-r/-z

Plural of Consonant Nouns

Level 1

Singular: -r or -z
Plural: -es

How It Works

When a noun or adjective ends in -r or -z, it usually carries the stress on that final syllable (it is an oxítona). To make these words plural, we add the suffix -es.

1. The Basic Rule:
Simply attach -es to the end of the singular word.

  • Professor (teacher) → Professores
  • Feliz (happy) → Felizes
  • Nariz (nose) → Narizes

2. Accentuation in Hiatus:
For words where the i is preceded by a vowel (like juiz or raiz), adding -es creates a 'hiatus' (two vowels side-by-side in different syllables). You must add an acute accent to the i in the plural to show it is the stressed syllable.

  • Juiz (judge) → Juízes
  • Raiz (root) → Raízes

3. Words with Existing Accents:
If a word ending in -r already has an accent (a paroxítona), it often retains an accent in the plural because it becomes a proparoxytone (stressed on the third-to-last syllable).

  • Açúcar (sugar) → Açúcares
  • Hambúrguer (hamburger) → Hambúrgueres

Note: Some words like júnior and sênior shift their stress and lose the accent in the plural (juniores, seniores).

4. Rare Stress Shifts:
A very small number of words shift their stress when pluralized. The most common is caráter (character/nature), which becomes caracteres.

Examples (5)

  1. Os professores são muito simpáticos.

    The teachers are very nice.

    Word by Word: The teachers are very nice.

    Professor ends in -r, so we add -es to make it plural.

  2. Eu comprei três tipos de açúcares.

    I bought three types of sugars.

    Word by Word: I bought three types of sugars.

    Açúcar ends in -r; even though it is often a mass noun, it takes -es when pluralized.

  3. As luzes da cidade são bonitas.

    The city lights are beautiful.

    Word by Word: The lights of the city are beautiful.

    Luz ends in -z, so we add -es to form the plural 'luzes'.

  4. Eles são rapazes muito felizes.

    They are very happy boys.

    Word by Word: They are boys very happy.

    Both the noun 'rapaz' and the adjective 'feliz' end in -z, so both receive -es.

  5. Os juízes decidiram o caso hoje.

    The judges decided the case today.

    Word by Word: The judges decided the case today.

    Note the addition of the accent in 'juízes' to maintain the 'i' sound separately from the 'e'.

Common Mistakes

  • Applying the -es rule to words ending in -l.

    Eu comprei dois papeles.
    Eu comprei dois papéis.

    Words ending in -l usually drop the -l and add -is. The -es rule is specifically for -r and -z.

  • Forgetting the accent in hiatus plurals like 'juízes'.

    Os juizes estão aqui.
    Os juízes estão aqui.

    When pluralizing words like 'juiz' or 'raiz', you must add an accent (í) because the 'i' forms a hiatus with the preceding vowel. However, words like 'nariz' become 'narizes' without an accent because the 'i' follows a consonant.

  • Forgetting to pluralize the adjective.

    Os professores feliz.
    Os professores felizes.

    In Portuguese, adjectives must agree with the noun. If the noun is plural, the adjective must also take the -es ending.

How It Connects

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

-r/-zLevel 1Plural of Consonant Nouns

Learn This First

To understand how to form the plural of nouns ending in -r or -z, you first need to be familiar with the basic concept of pluralization in Portuguese and how nouns are generally structured.

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Words in This Pattern

-es