-ões/-ães/-ãos

Plural of -ão Nouns

Level 2

Portuguese nouns ending in -ão don't follow a single rule. They pluralize to -ões (most common), -ães (small group), or -ãos (paroxytones and specific words).

How It Works

Pluralizing -ão nouns is a key step to build fluency in Portuguese morphology. Here is how to break it down:

  • -ões (The Default): This is the most productive ending. It applies to most oxytones (words stressed on the last syllable), including oxytones ending in -ção and -são (like coração or decisão), and all augmentatives (e.g., amigão → amigões).
    Example: coração → corações.
  • -ãos (The 'Simple -s' Rule): This applies to all paroxytones (words stressed on the second-to-last syllable), which always carry a graphic accent. This includes words like órfão and bênção. It also applies to several common oxytones like mão, irmão, cristão, and cidadão.
    Example: bênção → bênçãos; mão → mãos.
  • -ães (The Small Group): A limited set of oxytones, often monosyllabic or related to titles.
    Example: pão → pães; cão → cães; capitão → capitães.

Note: Some words are flexible and accept multiple forms, most notably ancião (which accepts anciãos, anciães, or anciões) and corrimão (corrimãos or corrimões).

Examples (6)

  1. As opiniões dos especialistas são muito importantes.

    The opinions of the experts are very important.

    Word by Word: The opinions of the experts are very important.

    Words ending in -ção (like opinião) always pluralize to -ões. This is the most common pattern.

  2. Os cidadãos e os cristãos devem votar.

    The citizens and the Christians must vote.

    Word by Word: The citizens and the Christians must vote.

    Cidadão and cristão are common oxytones that take -ãos instead of the default -ões.

  3. Comprei dois pães para o café da manhã.

    I bought two loaves of bread for breakfast.

    Word by Word: I bought two breads for the coffee of the morning.

    Pão belongs to the small group of words that change to -ães.

  4. As bênçãos da avó são especiais.

    The grandmother's blessings are special.

    Word by Word: The blessings of the grandmother are special.

    Bênção is a paroxytone (stressed on the first syllable). In Portuguese, all paroxytones ending in -ão always have a graphic accent and simply add -s.

  5. Aqueles homens são uns amigões.

    Those men are great friends.

    Word by Word: Those men are some big-friends.

    Augmentatives ending in -ão, like amigão, always follow the -ões plural rule.

  6. Os anciãos (ou anciões) vivem aqui.

    The elders live here.

    Word by Word: The elders live here.

    Ancião is a rare example of morphological flexibility, accepting all three forms: anciãos, anciães, or anciões.

Common Mistakes

  • Using -ões for every word ending in -ão.

    Os cidadões estão felizes.
    Os cidadãos estão felizes.

    While -ões is the most common, 'cidadão' is a specific exception that must end in -ãos. Using 'cidadões' is a very common error even for native speakers but is incorrect in standard grammar.

  • Confusing the noun ending -ão with the verb ending -am.

    Eles falarão muito ontem.
    Eles falaram muito ontem.

    The ending -ão in verbs indicates the future (stressed), while -am indicates the past (unstressed). Nouns ending in -ão are usually stressed on that syllable.

How It Connects

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

-ões/-ães/-ãosLevel 2Plural of -ão Nouns

Learn This First

To learn the plural of nouns ending in -ão, you first need to understand the basic concept of pluralization in Portuguese. It is also helpful to recognize common noun suffixes like -ção and -são, as these specific endings almost always follow the -ões plural rule.