1
Words in This Pattern
Practice -s in Bubblegum
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