One or More Than One
English adds -s. Latin changes the ending, and the new ending depends on the declension.
How It Works
| Declension | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| first | puella | puellae |
| second, -us | amicus | amici |
| second, -er | puer | pueri |
| second, neuter | verbum | verba |
| third | rex | reges |
| fourth | manus | manus |
| fifth | res | res |
The third, fourth and fifth declensions come later. The plural verb ends in -nt, as in puellae cantant.
The vocative plural looks like the nominative plural. A few nouns exist only in the plural, such as litterae (a letter) and nuptiae (a wedding), so check the dictionary when a plural looks odd.
Learn each noun with its dictionary line so you know its plural. A third declension plural may add a syllable: rex becomes reges, and urbs becomes urbes.
Examples (5)
- Puella cantat.
The girl sings.
One girl, so the verb ends in -t.
- Puellae cantant.
The girls sing.
More than one girl, so the noun ends in -ae and the verb in -nt.
- Amici rident.
The friends laugh.
Amici is the plural of amicus.
- Verba bona sunt.
The words are good.
The plural of verbum is verba.
- Libri in villa sunt.
The books are in the house.
The plural of liber is libri.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Each noun family makes its plural its own way, so the three families you know come first.
Related Patterns
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
- Genitive Plural: -arum and -orumLevel 2
- Accusative Plural: -as, -os, -aAccusative Plural EndingsLevel 2
- Dative and Ablative Plural: -isDative and Ablative Plural Endings -isLevel 2
- Latin Plurals in EnglishLevel 2
- Good People and Many ThingsLevel 3
- deus (God, Gods)Deus, DeiLevel 3
- Plurals Used for OneLevel 6
Practice One or More Than One in Bubblegum
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