Plural With No Ending

Level 1

In German, many masculine and neuter nouns ending in -er, -el, or -en do not add a suffix in the plural. The plural is shown by the article 'die' and sometimes a vowel change (umlaut).

How It Works

This pattern is very common for specific groups of nouns:

  • Masculine and Neuter nouns ending in -er, -el, -en: Most nouns with these endings follow this rule.
    Example: der Lehrer (the teacher) → die Lehrer (the teachers).
  • Diminutives ending in -chen and -lein: These neuter nouns never change in the plural.
    Example: das Mädchen → die Mädchen.
  • Neuter nouns with Ge- and -e: Nouns like das Gebäude (the building) stay die Gebäude.

The Umlaut Rule:
Some masculine nouns (and two feminine exceptions: Mutter and Tochter) add an umlaut to the stem vowel (a, o, u) in the plural. Neuter nouns almost never do this (except das Kloster → die Klöster).

Dative Case Exception:
Even though these nouns have 'no ending' in the nominative plural, they must add an -n in the dative plural unless they already end in -n.
Example: mit den Lehrern (with the teachers).

Examples (5)

  1. Der Lehrer arbeitet hier. / Die Lehrer arbeiten hier.

    The teacher works here. / The teachers work here.

    Word by Word: The teacher works here. / The teachers work here.

    Notice that 'Lehrer' does not change. The plural is signaled by the article 'die' and the verb 'arbeiten'.

  2. Das Fenster ist offen. / Die Fenster sind offen.

    The window is open. / The windows are open.

    Word by Word: The window is open. / The windows are open.

    Neuter nouns ending in -er like 'Fenster' do not change or add an umlaut in the plural.

  3. Ich habe einen Apfel. / Die Äpfel sind rot.

    I have an apple. / The apples are red.

    Word by Word: I have an apple. / The apples are red.

    The masculine noun 'Apfel' follows the zero-ending pattern but adds an umlaut (a → ä).

  4. Das Mädchen spielt im Garten. / Die Mädchen spielen im Garten.

    The girl is playing in the garden. / The girls are playing in the garden.

    Word by Word: The girl plays in the garden. / The girls play in the garden.

    Diminutives ending in -chen never change their form in the plural.

  5. Meine Brüder wohnen in Berlin.

    My brothers live in Berlin.

    Word by Word: My brothers live in Berlin.

    'Bruder' is a masculine noun ending in -er that takes an umlaut (u → ü) but no ending.

Common Mistakes

  • Adding an -n to masculine/neuter -er nouns in the nominative plural.

    Die Lehrern sind nett.
    Die Lehrer sind nett.

    Learners often try to add -n to all plurals. However, masculine and neuter nouns ending in -er usually take no ending in the nominative plural.

  • Forgetting the umlaut on masculine nouns that require it.

    Ich esse zwei Apfel.
    Ich esse zwei Äpfel.

    While there is no suffix, many masculine nouns in this category must change their stem vowel.

  • Assuming feminine nouns in -el or -er have no ending.

    Die Gabel (plural).
    Die Gabeln.

    The zero-ending rule generally applies to masculine and neuter nouns. Feminine nouns ending in -el or -er usually add an -n.

How It Connects

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

Plural With No EndingLevel 1

Learn This First

To understand the 'no ending' plural pattern, you first need to know that German nouns have genders, as this rule is gender-specific. You also need to recognize the plural definite article 'die', which often provides the only visual cue that a noun is plural when the word form remains unchanged.