Plurals Formed With Endings

Level 2

Most Welsh plurals add an ending: llyfr → llyfrau (books), cath → cathod (cats), mynydd → mynyddoedd (mountains).

How It Works

Common endings

  • -au: llyfr → llyfrau (books), siop → siopau (shops), afal → afalau (apples)
  • -iau: llun → lluniau (pictures), ffrind → ffrindiau (friends)
  • -od: cath → cathod (cats), llew → llewod (lions)
  • -ion: dyn → dynion (men), ysgol → ysgolion (schools)
  • -on: athro → athrawon (teachers; the vowel changes too)
  • -i: ffenestr → ffenestri (windows), gwers → gwersi (lessons), tref → trefi (towns)
  • -oedd: mynydd → mynyddoedd (mountains), teulu → teuluoedd (families), stryd → strydoedd (streets)
  • -ydd: afon → afonydd (rivers)
  • -ed: merch → merched (girls, women)

Vowel changes with an ending. Adding an ending can change a vowel inside the word: gair → geiriau (words), cadair → cadeiriau (chairs), gwlad → gwledydd (countries). Some plurals change only a vowel: car → ceir. See Plurals by Vowel Change.

Learn them in pairs. Dictionaries give the plural next to each noun. Learn llyfr, llyfrau as a pair, just as you learn its gender.

After y. Plural nouns never soften after the article, even feminine ones: y cathod, y merched. See Soft Mutation After Y With Feminine Nouns.

After numbers the noun stays singular: tri llyfr. See Nouns After Numbers Stay Singular.

Some nouns work the other way round: the plain word is plural and an ending makes one item, as in plant (children) → plentyn (a child). See Singulatives.

Examples (6)

  1. Mae llawer o lyfrau Cymraeg yn y siop.

    There are lots of Welsh books in the shop.

    llyfr → llyfrau (softened to lyfrau after o).

  2. Mae'r cathod yn cysgu.

    The cats are sleeping.

    cath → cathod; plurals do not soften after y.

  3. Mae dynion a merched yn y côr.

    There are men and women in the choir.

    dyn → dynion, merch → merched.

  4. Agorwch y ffenestri, os gwelwch yn dda.

    Open the windows, please.

    ffenestr → ffenestri.

  5. Mae mynyddoedd Eryri'n uchel.

    The mountains of Snowdonia are high.

    mynydd → mynyddoedd.

  6. Mae'r gwersi'n dechrau ym mis Medi.

    The lessons start in September.

    gwers → gwersi.

Common Mistakes

  • Adding -s as in English.

    Dw i'n hoffi llyfrs.
    Dw i'n hoffi llyfrau.

    Welsh plurals never add -s. Learn the ending with each noun: the plural of llyfr is llyfrau.

  • Using a plural after a number.

    tri llyfrau
    tri llyfr

    A noun straight after a number stays singular.

How It Connects

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

Plurals Formed With EndingsLevel 2

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Patterns that build on this one.

Words in This Pattern

-au-iau-od-on-ion-i-oedd